Pennsylvania Family Law

In the State of Pennsylvania, neither parent has a legal obligation to pay for their child’s education. If parents are divorcing, and college imminent, an attorney should counsel his/her client on college expenses. In some cases, it may be worthwhile for divorcing spouses to reach an agreement concerning college education in addition to a child […]

J.P.D. v. W.E.D., PICS Case No. 15-0740 (PA.Super. May 5,2015) Ford Elliot, J. In J.P.D. v. W.E.B., father W.E.B. appealed from an order of the trial court ordering him to pay $1,365 per month to mother, J.P.D. for the support for their two children. Father filed a petition seeking modification of the child support order […]

Victims of sexual violence and intimidation desire safety and protection from future interactions with their offender and, now, as of July 1, 2015, Pennsylvania has become the 34th state to establish protection for sexual-assault victims. The Protection of Victims of Sexual Violence or Intimidation Act is modeled closely after the Protection from Abuse Act, but […]

Social Security is extremely important to our economic security. Social Security stands as one of the most complex areas in financial planning (let alone divorce planning), but most people overlook it. For divorcing couples, if proper planning is not done, the result could be economically detrimental. The purpose of this guide is to address some […]

In America, the backbone of  our adversarial system is a jury trial. But as family law practitioners, we are often heard by judges sitting without a jury. Some Judges presiding at nonjury trials often circumvent the rules of evidence.  Judges often admit evidence indiscriminately, ruling on weight and relevance only after all the facts of […]

In the last year, same-sex marriage was legalized in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, paving the way for thousands of couples to finally get hitched.

What You Need to Know About Valuating the Family Business for Your PA Divorce. Pennsylvania is an equitable distribution state. This means that when a couple divorces, all marital property must be divided between the spouses. If you or your spouse owns a business, the business may be considered marital property. Before you and your […]

If your spouse’s employer offered a pension plan, you may have counted on that money to help fund your retirement. Now that you are getting divorced, you may be worried about your future. You wonder if you’ll have the resources you need to retire. This can be especially stressful if you are over 50. Fortunately, […]

QUESTION: I expect that I will be awarded alimony, how long can I expect to collect it? Alimony is a regular payment that one spouse makes to the other spouse in order to provide financial support after a divorce. In the past, Pennsylvania courts awarded one year of alimony for every three years of marriage. […]

QUESTION: “Who has to pay child support?” Traditionally, Pennsylvania has embraced the doctrine of paternity by estoppel. This means that the person who acts as a parent to a child id the child’s parent, even if they are not biologically related. DNA does not matter. What does this mean for you if you cared for […]