Practice Areas

Family Law Is All We Do!

Family Law is all that we do and it is what we do well.  In fact, our firm was established with the sole purpose of offering comprehensive, high quality, and individualized family law representation to those in need of our services.  Ten years later, we have established a name for ourselves and have built a reputation for legal excellence in the family law arena.  Our firm offers counseling and representation in all facets of domestic relations including the following:

Divorce -The decision to end a marriage is never an easy one.  But, if you find yourself in a position where it is the best next or only available option, we are ready to assist you.  With more than a decade of experience, we have represented hundreds of spouses dissolve their marriages with tact and dignity.  We take the time to listen to your situation and understand your objectives.  We will work with you to strategize a plan that will meet your goals and we will guide you through the dissolution process.  Many marriages are dissolved through mutual agreement or through participation in some form of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation.  We have experience in resolving many divorce cases through those methods, but if those methods fail and litigation is necessary, we also have the experience to aggressively represent your interests in court.                    

Custody / Visitation - Child custody is perhaps the most contentious issue in any divorce. Custody may be awarded to one parent, or shared custody may be ordered.  The court considers many factors in making custody determinations, including the preference of the child, the child's physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being, which parent is more likely to foster continued contact with the other parent, and each parent's past violent or abusive conduct.
We have significant experience in contested custody cases and have successfully represented both fathers and mothers in such proceedings.   We are well versed in the factors used by the court to make custody decisions and as such know how to present your case in a light most favorable to you.       

An award of custody to one parent often results in an award of visitation to the other.  Our attorneys are experienced in negotiating and fashioning creative visitation plans and agreements that will best meet you and your family's needs.     

Custodial Parent Relocation - When the primary custodial parent moves, the non-custodial parent may object to the move. Child relocation disputes can become complex as competing factors and interests come into play. Because of this, a contested evidentiary hearing is often needed to determine whether the child can move, future child-access arrangements, and which party is responsible for transportation costs.  We have experience litigating custodial parent relocation disputes and can help through the court process to obtain the approval or denial of the relocation request. 

Modifications - Long after divorces are finalized, situations arise which necessitate the need to return to court to have a term or condition in the divorce decree modified.  Whether the modification relates to child support, custody, alimony, or something else, we are responsive to your needs. We have successfully represented both the initiating party and the party opposing the modification.  With our extensive experience and knowledge of family law on your side, we can help you obtain the outcome that you are seeking.       

Adoption - Adoption is the legal process by which a legal parent-child relationship is created between individuals not biologically parent and child. When an adoption is finalized, the relationship of the adopted child with its biological parents are severed, and the adopted children becomes, for all legal purposes, the child of their adoptive parents. Whether it is a step-parent, pubic, or private adoption, we can represent you to ensure a smooth and successful adoption and assist you in bringing a child into your home. 

Child Support - In Pennsylvania, courts use child support guidelines, which take into consideration the income of each parent and distributes the financial responsibilities for the children accordingly.  In certain situations, the court may deviate from the guidelines or may even accept an agreement among the parties as to the amount of child support that should be paid.  We have extensive experience handling child support issues whether you are seeking to establish, terminate, or modify a child support obligation.

Alimony - In Pennsylvania, a court may award alimony to either party upon a finding of necessity.  The court considers nineteen enumerated factors in determining the amount of alimony to be awarded.   We have represented a significant number of cases involving highly complex and contested issues of alimony.  Our astuteness and ability to apply the statutory factors to each individual improves our ability to present cases involving spousal support issues.  

Property Division - In Pennsylvania, divorcing parties retain their separate property, which is defined as property acquired before marriage, acquired in exchange for separate property, gifts and inheritances, and property designated separate by valid agreement.  All other property is classified as marital and is divided equitably between the parties based on sixteen statutory factors.  Our firm has experience handling divorces involving significant assets and accumulated wealth and can provide effective representation to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of your marital property. 

In addition to the above family law areas, we also handle the following:

• Grandparent Visitation
• Legal Separation
• Paternity
• Domestic Violence
• Name Changes
• Annulment

We welcome the opportunity to assist you with your family law needs. In the event you wish to meet with us to discuss your family law issues, we recommend that you begin collecting the following documentation for our review:

For Divorce and Support cases:

• account numbers, balances, creditor information, and statements for all debts including mortgages, home equity loan, car loans/leases, credit cards, etc.
• bank account statements (savings and checking)
• brokerage, retirement account statements
• tax returns for the last two years
• current pay stubs
• appraisal, market analysis, or any other evidence of home value

For all other types of cases:

• any pleadings or prior orders previously filed
• copy of case file
• any documentation you feel may be relevant to your case

We ask that you bring the above documentation with you to our first meeting so that we can make the most of your initial consultation. However, if you are unable to obtain any of the above documents, we will assist in collecting it for you.