Berks County Family Law Blog

If a Pennsylvania parent has concerns about his or her children's safety during visitation with the other parent, he or she should discuss the concerns with the attorney and the court. The court usually investigates allegations of abuse before granting any parent custody, though it should be noted that there could be repercussions when making allegations of abuse.

When an allegation of physical or emotional abuse is made, the court and family protective services may step in to investigate before the custody of the children is granted. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the court or the family protective services may talk to the children's teachers, extended family or even neighbors in order to verify the allegations. While the investigation is ongoing, the other parent may be granted visitation, though this visitation is usually supervised.

For some people in Pennsylvania, prenuptial agreements seem to be a matter only for the wealthy or major celebrities. After all, prenups can be an important mechanism to protect people with major assets, family businesses or large inheritances in case of a divorce later on. However, many people of all financial backgrounds can benefit and protect themselves through the use of premarital agreements. Investing in a prenup early on can save not only on attorney fees but also on the more fundamental expenses that can come with a divorce down the line.

In many cases, people spend more to divorce than they do on their weddings or honeymoons. The difficulties that can develop in relationships over the years are often unpredictable in the earlier, happier days of a romantic partnership. Therefore, it may be better to have people negotiate the division of their assets while they feel positively about one another. However, many people do feel an emotional block that prevents them from adopting a prenuptial agreement eagerly before marriage. On a practical level, prenups can help to clearly define certain types of marital or separate property and avoid later, more serious conflicts.

In Pennsylvania and across the United States, married couples often feel stress when they decide to get divorced. In addition to emotional issues, couples must divide their accumulated assets and debts. Student loan debts are more complicated because the court needs to determine which spouse must pay back the loan. One common rule is that a student loan debt occurring before the marriage belongs to the person who took out the loan. The other spouse is not normally accountable for the loan because the court deems it as separate property.

However, deciding which person is responsible for a student loan debt taking place after the couple pronounces their vows is not as simple. Since the debt occurred during the marriage, the court views it as a marital debt subject to either community property rules or equitable distribution laws. Marital property is divided equally in a community property state. The equality of a marital debt also applies to a student loan debt occurring in a community property state.

For Pennsylvania’s small business owners, divorce often brings unwanted uncertainty, especially when your divorce involves child support. You already face pressure from online competition and changing markets, and you may not want to think about adding child support payments to the mix.

The truth, however, is that it’s particularly important for business owners to think carefully about child support. In most cases, Pennsylvania awards child support according to a strict formula. The formula uses the parents’ joint income to decide how much each should put toward the child’s upbringing. But when you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, simply listing your income can prove a trick.