Although it is unfortunate, divorces and custody battles are not uncommon these days. If you find yourself in need of a family law attorney in Pennsylvania, call Stephen Barcavage immediately at 717-731-8111. He can explain your rights under Pennsylvania law and guide you through this difficult time in your life.
Family Law Services
The firm handles a full range of family matters including:
Alimony
Alimony is different than spousal support or temporary payment of “pendente lite” because it does not begin until after the divorce process has been finalized. According to an attorney from Pennsylvania specializing on marriage-related legal issues, Alimony can also come with conditions such as how income taxes will be handled for each party involved – this makes calculating final costs more complicated so make sure you consult your lawyers before signing anything!
Child Custody
Finding the right child custody lawyer is an important decision. It can help alleviate some of the stress and uncertainty that comes with a dispute over who should get to see your children when you’re going through a divorce or separation. There are many things parents need for their kids, like housing, food, clothing- but one thing they don’t want them lacking in is time spent relaxing together as family members!
Child Support
It’s important for parents to be aware of the law in Pennsylvania and that they have a responsibility and obligation to support their children until 18 or graduation. Child support is calculated using our formula, which takes into account your net monthly incomes as well as the number of minor children you share between each other. Whether or not you are married does not matter when calculating this amount; it will only affect child custody arrangements if there has been any history with domestic violence.
Divorce
Ending a marriage is no easy task, but what if you find yourself contemplating the idea of divorce? If so, then there are many things that might be on your mind. For example: how long does it take to get divorced in Pennsylvania and is there such thing as a quick or fast divorcing process here like other states offer? The answer may not come immediately for some people because these factors can vary from couple-to-couple based upon their assets and debts owed; their ability to agree on terms with one another; and more.
Equitable Distribution
When a marriage is ending, Pennsylvania requires the court to divide all marital property and debts. The term for this process in PA is “equitable distribution.” This means they judge makes decisions based on fairness rather than splitting everything evenly. The equitable distribution of marital property and debts in Pennsylvania is a tricky process. The court has the final say on how to distribute these, but it’s up for interpretation based off what they deem unfair or more just than another outcome.
Grandparent Custody
For children, grandparents can play a very important role in their lives. In fact, there have even been times when they’ve had to take on the duties of parents. But this is not always easy for all families and in Pennsylvania it’s particularly difficult as many face conflict involving grandparents during divorce or custody battles that become amplified with these kinds of situations.
Paternity
In Pennsylvania, unmarried parents can establish the paternity of a child by filing an Acknowledgment of Paternity form. This is how both father and mother have equal rights to care for their children when there are questions about who’s biological parent they might be! In order to complete this form one must voluntarily sign it without these legal obligations in place beforehand which means that signing up will not only help determine paternity but also grant parental responsibilities over time.
Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements
When you get married, the last thing on your mind is that it might end in divorce. But unfortunately this happens all too often these days and many unions do come to an end. To protect yourself financially from a possible split-up, we recommend prenuptial agreements as soon as possible so they don’t interrupt things later down the road when both spouses’ assets are invested into one estate or if there’s minor children involved. It would be best to create a contract between two people before saying “I Do.”
Protection From Abuse
When it comes to domestic abuse, you may wonder if there is any way that the victim can protect themselves from further violence or abuse. Fortunately, Pennsylvania has different legal aid in order to help those who are victims of these terrible crimes a protection from abuse order (PFA) is one such provision offered by state law. A PFA orders an abuser not contact their spouse and stays away from them for up 180 days.
Separation
The laws on marital separation is different in every state and in Pennsylvania, a couple can be separated by still live in the same house, even share a bedroom.
If you have questions about a legal separation, attorney Barcavage can help.
Spousal Support
The law in Pennsylvania dictates that the primary wage earner of a marriage has to provide spousal support for their dependent spouse. This financial assistance is meant to let dependents continue financially during the time before divorce proceedings are finalized, and once these proceedings have completed, this type of compensation will stop.
Step Parent Adoption
One of the more unique qualities about Pennsylvania’s adoption laws is that it allows for stepparents to legally adopt children. In order for this process to happen, the biological parent must have not seen or contacted their child within a six-month period and both parents would need consent from all parties involved in filing an application with county court.
Don’t wait for matters to get worse, email or call today.