Family Law
What Legal Rights Do Families Have When a Dispute Goes to Court in Pennsylvania?
August 29, 2026Court is intimidating for most families, even those who know they’re in the right. You show up, someone else is arguing the opposite side, and a judge you’ve never met is about to decide something that matters to your life. So it helps to know, going in, what you’re actually entitled to.
In Pennsylvania, that means the right to present your side, offer evidence, respond to whatever the other party claims, and have a judge rule on the matter under the law. When children are involved, the court keeps coming back to one question: what’s actually best for the kid. The exact rights and procedure shift depending on whether you’re dealing with custody, support, divorce, or something else entirely.
Thinking About Divorce in Pennsylvania? Some Important Things to Understand Before You File
August 25, 2026Deciding to end a marriage is rarely simple. It can affect your finances, your living arrangements, your kids, your property, and pretty much every plan you had for the next few years. Before filing, it helps to actually understand the legal process and gather the information you’re going to need. Pennsylvania recognizes both mutual-consent and irretrievable-breakdown grounds for divorce, and each comes with its own procedure.
What to consider before getting a divorce in Pennsylvania really starts with your financial situation, your family circumstances, your property, your debts, and the decisions that’ll need to get made along the way.
Injured by a Defective Product in Pennsylvania? Steps to Take Before Filing a Claim
August 20, 2026A product that breaks, overheats, malfunctions, or fails during ordinary use can cause injuries that require medical attention and time away from work. When that happens, it can be difficult to know what to do next, especially if the product was used according to its instructions and appeared safe beforehand.
The steps you take after an injury can affect your ability to understand what happened and evaluate your legal options. Medical records, photographs, purchase information, and the product itself may all become important when investigating the incident.
If you believe a product caused your injury in Pennsylvania, taking a few practical steps can help you preserve relevant information before deciding whether to pursue a claim.
Is Divorce Mediation Worth It in Pennsylvania? What Couples Should Know Before Choosing It
August 12, 2026Divorce mediation can be a practical route for Pennsylvania couples who’d rather work out their disagreements than hand every decision to a judge. With a neutral mediator guiding the conversation and spouses can talk through property division, finances, child-related matters, and support in a way that leaves room for actual negotiation instead of just accepting whatever a court decides.
For couples considering their options, Is divorce mediation really worth it usually depends on, how well they can communicate, what issues still need resolving, and whether both people are willing to compromise.
Can a Non-Biological Parent Get Custody or Visitation Rights in Pennsylvania?
August 7, 2026Yes. In Pennsylvania, a non-biological parent may be able to get custody or visitation, but it really depends on your relationship with the child and the specific facts of the case. State law allows certain people who aren’t biological parents to seek custody once they meet specific legal requirements.
So, as a non-biological parent, what are your custody rights The first step is understanding how Pennsylvania law defines standing, and what role you’ve actually played in the child’s life up to this point.
How Do Pennsylvania Courts Decide If a Child Is Old Enough to Have a Say in Custody?
July 31, 2026There’s no fixed age that determines a child’s preference in custody cases. Pennsylvania courts look at whether a child’s stated preference is “well-reasoned” based on the child’s maturity, intelligence, and judgment, not whether the child has hit a particular birthday.
There’s no fixed age. Pennsylvania’s custody statute doesn’t set an age threshold for a child’s preference at all. It asks whether the preference is well-reasoned, based on that specific child’s maturity and judgment, which means an 8-year-old with a clear, thought-out reason can carry more weight than a 16-year-old who can’t explain theirs.
What Happens If You Need a PFA When Pennsylvania Courts Are Closed?
July 24, 2026Abuse doesn’t wait for regular court hours. When a Pennsylvania court is unavailable, the law provides a process for seeking an emergency PFA in PA through the minor judiciary. This emergency relief is designed for situations involving an immediate and present danger of abuse while the Court of Common Pleas is unavailable, and it lasts only until the next business day, when the case moves to the Court of Common Pleas for a fuller hearing.
At Pyfer Reese Straub Gray & Farhat PC, we’ve worked with clients who needed protection outside of regular court hours and didn’t know where to turn. Here’s how the emergency process actually works, who may seek it, and what happens once regular court operations resume.
What Actually Happens During Divorce Mediation in Pennsylvania?
July 16, 2026The divorce mediation process in Pennsylvania typically moves through six stages: selecting a mediator, an initial session, identifying and organizing the issues, negotiation, drafting a written agreement, and then having that agreement reviewed and incorporated into the final divorce. Most sessions are scheduled around what works for both spouses, not a court calendar, and the process can move as quickly or as deliberately as both parties allow.
Divorce mediation gets talked about often, but what it actually involves session by session is less commonly explained. At Pyfer Reese Straub Gray & Farhat PC, we walk clients through each stage of the divorce mediation process before they start, so they know what to expect rather than encountering it cold.
How Would Pennsylvania’s HB 97 Change Pet Custody in a Divorce?
July 7, 2026Right now, nothing has changed yet. Pennsylvania’s divorce law still treats pets as personal property, divided the same way as other marital assets. HB 97 is a bill that would let courts weigh factors like daily care and who acquired the pet, but it has not been enacted, so pet custody in Pennsylvania divorce today still runs through standard property-division rules, not a best-interest standard.
Divorcing couples often want to know whether Pennsylvania courts can make a formal decision about who keeps a family pet. Pennsylvania does not currently have a separate pet-custody framework in its divorce law, but House Bill 97 could change how courts handle companion animals if it becomes law. HB 97’s pet custody provisions in Pennsylvania would create a distinct legal category addressing possession and care of companion animals in divorce cases, rather than treating them purely as property.
Requirements of a Trustee
September 27, 2025Pennsylvania Beneficiary & Trustee Requirements
Depending on the law and trust agreement, being a trustee requires monitoring the trust and providing updates of trust activity. Informing and reporting activity within a trust not only benefits the interests of the trust’s beneficiaries, but also helps with trustee liability. Make sure you and your family or business are prepared in the event of an unfortunate event.