Let's Talk Family Law

In Pennsylvania, divorces can be considered a fault or no-fault divorce. Understanding which one you are filing for can have a huge impact on the divorce process. 

In this podcast episode, Family Law partner Skip Persick walks listeners through how a fault and no-fault divorce works. He explains the process and reviews the different avenues a no-fault divorce can take.  

Divorce and child custody is always a strain for everyone involved. When you throw in one of the parties being a narcissist, it can cause even more issues. How do you deal with divorce and child custody?

Join Family Law partner John Zurzola as he discusses tips and tricks for dealing with a narcissist during a divorce. With more than 20 years of experience in handling divorce, John has dealt with plenty of cases and provides his insights on how to best proceed in these cases.

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In a contentious custody case, you might want to catch your ex yelling at you or your child. Can you do this and then use it in court?

This scenario falls under the Pennsylvania Wiretap Act and can be a violation if both parties do not consent to being recorded. Learn more about when it is considered okay to use a recording in this podcast episode with Family Law partner Skip Persick.

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Filing joint income tax returns or separately as head of household during a divorce can lead to several questions. Deductions, extensions, and tax credits are all issues divorcing parties need to consider and decide before filing their taxes. In this podcast episode, family law partner Carolyn Mirabile discusses tax returns, filing for extensions and other important information you must understand before making decisions regarding your taxes.

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Join Family Law partners Carolyn Mirabile and Skip Persick as they discuss how adoption and child custody could be affected by the Dobbs decision. Skip first looks at who has "standing" to fight for child custody including grandparents, step-parents and biological parents. Carolyn and Skip then delve into the details of the presumption of paternity. Through this episode, listeners will hear about the different steps and legal precautions parents can take concerning custody and adoption.

Weber Gallagher’s Family Law partners Carolyn Mirabile and John Zurzola discuss the constitutional background in light of the recent Supreme Court decision on Dobbs and the effects. In this informative talk, John provides an in-depth timeline of how we reached the Dobbs decision and explains the constitutional background. Carolyn and John then review frequently asked questions and describe the impact of Dobbs on marriage and divorce in the LGBTQIA community.

Common law marriage is one of Pennsylvania’s most confusing legal topics. Does common law marriage still exist? If you are common law married, what are the proceedings to get a divorce? Family law partner Lawrence J. "Skip" Persick discusses the details involving common law marriage and what is important to know.

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What happens when a person turns 18 but they still need guardianship due to medical conditions? Family law partner Lawrence J. "Skip" Persick discusses the process of handling custody of an adult and what guardians need to know. He reviews different custody matters, financial implications, and more. Additionally, Skip talks about child support for an adult child who is attending college.

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Meeting with your family law attorney for the first time can be daunting. How will this meeting go and what should you expect? Family law attorney Carolyn Mirabile talks about what questions you should ask your family law attorney during the first meeting and how to best prepare. Carolyn looks at frequently asked questions such as:

Learn more about what questions you should bring to your first family law appointment by listening to this podcast on your favorite app. Click the icon below to listen now and share this episode with others who may be interested.

As a child is set to graduate high school, when does the child support stop? Does a child turning 18 effect a custody order? Family law partner Lawrence J. "Skip" Persick discusses how to handle your child support and custody order following the child's 18th birthday and graduation from high school. In this podcast episode, Skip explains the termination of a child support order and how parents should handle the situation. If you have more than one child, parents should seek an adjustment to their support order as the cost for one child is often more than half the cost of two children.

Learn more about what you need to know if your child is graduating or turning 18 in this podcast on your favorite app.

When you are going to meet with your family law attorney, what should you bring? Family law partner, Carolyn Mirabile discusses which documents can help your attorney gain a better picture of the marital estate for the divorce in this Let's Talk Family Law podcast episode. These documents include tax returns, liabilities and bank account statements. Learn more about what you should bring to your first family law appointment by listening to this podcast on your favorite app.

When filing for divorce, everyone always asks how much does it cost to get divorced and what makes divorce so expensive? In this Let's Talk Family Law episode, family law partner John Zurzola looks at the process, opportunities, and pitfalls that can make divorce expensive. He starts with how attorneys are paid and how you are charged for services.

Learn more about what you need to know about the cost of divorce by listening to this podcast on your favorite app.

What is the difference between mediation, arbitration, and conciliation? How does each of these affect a family law case such as divorce or child custody? Who needs to be present during each of these proceedings? Learn more about what you need to know about mediation, arbitration, and conciliation by listening to this podcast.

Pennsylvania has issued new Child Support Guidelines that went into effect on January 6, 2022. In this episode, Family Law Partner, Carolyn Mirabile, discusses what you need to know about the updated Guidelines, including new increases, and how your child support case may be impacted by the new law. 

Do I have to pay a retainer fee to my family law lawyer? How does a retainer work, and is it refundable? Family Law Partner Skip Persick provides details on how a retainer works and what to expect. In this episode, Skip discusses how consultations work, the attorney-client relationship is established, what a fee letter is, and more.

Do you need an attorney for your family law case? How do you find the right attorney for you? When it comes to family law, it's essential to have the right attorney by your side to help make informed decisions. In this podcast episode, Lawrence J. "Skip" Persick provides tips on how to find the right family law lawyer for you. Learn more by listening to this podcast on your favorite app by clicking the icon below, and share this episode with others who may be interested.

What is family law, and what does it include? Family law attorney Skip Persick discusses the basics of divorce, child custody, child support, and more. This episode provides information on what is included in a divorce, how to obtain protection from abuse orders, adoption, and marriage. Listen to this podcast on your favorite app by clicking the icon below, and share this episode with others who may be interested.

How are child custody orders being affected during the COVID-19 pandemic? Family law attorney John Zurzola discusses custody litigation during the lockdowns, the timeline of cases, how lockdown ordinances affect custody agreements, and quarantine requirements. This episode provides examples of child custody procedures for Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. John also discusses invoking legal custody and emergency custody due to possible COVID-19 exposure.

There are different avenues to adopt, such as step-parent, birth, grandparent, international, juvenile dependency and adult adoptions. Each family's road to adoption looks a little different. Join Weber Gallagher partner Lawrence "Skip" Persick as he sits down with partner Caitlin Goodrich to learn more about adopting. Caitlin provides a unique insight as an adoptive parent and her road to adoption through fostering. Skip and Caitlin also discuss what potential adoptive parents should consider, expectations, and the process through the court.

Join Weber Gallagher Partner, Carolyn Mirabile, and guest, Donna Pironti, a forensic accountant specializing in matrimonial litigation support and tax consulting, for our next episode of Let's Talk Family Law. Carolyn and Donna discuss essential details about finances you need to review when going through a divorce.

Weber Gallagher Family Law Partners, Carolyn Mirabile, Lawrence "Skip" Persick and John Zurzola, discuss the opening of courts in Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Delaware counties. Our lawyers review the essential details regarding how family law cases are being handled as courts begin to open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to tune in now!

Weber Gallagher Family Law Attorneys, Carolyn Mirabile, Lawrence "Skip" Persick and John Zurzola, discuss the State of the Courts in the five-county Philadelphia area. Our Attorneys review the essential details regarding how family law cases are being handled during the COVID-19 pandemic while the Courts are closed.

Family Law Attorney John Zurzola discusses all the steps involved in a child custody case in family court. He starts off explaining child custody and the definitions of what physical, primary, shared, sole and partial custody all mean. Then, John touches on the complexities of “standing” and “in loco parentis.” Next, he goes into detail about the actual filing of a custody complaint through mediation and then court. John explains what can happen in time-sensitive cases when your actual court date may be months away. Finally, he takes you through a typical custody trial, covers the 16 factors a judge must use to decide your case, and what you must do to modify your custody order or relocate to another state.

The fifth episode in our "Let's Talk Family Law" series features our Attorney, Carolyn R. Mirabile, and her special guest, Mark H. Bradford, CPA, CFE, as they discuss complex support issues in family law cases. Mark is an expert in forensic accounting at Asterion Consulting in Philadelphia. He specializes in assisting clients in family law matters and has been qualified as an expert throughout the Commonwealth. In this episode, Carolyn and Mark discuss several topics about how income is calculated in support proceedings. Carolyn reviews what the Pennsylvania Statute and Rules define as income, and Mark explains which documents are used by forensic accountants to determine net income available for support. Carolyn and Mark discuss an analysis of cash flow, including income from rental and commercial properties, compensation packages, lifestyle, retained earnings, trusts, and retirement plans.

Family Law Attorneys Lawrence J. “Skip” Persick and John Zurzola delved into specifics about how to navigate family law cases in Pennsylvania as a man/father. In this episode, they discuss protection from abuse orders, divorce, child custody and child support. Skip and John also examine the financial side of things by reviewing earning capacity, tax credits and equitable distribution. They cover each of these topics in detail while explaining why it’s essential to always keep in mind the child's or children’s best interest.

Family Law Attorney John Zurzola gives all the info you need to know about how to get divorced in PA and NJ. In this episode, John goes step by step and answers common questions such as how to get divorced, how is property divided and how are child support and alimony calculated. John covers fault and no-fault divorce, common law marriage, equitable distribution, and Pre Nuptial Agreements and Post Nuptial Agreements. John also discusses the difference between a 90-day divorce and a separation divorce.

Family Law Attorneys Lawrence “Skip” Persick and Donna Marcus discuss Domestic Violence laws in the state of Pennsylvania. They walk through steps a person can take to file domestic violence-related documents, such as a protection from abuse order, and what to expect after submitting the documents.

Attorneys Carolyn Mirabile and Lawrence “Skip” Persick discuss the nature of child support laws in Pennsylvania. Our Attorneys discuss frequently asked questions, such as:

· What is child support?

· How do you file for child support?

· What happens after you file for child support?

· How is child support determined?

· How does the Domestic Relations Section get money out of the other parent?

· How to reevaluate an old child support order?