Facing A Divorce? We Can Help You.
If you are going through a divorce, you are probably losing sleep. At Rowe Law Offices, P.C., we understand that the issues you are dealing with are serious. That’s why our experienced, compassionate legal team is only a phone call or email away. From our offices in Wyomissing, Allentown and Lancaster, we serve the people of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The decisions you make during your divorce can affect you for the rest of your life. Before you do anything that cannot easily be undone, contact one of our lawyers for a free initial phone consultation.
Focused On Your Legal & Family Needs
We answer emails after hours and over the weekend. We also have a 24-hour answering service. Why? Because sometimes you can’t wait until morning for an answer. You may be in the middle of a dispute and need our guidance. We are happy to help you, in any way that we can, even if it’s not during normal business hours.
Our family law attorneys focus their efforts on resolving disputes as efficiently and amicably as possible while fully safeguarding your rights. We handle divorces for elders, military personnel and spouses and those in the baby boomer generation. Each family is different and has different needs and concerns. We can address them all, including:
- Fault grounds in divorce: In Pennsylvania, you can file for divorce based on fault or no-fault grounds.
- Property division: Equitably dividing marital property is one of the greatest challenges people face in divorce.
- Finding hidden assets: Our lawyers use experts such as forensic accountants and business valuation experts to ensure that you receive everything you are entitled to.
- Dividing marital debt: Many couples have more debt to divide than assets. It’s important to understand what debt is marital and what is separate.
- Dividing businesses in divorce: If you or your spouse owns a business, obtaining a fair division of the value of the business is important to your future financial security.
- Pension transfers: Retirement assets are often the largest component of a married couple’s assets.
- Tax consequences: When dividing marital property in divorce, it’s important to consider what the asset will be worth after you sell it and pay taxes.
- Divorce master hearings: A divorce master is an attorney, appointed by the court to conduct pretrial conferences and hold hearings in contested divorces.
Our proactive and creative solutions often allow our clients to avoid litigation, which has high emotional and financial costs. If the other side is not being reasonable, our attorneys have the courtroom experience to vigorously advocate for you at trial.
Providing The Answers To Your Pennsylvania Divorce Questions
It is normal to have numerous questions about separation, divorce, custody and every other issues you are facing. Our knowledgeable family law attorneys have the information you need to understand your rights, choose the option best for you and make decisions about your future. We can answer your questions, including:
Q: How do you start a divorce in PA?
The exact divorce process will depend on your situation. In general, you can either divorce by mutual consent, through a unilateral “no-fault” option due to an irretrievable breakdown of the relationship or based on one of several “grounds” or causes, such as adultery, desertion or cruelty.
In all cases, the actual divorce starts with the filing of a complaint in the county courthouse. A second copy must be delivered (“served”) to your spouse within 30 days. Once service is complete, you may begin any negotiations with your spouse over the division of marital property and debts, custody and support.
Fault-based divorces have no waiting period before litigation can begin. If the divorce is by mutual consent, there is a 90-day waiting period before the divorce can proceed. If the divorce is based on an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, the couple is required to “live separate and apart” for one year prior before the divorce can move forward.
Q: What is separation?
In Pennsylvania, your separation date is the date you and your spouse begin to live as two separate people. This is an important date in your divorce for several reasons.
The date of your separation can affect:
- The timing of your divorce: The date a no-fault divorce can be granted may be reliant upon when you first began living separately and apart.
- The division of assets and debts: Courts generally use the date of separation to determine what can be considered marital assets and debts, and what was acquired after the couple effectively ended their relationship. Generally, both bills and assets acquired by one spouse after separation are considered theirs and theirs alone, rather than part of the marital estate.
- Issues of support: A date of separation can also affect when alimony and child support payments have to begin.
At Rowe Law Offices, P.C., our attorneys will help you understand how the date of separation will apply to your case, and what that may mean for your future.
Q: What if my spouse won’t consent to divorce?
If your spouse won’t consent to divorce, you can still petition the court to grant you a divorce order. Our attorneys can help you formulate a strategy to avoid a drawn-out process such as litigation. Call 610-816-0935 for a free initial phone consultation to discuss your specific needs.
More information is available on our frequently asked questions page as well.
To learn more about the divorce process, please see our infographic on the steps involved in a divorce.
Schedule Your Free Initial Phone Consultation With One Of Our Divorce Lawyers
To schedule a free phone consultation with an experienced divorce attorney, call Rowe Law Offices, P.C., at 610-816-0935 or 866-232-1913 — or send us an email.