Can I Get Alimony While Still Married?
As defined under the PA Divorce Code, alimony is support paid from one former spouse to another after entry of a divorce decree. Therefore, alimony is technically not available while individuals are still married. While separated, but not yet divorced,...[Continue reading]
How to Ready Your Finances When Facing Divorce
Making financial decisions is a major part of the divorce process. Among other things, that means determining distribution of assets and liabilities and determining how each spouse will pay his or her living expenses. It takes time and effort (sometimes...[Continue reading]
FIVE ISSUES TO CONSIDER IF FACED WITH DIVORCE
1. Where is each spouse in the divorce decision-making process? Frequently one spouse is more convinced than the other that divorce is the best option. The biggest thing to keep in mind is just because you think the marriage is...[Continue reading]
Pros and Cons of the Domestic Relations Office
Some people go through the domestic relations office to establish child support, spousal support or alimony pendente lite orders. Some people make those arrangements without involving the domestic relations office. There are pros and cons to involving or not involving...[Continue reading]
Challenges to Divorce Agreements
Can you challenge the validity and enforceability of a Marital Settlement Agreement? If so, on what basis and with what probable result? A Marital Settlement Agreement is the legally binding contract between you and your spouse that contains all of...[Continue reading]
How the Domestic Relations Office Works
Each county’s domestic relations office establishes support orders, keeps track of payments and amounts due and handles enforcement of support orders, in conjunction with the county court system. You initiate a support action by filing a complaint with the domestic...[Continue reading]
Federal Tax Law Changes Impact Support
The recent federal tax law changes have a tremendous impact on spousal support, alimony pendente lite (APL) and alimony payments in Pennsylvania. Effective January 1, 2019, those payments are no longer deducted from the paying spouse’s income and added 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]
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]
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]