Pennsylvania Family Law Blog – The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz
Pennsylvania Father Faces Series of Charges after Fleeing with 2-Week-Old Son
Phillyburbs.com recently reported that a 32-year-old Pittsburgh man was arrested and jailed after jumping out of a second-floor window with his two-week-old son. The police had attempted to serve the man with an emergency protection-from-abuse order from the infant’s mother at her apartment when he fled with the baby. Read the rest »
Signs of a Controlling Spouse
According to a poll commissioned by Divorce360.com, about 36 percent of Americans said they divorced in order to escape relationships that had become verbally or physically abusive. Domestic violence can take many forms and often develops subtly over a period of time. CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Sheryl Cates says that patterns of coercive control that one person exercises over another fall under the umbrella of domestic abuse, such as threats and intimidation, physical harm, or economic deprivation.
In many cases, victims of abuse are unaware that they are involved in an unhealthy, and sometimes dangerous, relationship until the abuser has taken over his or her life. Whether dating or years into a marriage, it’s important to identify the warning signs and know when it’s time to escape a toxic situation.
What Are Grounds for Divorce in Pennsylvania?
Throughout the country, each state has a different set of regulations when it comes to divorce; however, every state requires that a person specifies his or her reason for filing for divorce. In Pennsylvania, spouses are allowed to obtain a no-fault divorce under certain terms when both spouses mutually agree that divorce is the best course of action. No-fault divorces are typically filed as one of the following:
- Mutual Consent – You and your spouse may each consent to a divorce and file an affidavit, which will make your marriage irretrievably broken after at least 90 days.
- Irretrievable Breakdown – You and your spouse may file an affidavit stating that you have lived separately for a minimum of two years and your marriage is irretrievably broken.
Surviving the Summer Child Custody Transition
Divorced families often face a unique situation during the summertime, especially when the parents live far apart. In such cases, it is not uncommon that one parent may have custody of the children throughout the school year, while the other may have custody over the summer break.
Making the transition from one household to the other for a few months can be awkward for everyone involved, but there are ways in which the “school year parent” can help the children make the summer switch. Read the rest »
Important Decisions to Make When Choosing Adoption
Adoption can be a rewarding and life-altering event that allows couples or single parents to provide a safe, loving home to a child in need. However, making the decision to adopt and going through the process comes with a wide range of obstacles. If you are thinking about adopting, the following considerations may be helpful: Read the rest »
How to Initiate the Divorce Talk with Your Spouse
In many cases, divorce does not begin as a mutual decision. One spouse will have realized that the marriage is no longer working; while the other has no idea their partner is unhappy, until the news is finally broken during a heated argument or a stressful holiday gathering.
If you believe it is time to end your marriage, the following tips can help you broach the subject without making a difficult situation even worse:
First, do the research. Consult an experienced divorce attorney and learn about your state’s divorce laws. Knowing your options will help you create a realistic plan of action, especially regarding how your financial situation will change and how you hope to settle custody matters, if children are involved. It’s better to make a well-informed decision rather than blurting out your feelings without first understanding what it could mean in the long run. Read the rest »
Tips for Maintaining Financial Security During a Pennsylvania Divorce
There are a wide range of hurdles to overcome when pursuing a divorce. From custody battles and asset division to overcoming emotional upheaval, it can be easy to forget about the importance of maintaining financial security. Many Pennsylvania divorce financial and tax issue attorneys understand that negotiating a fair and just settlement agreement is one of the biggest steps toward ensuring a stable future after your divorce is finalized.
The following steps can help you ensure financial security throughout the divorce process: Read the rest »
How to Handle Threats During Divorce
Whether or not the decision was mutual, divorce can bring out the worst in people. Unfortunately, threats often come up during the divorce process in order to force one spouse to give in to the other’s demands. While some threats may involve property or money, threats about violence or causing harm should be reported to law enforcement.
The Pennsylvania divorce attorneys at The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz, P.C. understand that the process of divorce can be complex and emotional, and will help protect your rights against the other spouse’s threats.
The most common threats that come up during a divorce settlement include: Read the rest »
Tips to Make Co-Parenting Easier
Negotiating custody arrangements during a divorce can be a major point of contention between spouses, particularly because child custody has often meant that one parent is given the majority of responsibility for the children while the other is given limited involvement as a non-custodial parent. In recent years, more and more parents are choosing to share custody in an effort to ensure that both parents get to raise the children.
However, as children divide the days and weeks between each parent, moving back and forth between households, joint custody has its share of disadvantages. Many divorced parents may find that when they create an equal custody arrangement, they run the risk of becoming part-time parents, equally struggling to play full-time roles in their children’s lives. Read the rest »
Ways to Help Teens Cope with Divorce
Divorce can be an incredibly difficult time for each family member involved. Parents may be faced with not only the loss of a very important relationship, but also the struggle to help the children cope with a sudden upheaval in the family dynamics. When the divorce comes about during a child’s teenage years, the breakup may be particularly overwhelming. Adolescence already involves plenty of developmental changes, and a divorce may add to the confusion and frustration that many teens experience.
The following tips may help you and your teen cope with the transition:
Listen – Allow plenty of time to talk one-on-one with your teen and listen to his or her feelings. Remain calm and understanding, and explain that the divorce is not his or her fault. Read the rest »
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