South Hills Family Law
Child Custody and Football
Should you let your child play football or hockey?
As medical research continues to link sports-related concussions to long-term brain damage, families increasingly disagree about whether it is worth the risks.
A current child-custody dispute in Upper St. Clair has gotten national attention, as the father of a 17-year-old boy has asked a family-court judge to block him from playing football.
The boy, whose brother plays football for Case Western University in Cleveland, has suffered at least three concussions. His mother supports his decision to play.
Spivak Law Firm handles all matters involving child custody. We provide strong, compassionate, cost-effective representation in all family-law matters.
To schedule a free consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA Orders Restrict All Contact
If you’re served with a Protection From Abuse (PFA) Order, take it seriously. A PFA can evict you from your home and restrict you from your child. If you’re even accused of violating the order, you may face criminal charges and spend a night or two in jail.
At Spivak Law Firm, we’ve helped hundreds of people facing allegations of domestic abuse. If you’re served with a PFA, we urge you to follow the order by having no contact with the person who obtained the PFA against you. Even friendly communication could lead to criminal charges.
Do not call, text, or email your accuser. Do not contact your accuser via social media. If you see your accuser in public while the PFA remains active, leave the area immediately. Direct family members and friends that they cannot intervene on your behalf to mediate the dispute. Otherwise, you may be arrested based on third-party contact.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, aggressive representation at PFA hearings in Pittsburgh and all surrounding counties, including: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland. For a free consultation with an experienced PFA attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Shared Parenting Is Great For Kids
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.
Child Custody: Health Issues
In making child-custody decisions, judges take a variety of factors into account, including the needs of the child and any history of abuse and domestic violence.
Extensive research finds that children who experience caregiver separation are more likely to develop heart disease, weakened immune system or other long-term health problems.
Parents should work with an experienced child-custody attorney to ensure that judges have all the information they need to make the best possible decision for the child.
Spivak Law Firm offers strong, compassionate representation in child-custody matters while aiming to protect children in the process. To schedule an appointment with an experienced family-law attorney, call us at (412)-344-4900.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day From Spivak Law Firm
St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to enjoy family and friends. The parade in downtown Pittsburgh is one of the largest in the entire country. Bars on the Southside, Oakland, Lawrenceville and across the city offer drink deals to attract patrons out having fun.
Unfortunately, the night does not end well for everybody.
Each year, Spivak Law Firm helps people who face legal problems related to their behavior on St. Patrick’s Day.
We have successfully represented people facing criminal charges such as: public intoxication, disorderly conduct, public urination, underage drinking, simple assault, and drunk driving.
We have helped hundreds of people facing allegations of criminal domestic-violence and Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders.
At Spivak Law Firm, we handle all matters involving criminal defense and family law.
We wish everybody a happy, safe time on St. Patrick’s Day. But if you or a family member or friend needs legal help, we encourage you to call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Emotional Abuse and Family Law
Being a victim of domestic abuse doesn’t always mean that you have been physically harmed. Emotional abuse can be severely damaging to your self-esteem and emotional health. You may be the victim of emotional abuse if your partner:
- Controls your finances.
- Controls where you go and the people that you see.
- Controls your appearance.
- Tries to embarrass you in front of others.
To speak with an experienced family law attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Trouble at School
Receiving a phone call from a teacher regarding your child’s performance in school can be stressful. It is important to discuss the issue with your ex-spouse in the best interest of your child.
Talk to one another regarding the issue, and work together as a team. Consider coordinating your schedules in order to meet with the teacher at the same time. This way you can develop a common plan to address your child’s needs.
To speak with an experienced child custody attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Child Custody Mediation
Child custody mediation provides an opportunity for you and the other parent to discuss what is best for your child without attorneys present. It is a time reserved for working out an ideal schedule for both the parents and the child.
Here are four don’ts for mediating a custody dispute:
- Don’t neglect the needs of your child;
- Don’t assume one parenting plan works for all children;
- Don’t go to mediation without a plan; and
- Don’t denigrate the other parent.
To speak with an experienced child custody attorney, contact Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Child Custody: Grandparents’ Rights
Grandparents increasingly raise children whose parents struggle with substance-abuse problems. But such grandparents often face major hurdles in obtaining legal custody of the children.
In Pennsylvania, grandparents must first establish legal standing in court to assert a custody action.
In such cases, courts must balance children’s safety and welfare against parents’ rights to raise their kids without interference
At Spivak Law Firm, we aim to minimize the emotional and financial costs of child-custody litigation. To discuss the custody arrangement that best fits your family’s needs, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Stalking and Social Media
Connecticut recently passed a bill that strengthens the state’s domestic-violence laws to protect victims from emotional abuse and online stalking.
The bill includes language to protect victims who suffer “emotional distress” as well as physical abuse.
Under previous law, victims had to prove they fear for their physical safety in order to be protected under anti-stalking statutes.
Importantly, this legislation is the first to include protection for victims against stalking through electronic or social media.
Connecticut joins 29 other states that have eliminated fear of physical safety as the sole requirement to meet the definition of stalking.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law with a focus on domestic violence and Protection From Abuse (PFA). Call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.