Child custody orders should ensure children receive quality care and bonding time with divorced or separated parents. Most parents negotiate agreements during divorce proceedings. However, as time goes on and family circumstances change, it may be necessary to request...
Family Law
Factors that affect child custody decisions
In Pennsylvania, courts will hold the best interest of the child above all else when making custody decisions. There are a number of considerations a judge can look at to determine what is in the best interest of a child. The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania...
The divorce process can lay the foundation for the life you want
Whether you are happy or sad about the decision to end your marriage, divorce is life-changing. Rather than dwell on what you are losing, try to view your divorce as a fresh start. Use the divorce process to lay the foundation for the life you want moving forward....
Securing parenting time for unmarried fathers
If you’re an unmarried father in Pennsylvania, you have the legal right to ask for parenting time. Depending on your situation, you may be pursuing a shared custody arrangement or visitation time. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, family courts will go on the...
How unmarried fathers can establish paternity and seek custody
Fathers in Pennsylvania and around the country have a right to spend time with their children whether they were once married to the mother or not. When unmarried fathers take legal action to seek visitation or custody, family law judges base their decisions on what...
Child Custody Agreements Sometimes Need to Be Changed
Pennsylvania residents know that divorce is hard on the entire family. In addition to the family no longer living together, arrangements are set up regarding custody, child support, alimony, splitting up of assets, and every other issue that needs resolution when a...
What do courts consider in child custody decisions?
If you are a parent who is getting a divorce in Pennsylvania and custody and visitation will be decided in a child custody hearing, you might wonder what factors the judge will consider. First, you should understand that courts generally operate from the assumption...
How will the court divide up our property when we divorce?
One of the most challenging parts of a divorce is determining how to split up the assets you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse have acquired over the course of your relationship. Family law courts vary from state to state when it comes to property division rules. Some...
Divorce need not be adversarial
Although the divorce process can be contentious and adversarial at times, it certainly does not have to be. Sometimes, a marriage or a partnership just stops working. The legal term for this in Pennsylvania is an "irretrievable breakdown" of the marriage. And, if both...
In Pennsylvania, separation can be grounds for no-fault divorce
Sometimes a marriage just stops working for one reason or another, and whether consciously or not, spouses start living their own lives without regard for the other spouse. Under Pennsylvania family law, this is known as living "separate and apart." And living...