In child custody cases, a hearing will be held before a judge if parents cannot agree on a custody schedule. A hearing is a trial in which parents and their witnesses provide testimony to the court along with any other relevant evidence. There are no jury trials in family court. In some cases, the children participate in the hearing by speaking directly with the judge.
Custody hearings are also held to determine if:
A parent should be held in contempt for violating a custody order
A parent should be allowed to relocate with the children
Parents disagree on a major decision involving the children related to their education or medical care
At Spivak Law Firm, we are tough negotiators and skilled trial lawyers. To schedule a consultation, call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Child Custody Conciliations Attorneys
In Allegheny County, as well as most counties surrounding Pittsburgh, family courts require parents to take several steps before finally appearing before a judge. The Generations program is a three-step program that requires all parents filing for child custody to attend a co-parenting seminar, a mediation, and at least one conciliation.
This allows parents multiple opportunities to reach agreement about custody with the help of a mediator. A custody conciliation is like a mediation except that parents are allowed to have their attorneys present to assist them with negotiating a custody order. If an agreement cannot be reached at the conciliation, the case will move forward to a hearing.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, compassionate, cost-effective representation at all child custody hearings and conciliations. Call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law and criminal defense with a special focus on high conflict child custody cases. High conflict child custody cases often involve parents with serious communication problems and significant levels of anger and distrust.
We encourage our clients to shield their children from any hostile communication to protect their mental and emotional health. We also have extensive experience helping families with issues of domestic abuse, parental alienation, and substance abuse.
At Spivak Law Firm, we are effective negotiators who help parents craft their own child custody orders. We are also trained trial lawyers experienced at aggressively litigating cases to reach our client’s goals.
To schedule a consultation with an experienced child custody attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
High Conflict Child Custody Tools
If you are engaged in a high conflict child custody battle, below are some tools to help:
Our Family Wizard: OFW is a communication tool to ensure your ex does not bombard you with texts, emails and phone calls. It also provides easy access for the Court to monitor your communications to ensure that they are civil.
Co-Parenting Counseling: Working with a skilled co-parenting counselor may help you communicate and cooperate better with your ex for the best interests of your children.
Protection From Abuse (PFA) Orders: If your ex engages in harassing or threatening behaviors, you may consider trying to obtain a PFA Order. Also known as a restraining order, a PFA order is a powerful tool for victims of domestic abuse.
Spivak Law Firm handles all family law matters, including: child custody, PFA, child support, and divorce. Call us today at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
This question takes on even more importance when a child’s safety depends on knowing the truth, as in criminal cases involving child abuse.
Harsh punishments like spanking do not deter children from lying, according to recent scientific studies.
Positive messaging is the key to fostering honest behavior. Experts recommend emphasizing the benefits of honesty.
For instance, witnessing others receiving praise for honesty promotes honest behavior. Studies have also shown that children are less likely to lie after promising to tell the truth.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law and criminal defense with a special focus on child custody and domestic abuse. To schedule a consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
It has long been known that reading and playing with young children helps them with early literacy skills and promotes bonding between parent and child.
But it also helps curb problem behaviors in children like aggression, hyperactivity, and difficulty with attention, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law with a special focus on child custody. In most cases, we help parents negotiate custody agreements. We also have significant experience with high-conflict cases that involve extensive litigation and custody trials.
To speak with an experienced child custody lawyer, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Over the last few years, there has been growing support for making shared parenting the presumption in child custody cases.
Here are three major reasons why shared parenting is great for families:
Shared parenting is best for kids. Study after study shows that children are better off when they have access to both parents after divorce or separation.
Shared parenting minimizes conflict. When the court puts each parent on equal footing, there is less room for disagreements and they are more likely to form a healthy co-parenting relationship.
Shared parenting sends the right message about fatherhood. When a judge grants a mother more parenting time without justification, it sends a harmful message to the kids about the father.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law, including: divorce, child custody, child support, and PFA hearings. To speak with an experienced family law attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Creating child custody agreements can be difficult, but it is important to cover all of your bases to avoid conflict later. Below are some important considerations:
Will the children reside primarily with one parent or move between both homes?
Which parent will be responsible for transportation of the children?
How will educational, medical, and religious decisions be made?
How will the children communicate with the other parent (i.e., phone, Skype)?
When will holiday and vacation periods start and end?
How will you and your ex divide the costs of the children’s extracurricular activities?
To speak with an experienced child custody attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Q: What is the Generations program in Allegheny County?
A: Generations is a program that aims to resolve child-custody disputes without the emotional and financial costs of a trial.
First, the program requires parents to attend an educational session on the court process and the importance of co-parenting. Then, the parents are required to attend mediation in an attempt to resolve any custody disputes and settle on a custody schedule.
If the mediation is unsuccessful, the spouses meet with their attorneys present in a custody conciliation for yet another attempt to resolve custody matters. If parents still cannot reach an agreement, they attend a conciliation with the judge in a final attempt to resolve the case prior to trial.
Studies show that parents are far more likely to follow a custody order they devise themselves. The purpose of Generations is to give parents multiple opportunities to reach agreement.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law, including: divorce, child custody, child support, and PFA hearings. To speak with an experienced family law attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Pulling away from an officer attempting to arrest you could be enough to sustain the charge of resisting arrest, which is usually filed in addition to the charges for which the police were arresting you.
Resisting arrest is a second-degree misdemeanor, which could result in up to two years in prison and as much as a $5,000 fine.
Spivak Law Firm handles all criminal defense matters, including: preliminary hearings, summary trials, and expungements. For a free consultation call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
The decision to divorce does not end the hurt feelings and conflict between spouses. The animosity often spills over into the divorce process and can affect your ability to parent effectively. But allowing conflict to take charge of your divorce can prove costly.
One of the best ways to keep legal fees to a minimum is by cooperating with your ex-spouse, if possible. This does not mean giving in to every demand, but to simply make an effort to forgive and remain civil with one another. You and your ex-spouse may benefit from attending co-parenting classes together or even seeing a counselor, which may limit your emotional and financial stress.
Spivak Law Firm handles all family law matters, including: divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, and PFAs. To schedule a consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
You may not like that your ex feeds the kids fast food while you prepare homemade organic meals. But try not to sweat the small stuff. While your ex-‘s household rules may aggravate you, they usually aren’t issues worth bringing to court.
Such disagreements over child custody decisions may exacerbate tensions between you and your ex, making co-parenting more difficult.
Moreover, you want to avoid irritating the judge by arguing over what will likely be deemed as superficial or petty disagreements.
Spivak Law Firm handles all family law matters, including divorce, child custody, child support, and Protection from Abuse (PFA). To speak with an experienced family law attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
In child custody cases, a hearing will be held before a judge if parents cannot agree on a custody schedule. A hearing is a trial in which parents and their witnesses provide testimony to the court along with any other relevant evidence. There are no jury trials in family court. In some cases, the children participate in the hearing by speaking directly with the judge.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law and criminal defense with a special focus on high conflict child custody cases. High conflict child custody cases often involve parents with serious communication problems and significant levels of anger and distrust.
