Pennsylvania Family Law Blog – The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz
Brooke Mueller Obtains Temporary Restraining Order Against Charlie Sheen
The Los Angeles Times reports that Brooke Mueller, the estranged wife of troubled actor Charlie Sheen, was granted a temporary restraining order against Sheen on Tuesday, March 1. Additionally, as part of the move, the couple’s children were taken from Sheen’s home by a representative for Mueller that night. The order also strips Sheen of contact with his two youngest children, 23-month-old twins Max and Bob, and forbids him from coming within 100 yards of Mueller for 19 days. Read the rest »
AAML Survey Finds Cohabitation Agreements are Increasing
According to The Detroit Free Press, a survey was recently conducted that found many unmarried couples who live together are increasingly deciding to sign a cohabitation agreement to give them protection should their relationship end.
The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) is a grouping of approximately 1,600 divorce attorneys and conducted the survey amongst its members. The survey discovered about 48 percent have seen a rise in the number of couples who are “duking it out in court” during the past five years. Of those, about 39 percent report an increase in the number of couples who chose to have a cohabitation agreement if their arrangement is outside of legally recognized marriages. Read the rest »
New Bills Proposed to Require Couples Counseling before Divorce
An article on The Huffington Post reports that a Nebraska state senator recently proposed legislation that would provide judges the option to send couples with children who are minor-aged to counseling before granting a divorce. Moreover, in cases where no minor-aged children are involved and one spouse believes the marriage could be saved, counseling would be required. The bill does not specify who would pay for the counseling.
In Wyoming, a similar bill was introduced, and would make it mandatory for any couple wishing to marry to attend three hours of marriage counseling. If they failed to do so, they would have to wait a year before receiving a marriage license. Additionally, the bill would require couples who are seeking divorce to attend three hours of counseling. If they fail to do so, they would have to wait one year to file for marriage dissolution. This bill would require couples to pay for the counseling. Read the rest »
Putting an End to Domestic Violence in Pennsylvania
A recent article on PennLive.com discusses the progress that has been made to prevent domestic violence in Pennsylvania, but notes that work still remains to be done to put an end to it.
Founded in 1976, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence now has a network of 60 domestic programs that provide free services for victims of domestic violence in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 countries. Services include transportation, emergency shelter, counseling, and transitional housing. The network has helped over 2 million domestic violence victims escape continued abuse and rebuild their lives. In 2010, almost 100,000 men, women, and children were given assistance through the coalition. Read the rest »
What to Expect in Your Initial Consultation with a Pennsylvania Divorce Attorney
When the difficult decision is reached to divorce your spouse, you may not know what to do next. At this time, it is crucial to find a Pennsylvania divorce attorney to help ensure that your legal rights are fully protected once the divorce process begins. Because divorce can be one of the most painful and complicated chapters of a person’s life, it is important to have an experienced lawyer fighting on your behalf.
When you contact a law office to schedule your initial meeting, make sure you will be meeting with the attorney themselves, not an assistant. A skilled attorney will be able to answer any questions you have about the divorce process in Pennsylvania, and you will be able to discover if they are the right attorney for you during the meeting. Read the rest »
Reworked Pennsylvania Child Custody Law Goes Into Effect in January 2011
PhillyBurbs.com reports that a state law regarding child custody in Pennsylvania has been revised. It goes into effect this week to help alleviate the pain for families during the divorce process.
In November, state legislature approved new rules regarding child custody intended to improve transparency and fairness as a family goes through a divorce in Pennsylvania. It will be mandatory for a judge to state their rationale for reaching a decision on the record. This helps parents better understand a judge’s thoughts regarding the conclusion of a child custody decision. Read the rest »
How to Make Your Pennsylvania Divorce Easier for Yourself and for Your Divorce Attorney
A recent article in The Sun Herald discusses several useful tips to help make the divorce process easier for both a divorce lawyer as well as the individual seeking a divorce. The article notes that after hiring an attorney, you shouldn’t just sit back and relax – there are some things you can do to help your lawyer, which is to the benefit of both of you.
First, you should tell your attorney the truth. They need to know the good facts as well as the bad ones. But rest easy – under attorney/client privilege, you can disclose all aspects of your marriage without any fear of the details being leaked. If your lawyer knows all the facts surrounding your marriage, it will prevent them from being blindsided in the middle of a court hearing, which you should try to prevent at all costs. You may want to write a very brief summary of the facts of your case to give to your lawyer. Read the rest »
How to Afford a Pennsylvania Divorce that Satisfies Both Parties Involved, Part II
In our last blog post, we discussed financial considerations that couples who are divorcing in Pennsylvania need to take in order to gratify both parties, as highlighted in a recent Reuters article. This post marks the conclusion of the two-part series, and will talk about several other items that divorcing couples need to spend time deliberating over during the divorce process in Pennsylvania.
You will need to discuss paying for your children’s future college tuition bills with your soon-to-be ex-spouse. Statistically, children whose parents have divorced are less successful at completing college than children whose parents’ marriage is intact. Often this can be attributed to the failure of parents who have divorced to come to terms with who will pay the tuition bills. You and your future ex-spouse need to have a specific arrangement on this. Be clear what percentage each party will pay of the tuition bill, and agree to adjust the amounts in the future to allow for inflation. Read the rest »
How to Afford a Pennsylvania Divorce that Satisfies Both Parties Involved, Part I
A recent article published by news outlet Reuters discusses ways that the everyday person can afford a divorce. Most people can’t afford paying huge divorce settlements like most celebrities do these days and move on with their lives, particularly during the current economic climate. Many troubled couples are finding it difficult to split up at all, with many couples deciding to continue to cohabit even as they file for divorce in Pennsylvania because they aren’t able to sell their house. Many people don’t want to agree to pay costly alimony payments because they’re worried about the weakness of the job market. Discussing paying for their children’s medical care and future tuition bills that are far into the future can seem insurmountably high and impossible. However, staying together for the sake of finances probably isn’t the best option, as the relationship is likely to continue to deteriorate and the children may suffer more.
One of the most critical things that a couple going through the divorce process in Pennsylvania needs to do is obtain a clear picture of where they stand financially. Add up credit card bills and find out how much the house is worth in today’s market. If you think your soon-to-be ex-spouse is hiding money from you, hire a certified public accountant who specializes in finding hidden money (also referred to as a forensic specialist) to make sure all the assets between the two of you are known. Read the rest »
Divorce Court during the Holiday Season
With the Christmas season now in full swing, it is also unfortunately the season for divorcing couples to argue over who should get their kids for the holiday. This month’s festivities can already be very emotional for a person who is facing divorce in Pennsylvania, and figuring out how to reasonably divide the holidays with your children and a soon-to-be ex-spouse can be especially trying.
A recent article from The Huffington Post notes that divorce attorneys at this time are often forced to file emergency motions asking a judge to settle disputes between divorcing couples over who will have their children on Christmas Day if neither will budge on their stance. Read the rest »
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