Separation in PA Changes from Two Years to One Year
Effective December 5, 2016, the PA Divorce Code is modified to require one year of separation, instead of two years, before a spouse can request a no-fault divorce with no economic claims or the appointment of a divorce master to...[Continue reading]
Have You Ever Prepared an Expense Statement?
I can’t cite any statistics, but I can confidently say that based on my experience, very few people have ever prepared a budget or an expense statement. That means for most people, their income comes into their bank account and...[Continue reading]
Why Work to Reach an Agreement?
I can think of a few reasons to focus your time, money and energy on reaching an agreement to resolve your divorce, support, custody or other family law matter or estate administration conflict. The first three reasons are your time,...[Continue reading]
Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods
“Alternative” refers to alternatives to litigation (the court process). If you need to resolve a conflict, but don’t want to go through the court process (I advise avoiding court if possible!) then you have alternatives to consider. I strongly recommend...[Continue reading]
Gathering Information
Regardless of the process you use to go through a divorce, you must gather information in order to make informed decisions. There are numerous ways to gather information, ranging from relatively simple and inexpensive to increasingly complex and increasingly expensive....[Continue reading]
Basics of Collaborative Law
Collaboration means to work together to achieve a common goal. The collaborative process involves the spouses, their attorneys and any other involved professionals engaging in non-confrontational sessions to discuss the issues and goals of the involved individuals. The issues may...[Continue reading]
My Neighbor’s Divorce
Most of us have heard about or personally witnessed other people (neighbors, family members, friends etc.) going through the divorce process. Whether those observations or reports were positive, negative or somewhere in between, each person’s situation is unique. There are...[Continue reading]
What if Court is the Only Option?
I like to help my family law clients make their own decisions privately and respectfully, while avoiding the court system. That’s not always possible. Sometimes one or both parties are determined to have their day in court or they try...[Continue reading]
Divorce and Homemakers
You’ve taken care of the house, your spouse, the kids, the pets and pretty much everything else involving your family’s home life. You’ve supported your spouse in his or her career decisions, relying on the partnership you’ve built so that...[Continue reading]
What am I Entitled to?
A lot of clients come to me with the overall question of “What am I entitled to?” In most cases, they mean “What can I expect the financial outcome to be if I get divorced?” and I can appreciate their...[Continue reading]