Archive for the ‘Family Law’ Category

Article by: Richard K. Konkel What happens if you don’t remove your ex spouse from your life insurance policy following divorce? You may be surprised to learn that how you got the life insurance policy makes an enormous difference. Pennsylvania estate law provides that divorce automatically nullifies the designation of an ex spouse as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Only if the parties’ settlement agreement or a court order clearly provides that the ex spouse shall continue as the beneficiary can an ex spouse remain entitled to a life insurance benefits designation signed before the divorce. Thus, when… read more »

Article by: Richard K. Konkel Pennsylvania’s support guidelines establish the amount of child support owed by one parent to the other. A parent is entitled to receive child support if he or she has physical custody of the child for more overnights than the other parent does. Where parents share physical custody equally, the parent who earns more money owes the other parent a decreased amount of child support. The amount of child support is calculated from the parties’ combined total net income. The Pennsylvania support guidelines include a specific dollar amount, called the “basic support obligation,” for each child… read more »

Article by: Leanne M. Miller Pennsylvania law provides that a parent’s entitlement to receive child support from the other parent ends when the child is 18 years old and has graduated from high school. Support will also end if the child is emancipated—living independently of both parents, in a self‑supporting status. Some exceptions are made for special needs or disabled children. Some parents enter into agreements regarding the payment of their children’s college tuition and expenses. Often, when such agreements are drafted, they are part of a divorce settlement. Pennsylvania courts have no authority to order any parent to pay… read more »

Article by: Larry Young Bankruptcy and divorce.  Divorce and bankruptcy.  Either can be devastating.  Either can turn your life upside down.  Either will tax your budget and your support network of family and friends.  Yet, few realize the close legal relationship between bankruptcy and divorce. From the stand point of causation, a study by the American Bar Association found that the single largest cause of marital disharmony is financial problems.  Not every couple that files for divorce also files for bankruptcy and not every bankruptcy by a married couple results in divorce.  Because of the fact that the two often… read more »