by Gerald J. Schorr A bill to shorten the waiting period to establish no-fault grounds for divorce for certain Pennsylvania litigants has passed the state House and been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If House Bill 380 comes up for a vote in the state Senate, lawmakers should vote no. Under the bill, parties who agree that a…
College Support Under the present law in Pennsylvania, neither parent has any legal obligation to pay for the college education of their children. This means that no court can order someone to pay for tuition, room, board, books or fees. Once a child has graduated from high school or turned 18, whichever comes later, the legal obligation to pay for…
Conflict of Faith Originally published in The Philadelphia Lawyer, Spring 2011, p. 13 Can a father during his partial physical custody time take the child to his own religious services if different from that of the mother? What if they previously agreed to raise the child in mother’s faith? What if mother’s faith and father’s are opposed theologically? What if…
On October 4, 2016, Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 665 (Act 103 of 2016) which clarified certain sections of the Pennsylvania power of attorney law that went in effect on January 2, 2015 (Act 95 of 2014). The changes were aimed at correcting issues with commercial powers of attorney. All changes in Act 103 took effect on October…
The ever evolving world of technology has led our society to some amazing advances in efficiency, green resources, health benefits and education. Technology also changed the ways in which humans interact through social media platforms, creating a new kind of connectivity. For instance, the dating world has expanded through online dating websites. While many may tout the benefits of constant…
Commentary: by Julie A Auerbach The following commentary was featured on January 6, 2022 on Law.com https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2022/01/06/children-and-covid-19-to-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate/?cmp=share_email While there has always been some controversy regarding mandatory vaccinations for children, the COVID vaccine has encountered an unprecedented level of skepticism among the public. A significant portion of the population do not want to get the vaccine for either themselves or their…
Disputes between parents often arise over the division of holidays. Having a set holiday schedule eliminates these disputes and allows each parent to enjoy the holiday time they have with their children. Courts typically alternate many holidays from year to year between parents. Certain holidays, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, however, are divided every year between parents. (more…)
A common concern when a couple uses a woman as a surrogate to carry their child is that the surrogate will become attached to the child she is carrying and fight to retain custody of the child. In a recent Pennsylvania Superior Court case, the opposite occurred. The woman who used a surrogate to become a mother tried to disavow…
Granting a Financial Power Of Attorney (“POA”) gives an individual (the “Agent”) the ability to manage your assets (the “Principal”) and make decisions on your behalf during your lifetime. As soon as the POA documents are signed, they are active immediately, which makes choosing someone you trust essential. In Pennsylvania, a new POA law was passed in 2014 that changed…
In December 2015, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that under certain circumstances, a step-parent can be required to pay child support for his or her former spouse’s biological children. To become responsible to pay child support, the step-parent must take affirmative legal steps to assume the same parental rights as the biological parent. (more…)