Yearly Archives: 2021

Child Custody: Parenting During COVID-19

Posted on March 4 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Parents of young children may take solace or even find helpful tips or simple wisdom in hearing from others working through the challenges of parenting during the pandemic.

In a recently published letter, Lydia Kiesling relates meltdowns shared with her 6-year-old daughter during the lockdown:

“For months, she and I have found ourselves locked in an awful duet of upset and recrimination. I yell; she yells; we both cry. As March turned into April turned into June – as “you’ll see your friends soon” became “at least there will be kindergarten in the fall” became hopefully it will be safe by first grade” – it grew clear that even the most cosseted children won’t get out of this situation unscathed.”

She praises a seminal book on parenting: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.

The book reminded her that life is flying by:

“I spent so much of the early pandemic days in a holding pattern that I failed to realize that the pandemic had become reality – that our crisis mode urgently needed to be retooled for a longer journey, emotionally as much as logistically. Regardless of how we feel about this period, it is happening, and the days continue to pass.”

Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law, including: child custody, divorce, child support, spousal divorce, and Protection From Abuse (PFA). To schedule a consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

Plea Deals in Criminal Cases

Posted on February 18 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

People facing criminal charges accept a plea agreement more than ninety percent of the time.

In exchange for a guilty plea, some of the charges may be dropped or reduced. In some cases, the deal may include a recommendation for probation rather than incarceration.

Domestic violence cases usually involve charges of assault, harassment, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, strangulation and stalking.

Typical plea deals involving such charges may include: reducing misdemeanor charges to a summary conviction if the defendant:

Undergoes a substance-abuse evaluation
Undergoes a mental-health evaluation
Completes anger management or batterers-intervention classes
Avoids abusive contact with the victim for a period of time
Avoids negative police contact for a period of time

Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of criminal defense with a special focus on domestic-violence defense. We successfully resolve many cases through plea deals at preliminary hearings and pretrial conferences.

For more information, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

Automatic Expungements In Pennsylvania

Posted on February 18 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Pennsylvania has led the way nationally by enacting the first major automatic expungement law.

“States should follow the approach of Pennsylvania,” according to a recent article in The New York Times, “and make expungement automatic once the legal requirements are met.”

Expungements of criminal convictions seals them from public view, removes them from databases, and neutralizes most of their legal effects.

People usually have to wait years after completing their sentences and go through an elaborate process to have their records cleared.

Interested in expunging your criminal records? Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law and criminal defense. For a free consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

PFA Orders May Affect Divorce

Posted on January 29 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders can significantly affect a divorce.

A PFA can evict a person from their own home for an extended period of time. If you are going through a divorce, a PFA can evict a spouse from the marital residence and provide the other spouse leverage for maintaining the residence as part of the divorce settlement.

A PFA can also restrict a parent from his or her children. This could have a detrimental effect on your custody rights as you proceed through divorce.

If your custody rights are restricted due to a PFA, you may also be required to pay child support as a result since the other parent is primarily raising the child.

Spivak Law Firm handles all family law matters, including: divorce, child custody, child support, PFA defense, PFA for victims, division of assets and debts, spousal support, and alimony.

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 and Separation Anxiety

Posted on January 29 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Separation anxiety is normal and happens as children begin to differentiate between things that are safe and familiar and things that are new and different.

Classic symptoms include clinginess when a parent or caregiver is present, and crying or short tantrums right after the person leaves the room or home.

For most kids, separation anxiety sets in between 8 and 12 months of age and fizzles out around age 3.

But for kids who have a condition called separation anxiety disorder, which affects between 3 and 5 percent of children, those meltdowns can persist into elementary school and even after. They may escalate over time and include physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach aches.

The current pandemic has added an extra layer of stress and disruption. Symptoms might increase, especially in households where one or more parents are essential workers who are now home less often.

Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law with a special focus on child custody, mental health, drug addiction, and domestic abuse.

To speak with an experienced child custody attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

Divorce Rates Increase Due to Politics, Economy

Posted on January 20 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Current political divisions have taken a toll on many relationships.

Family law attorneys and mental health professionals attest to an uptick in separation and divorce based at least partially on political differences.

Economic woes have also contributed to high stress levels experienced by many families, as fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic includes high rates of unemployment in many industries.

Spivak Law Firm provides strong, compassionate, cost-effective representation in all family law matters, including: divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, division of assets and debts, estate planning, and Protection From Abuse (PFA).

To schedule a consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

Living Wills Amid COVID-19

Posted on January 20 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Elderly people may consider revising their living wills in light of COVID-19.

For older adults contemplating what might happen to them during the pandemic, ventilators may represent a terrifying lack of personal control.

Respiratory failure remains a signature consequence of COVID-19. Ventilators pump oxygen into patients’ bodies while they are in bed, typically sedated, with a breathing tube snaked down the windpipe.

For some seniors, this is their greatest fear: being hooked to a machine with the end of their lives looming. For others, there is hope that the ventilator might give them another shot at life.

People who are willing to be kept alive by ventilation tend to believe that life is worth living no matter the disability. By contrast, people who oppose ventilation for themselves may feel that life is not worth living if the health situation is so difficult

Spivak Law Firm routinely assists people with estate planning needs, including: drafting your living will, healthcare and financial powers of attorney, and last will and testament.

For a free consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

Guidance for Parents Seeking a Divorce

Posted on January 6 2021 by Todd Spivak and Rebecca Canterbury

Parents who wish to get a divorce typically have four major issues to resolve.

First, you must determine how to divide time with your children. This is known as child custody. Many parents equally share custody of their children, though there may be reasons for one parent to serve as the primary caregiver.

Second, you must determine if either parent is eligible to receive financial assistance. This may come in the form of child support or spousal support. Child support will be paid until all the minor children turn 18 or graduate from high school. Spousal support may end when the divorce is resolved or, in some cases, continue even after the divorce in the form of alimony.

Third, you must divide the marital estate by determining the values for all assets and debts accumulated during the marriage. Assigning values to some assets can prove complicated. For instance, appraisals may be necessary to determine the value of the marital residence, family business, or retirement accounts.

Fourth, you must obtain a decree in divorce. The decree is a legal document issued by the Court of Common Pleas in your county indicating that the divorce has been finalized. Some spouses wish to resume their maiden name when finalizing a divorce.

Spivak Law Firm handles all areas related to divorce and family law, including: child custody, child support, spousal support, alimony, division of assets and debts, name changes, and Protection From Abuse (PFA). To schedule a consultation with an experienced divorce and family law attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.