As fall descends upon Pennsylvania thoughts turn from shore and mountain vacations to shorter days, cooler nights, a return to school, and football! So, what does football have to do with divorces? Say you or the business you...more
As I have said in this space before, I try to keep up with recent appellate decisions in the family law area, and some of the most interesting decisions from the Superior Court of Pennsylvania are those that are referred to...more
I credit my wife with the idea for this post. In a bit of a round-about way, she directed me to an article on state-by-state divorce rates. The raw data is from the National Center for Health Statistics. The article is on...more
A few weeks back I wrote a blog post on pet custody, specifically Pennsylvania HB 1108, you can read it by clicking here. A bill that falls in the same general category of pets in family law is HB 1210. It deals with animal...more
I am active in the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Family Law Section and one of my positions is as co-chair of the Section’s Legislative Committee. In that capacity, I monitor pending legislation pertinent to family law and...more
You and your spouse have agreed to an easy divorce, and you think it will be smooth sailing, however, there are a lot of considerations that need to be discussed. In a divorce, alimony, property division, child custody, and...more
As I indicated in my last blog post, Pennsylvania’s Superior Court gave us family lawyers a nice list of issues in Rogowski v. Kirven, 2023 Pa. Super. Lexis 75 (March 1, 2023). In that blog I addressed what I call...more
In Pennsylvania, divorces can be considered a fault or no-fault divorce. Understanding which one you are filing for can have a huge impact on the divorce process. In this podcast episode, Family Law partner Skip Persick walks...more
Every so often the appellate courts issue an opinion that is chocked full of issues and makes for interesting reading, at least for us family lawyers. One such opinion is Rogowski v. Kirven, 2023 Pa. Super. Lexis 75 (March 1,...more
You are in a contentious custody case. You and the other parent argue. Sometimes you are on the “giving” end, but most of the time you are the one receiving an unwarranted and unnecessary earful. While you know better than to...more
Join Family Law partners Carolyn Mirabile and Skip Persick as they discuss how adoption and child custody could be affected by the Dobbs decision. Skip first looks at who has "standing" to fight for child custody including...more
In just about every divorce I have handled there has been a house to address, in lawyer-language, “disposition of the marital residence."...more
Just about any time a client receives a decision they find anything short of a 100% victory, that client say to me: “File an appeal!” What clients need to understand, however, is that it is easier said than it is to actually...more
Not long ago I wrote a blog and recorded a podcast on common law marriage. I recently came across a decision of Pennsylvania’s Superior Court that has significance for the LGBTQIA+ community....more
Common law marriage is one of Pennsylvania’s most confusing legal topics. Does common law marriage still exist? If you are common law married, what are the proceedings to get a divorce? Family law partner Lawrence J. "Skip"...more
Join Weber Gallagher’s Family Law attorneys for an interactive discussion concerning LGBTQIA+ family law issues and important steps you need to take in a post-Dobbs era.
Our attorneys, Carolyn Mirabile, Lawrence “Skip”...more
8/30/2022
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I have written previously about children and COVID-19 vaccinations and now that it is almost back-to-school time, a quick update is in order. One of the concerns for lawyers when the COVID vaccination issue emerged was the...more
Effective April 1, 2022, Pennsylvania revised an existing procedural rule of court in child custody cases. The rule covers appointment of an attorney for the child, the court’s interviewing of the child, and a child’s...more
I am not sure why, but I have noticed a recent uptick in questions dealing with what I will call “pet custody.” Usually, I hear the caller or emailer out and then offer that it is almost always more cost effective — meaning...more
What is the difference between mediation, arbitration, and conciliation? How does each of these affect a family law case such as divorce or child custody? Who needs to be present during each of these proceedings? Learn more...more
A recent decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court allows comfort dogs in the courtroom. The case is Commonwealth v. Purnell, 2021 Pa. Lexis 3610 (Pa. Supreme, Sept. 22, 2021). The case comes from Chester County and involves...more
A few weeks back I authored a blog post on the issue of child custody and COVID-19 vaccinations. At that time, I stated that it was difficult for any lawyer to predict how a particular judge would rule on a request by a...more
Pfizer is saying its COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5-11. You’re divorced and have two children in that age group; both live primarily with you, but they spend a few nights of the week with their other parent. Like most...more
Do I have to pay a retainer fee to my family law lawyer? How does a retainer work, and is it refundable? Family Law Partner Skip Persick provides details on how a retainer works and what to expect. In this episode, Skip...more
Do you need an attorney for your family law case? How do you find the right attorney for you? When it comes to family law, it's essential to have the right attorney by your side to help make informed decisions. In this...more