Your spouse just announced he or she wants a divorce and you do not know the next steps.  Generally, there are multiple claims which can be made in the context of a divorce matter. Those claims include equitable distribution (distribution of assets), alimony (support of a spouse after the divorce decree is entered), and counsel fees.              In relation to the division of assets, there are three steps to that process – identify, value and divide.  ..read more

            As part of a support action, the person seeking support will be awarded a set monthly amount of child and/or spousal support per month.  However, you may have other expenses, such as childcare, unreimbursed medical expenses, or extra-curricular activities the children participate in that you want the other party to share in paying.  How, you ask is that addressed?  Well, read on…..             Rule 1910.16-6 of the Pennsylvania Support Rules provide that the ..read more

Effective January 1, 2022, the Supreme Court adopted new and revised child and spousal support rules.  This is nothing surprising or unusual since the Guidelines are reviewed every 4 years.  Here is a summary of the changes which may impact your support matter:             1.         Under the old Guidelines, there was an artificial reduction in the basic child support by 30% to account for assumed parenting time.  Under the new Guidelines, that fiction is removed; however, the econom ..read more

With the pandemic, a new source of revenue has been found for parents and businesses. Each stimulus package passed by Congress has come with stimulus payments made to individuals making less than a certain threshold, with payments not only for the parent but also for any qualifying child. Similarly, businesses have been permitted to borrow funds in the form of a forgivable loan, which loan is forgiven if you used the funds for payroll and other approved purposes. In both circumstances, and provided a person qualifies for the funds, the court must consider whether these funds ar ..read more

The newly enacted tax legislation contains a major change in how alimony will be treated for income tax purposes beginning on January 1, 2019. Under the current law, alimony is deductible to the payor spouse and includible in the recipient spouse’s income for income tax purposes. This results in the recipient spouse, who is usually in a lower income tax bracket, paying less in taxes than if the payor spouse had to pay tax on that income. This allows the couple to keep more of their income (in the aggregate) and give less to the government in taxes. Also, since the payor spouse is getting the ..read more

On May 2-3, the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association will be hosting its first ever LGBT Forum in San Francisco, California. This forum brings together legal thought leaders and LGBT rights advocates to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing this community. The idea for this conference began back in the fall of 2015 as the brainchild of Laurence F. Pulgram, who is now the Chair of ABA Litigation. Laurence’s vision was to create a two day-intensive featuring programming pertinent to LGBT professionals as well as the legal issues this group faces on a daily basis. This typ ..read more

  A Brief Review of Wiretapping Laws Many clients come into our offices with recordings of their significant others, spouses and children which they believe will be helpful to their position in various family law matters. Unfortunately, many such recordings are completely unusable in litigation because of complicated and confusing federal and state wiretap laws. These wiretap laws may not only make certain recordings unusable in litigation, but also subject the person making the recording, and anyone who subsequently tries to use the recording, to criminal and civil penalties. In 1986, C ..read more

Our clients, new and old, have difficulty navigating the stressful holiday season with their ex partners and children. It is not uncommon for a family to have developed traditions while they were together or for both parents to have family events they wish to attend with the children during the holiday season. The holidays can be an emotional period for many families and an uncertain custody schedule will only lead to additional stress. A well-written custody order can help resolve most of the issues that will arise during the holidays before they become a problem. There are many things to con ..read more

If you and your spouse, or the parent of your children, live in different states or different counties, you may not know where to file your divorce, support or custody action. Divorce In order to file a divorce complaint in Pennsylvania, at least one of the parties must have been a bona fide resident of the Commonwealth for the six months prior to commencement of the action. With respect to which county to file in, the divorce code provides that the action may be brought in the county (1) where the defendant resides; (2) if the defendant resides outside of Pennsylvania, where the plaintiff re ..read more