Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Deviations from the Child Support Formula
Pennsylvania has taken a lot of the guesswork out of child support determinations by creating guidelines. A judge will most often plug in several numbers to a calculator to arrive at an amount that the non-custodial parent must pay every month. However, judges do have the power to deviate from the guideline amount up… Read More »
Military Divorce in Pennsylvania
Getting divorced while serving in the military is a little different than being a member of the general population who is hoping to untie the knot. Certain laws come into play to protect men and women who serve in the military and are out of the state on active duty. If you are in… Read More »
Will You Have to Take a Drug Test in Your Delaware County Divorce?
Drug testing is not unusual in a Pennsylvania divorce, especially during a child custody fight. Generally, the government cannot force people to take drug tests against their will. However, a judge could order one in particular cases. Whether you decide to go along and get tested could dramatically impact your divorce. At Barbara Flum… Read More »
Strategies for Blocking Parental Relocation
Under Pennsylvania law, a custodial parent who wishes to locate must provide written notice to all others who have partial custody rights. Typically, this plays out when a couple divorces and the parent with primary physical custody wants to move the children far away, often out of state. Fortunately, parents with partial physical custody… Read More »
Do You Need a Right of First Refusal Clause in Your Divorce Settlement?
Parents lead busy lives, and some of them will need to be away from home, often for work. To take care of the children while away, the custodial parent might ask a family member to watch the child or hire a babysitter. But why can’t you, as the other parent, have the children during… Read More »
What to Do when Your Children Don’t Want to See Dad (or Mom)
Many divorced parents look forward to those weekends when their children go visit Mom or Dad and they can blessedly have the home to themselves. What happens, though, when your child doesn’t want to go? This is an awkward moment for sure, but there are also legal complications. A child custody order gives the… Read More »
The Number of Foster Care Adoptions Hits a Record High
A report from the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that the number of foster care children being adopted has reached a record high. The number comes from 2018, which is the most recent year with complete data. The study shows that over 63,000 foster care children were adopted in 2018, an increase of nearly 25%… Read More »
4 Mistakes that Can Increase the Cost of Divorce
Divorce is a major financial event for most people, and many men and women see their carefully laid financial future upended as a result. However, there are certain mistakes that people can make that unnecessarily increase the cost of divorce. Our Media divorce attorney has helped many men and women get out of their… Read More »
Gifts Between Spouses: Separate or Marital Property?
Pennsylvania recognizes that marriage is an economic partnership, and it uses an equitable distribution scheme to divide marital assets upon divorce. However, problems often arise when dividing property, typically because one spouse claims that an asset is his or her separate property. Separate property is not divided; instead, each spouse can leave the marriage… Read More »
Returning to Work after Divorce
In many marriages, one spouse dials back their career ambitions to take care of the children and support a partner’s career. When this couple divorces, the spouse who has been out of the work force stands on the verge of a dramatic drop in income. Finding a job is a necessity, which is difficult… Read More »
