by Karen UlmerIf you have children and are getting divorced, you will negotiate a parenting time schedule, typically called a custody agreement. This dictates the amount of time that each child will spend with each parent. It can include overnights, holidays, and special arrangements like pick-ups and birthdays. If you are divorcing with younger children, your schedule […]
Divorce and Deferred CompensationApril 29, 2026 - 12:41 pm
Rental Properties and DivorceApril 17, 2026 - 9:37 am
Pets in DivorceApril 8, 2026 - 11:23 am
Custody and Domestic Violence
Emotions run high in any child custody discussion. When you are fighting with your soon-to-be-ex, in person or through your attorneys, that arguing adds extra pressure to the process. When violence and abuse are already present in the relationship, there is added urgency along with a fear of you or your children being victimized. […]
How to Change Your Custody Agreement/Parenting Time
If you have children and are getting divorced, you will negotiate a parenting time schedule, typically called a custody agreement. This dictates the amount of time that each child will spend with each parent. It can include overnights, holidays, and special arrangements like pick-ups and birthdays. If you are divorcing with younger children, your schedule […]
Accounting for an Estate
An accounting is one of the final steps in administering an estate. It is the final reconciliation of all assets in the estate, all expenses of the estate, and any interim distributions. A formal accounting is filed with the court. An informal accounting may be done as well and is presented to the beneficiaries as […]
Inventory for an Estate
An inventory of probate assets will need to be filed with the court in the process of probating the will. The first step for the executor or administrator is to gather information on what assets exist. For real estate, ownership should be confirmed first via review of deed or a title search. If the home […]
Putative Father Registry
A putative father is a man whose legal relationship to a child has not yet been established. This may occur in a situation where the Mother of a child is not married and she alleges someone as the father or the man believes he is the father. Pennsylvania maintains a registry of putative fathers for […]
Pension Valuations
Pensions are often one of the assets up for division in a divorce. The marital portion of a pension plan may be divided amongst the parties. The marital portion of a plan would be the portion that accrued from the date of marriage through the date of separation. In some cases, the entire pension will […]
Appraisals
An appraisal may be needed to ascertain an accurate value of an asset in a divorce or estate matter. Parties may elect to use one appraiser or have competing appraisers. When choosing an appraiser, it is important to make sure the appraiser is licensed or certified. A licensed appraiser has met the minimum requirements for […]
Annuities
An annuity is an investment of a resource in order to receive a fixed payment. Once the investment is annuitized, the original investment cannot be returned. At that point, the characterization of the investment is changed from an asset to income. An annuity is considered marital property and subject to division in the event of […]
Filing for Support
The first step in seeking support is to file a complaint with the Domestic Relations office. You can go to the office located in your county for assistance in filing. Through the child support program website you are now able to start a request for support online. Once a complaint is submitted, an initial support […]
Inheritance Taxes
Pennsylvania does apply a tax on assets passed through probate or intestacy. The amount of tax depends on the value of the estate as well as the relationship of the beneficiaries to the decedent. There is no tax imposed for assets passing to a surviving spouse or to a child under 21 years old. There […]