Allegheny County PFA Lawyer
If You Witness Domestic Abuse
While domestic violence typically happens behind closed doors, in some cases it occurs in a public space or around friends or family members, meaning that other people may witness or be aware of the abuse.
Here are 3 tips for what you might do to intervene:
- Take into account your own safety as well as the survivor’s. Gather a group of people to stand nearby and either verbally or physically intervene.
- Contact the authorities if necessary.
- Approach the victim afterwards in a private space and provide them with the contact information of support services.
Spivak Law Firm provides aggressive representation for plaintiffs and defendants in domestic violence cases, including Protection From Abuse (PFA), Children Youth and Families (CYF), and criminal domestic violence.
To schedule a free consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA Affects Coaches And Volunteers
If you coach youth sports, a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order could threaten your ability to volunteer your time with children and damage your reputation in the community.
Judges routinely grant requests for Temporary PFA Orders by people alleging abuse. In many Pennsylvania counties, judges grant more than 90 percent of PFA requests.
A PFA can restrict you from your home and your kids, as well as threaten your employment and even your liberty if you are accused of violating the Order.
Additionally, a PFA can appear on a mandatory background check that may bar you from coaching children – even if the accusations contained in the PFA have nothing to do with children.
Spivak Law Firm aims to help people in Pittsburgh and nearby counties to get the PFA dismissed. We have effectively represented many people who require a clean background check, including: coaches, teachers, police officers, nurses and childcare workers.
If you’ve been served with a PFA, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA And Guns: Law Requires Police Involvement
Pennsylvania has adopted tougher rules for guns in domestic-abuse cases.
A new law requires that people subjected to a Final Protection From Abuse (PFA) order must turn over their guns to police.
PFA defendants will not longer be able to merely let a family member or friend take possession of the firearms.
For years, Pennsylvania’s “third-party safekeeping” provision allowed PFA defendants to choose a person to hold onto their guns. Police would run a criminal-background check to ensure the person was permitted to possess firearms.
During legislative hearings, the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association expressed concerns about the cost of storing guns.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, aggressive representation at PFA hearings and all criminal domestic-violence hearings. We routinely handle PFAs and PFA violations, as well as criminal cases alleging simple assault, harassment, stalking, reckless endangerment, and terroristic threats.
To schedule a free consultation, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA Orders Restrict Child Custody Rights
Q: I was served with a PFA. Can I see my kids?
A: Please review the PFA order closely. There is a section in the PFA that addresses your child custody rights while the order remains active.
In many cases, the order states that the defendant shall have no contact with their minor children until the PFA is resolved. This may occur even if the allegations of abuse do not involve the children.
In other cases, the PFA order will allow contact with the children on a limited basis, including by phone or in person if arranged by a third party.
You must follow the PFA order. If you are accused of violating the PFA even by having non-threatening contact, you may face arrest and criminal charges.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law and criminal defense with a special focus on domestic violence and child custody. To schedule a consultation, call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA Prohibits Even Friendly Contact
A Protection From Abuse (PFA) Order is granted based on allegations of abusive contact. This includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, threats of abuse, harassment, and stalking.
Once a PFA Order becomes effective, it prohibits all contact with the alleged victim.
Even non-abusive contact is strictly forbidden.
People are commonly arrested for violating PFAs by simply texting them a message that is well-intended and non-threatening.
But even a non-threatening, technical violation of a PFA may result in your arrest.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, compassionate, cost-effective representation at PFA hearings in Pittsburgh and all surrounding counties, including: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Crawford, Fayette, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington and Westmoreland.
If you have been served with a PFA or face criminal charges for violating a PFA, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA Destroys Reputations
A Protection From Abuse (PFA) Order can ruin a person’s reputation.
A PFA is a restraining order that alleges abusive behavior, such as: physical violence, sexual violence, harassment, threats of violence, or stalking.
In Pennsylvania, most defendants first learn about the PFA when a police officer serves them with the Order.
This can be humiliating when done at work where colleagues and employers are immediately made aware of the issue.
It’s no less embarrassing when served at home in front of neighbors and family.
The PFA petition, which details the alleged abuse, is an easily accessible public document.
The petition may contain lies or exaggerations, though it appears official because it is part of a formal Order of Court signed by a judge.
At Spivak Law Firm, we provide strong defense at PFA hearings. We also help people erase PFA petitions and orders from the public record when possible.
If you’ve been served with a PFA, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Spivak Law Firm Featured In PFA News
Attorney Todd Spivak, owner of Spivak Law firm, was featured in a recent article discussing unintended consequences of a new provision in Pennsylvania’s Protection From Abuse (PFA) law, which makes it easier for domestic-violence victims to receive a police escort to retrieve personal belongings.
In most cases, PFA defendants are the ones who need to pick up belongings because the PFA order evicted them from the home. In such cases, Attorney Spivak advises PFA defendants to pay a constable to coordinate the exchange and keep the peace. Moreover, having a law-enforcement official present protects defendants from allegations that they violated the PFA.
Attorney Spivak described the new police-escort law as good common sense, though he predicted a potential drain on police resources in some areas given the sheer number of PFA orders that are processed. About 40,000 PFA orders are processed annually across the state.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, cost-effective representation at PFA hearings. Based in Pittsburgh, we routinely handle cases in the following counties: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Fayette, Indiana, Mercer, Washington, and Westmoreland.
For a free consultation with an experienced PFA defense attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA and Financial Help
In Pennsylvania, courts can award financial assistance at Protection From Abuse (PFA) hearings.
More than 70 percent of women surveyed at domestic-violence shelters reported that they stayed with an abuser longer because they could not afford to leave, according to a Mary Kay Foundation report.
Perpetrators of domestic abuse frequently use financial manipulation to torment and control their victims.
While some states offer unemployment-insurance benefits to domestic violence and stalking victims who have to quit their jobs and relocate, many states don’t have any form of financial assistance.
Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law and criminal defense with a special focus on PFA and child custody. Call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
Pennsylvania Law Affects Gun Owners
In Pennsylvania, people convicted of misdemeanor domestic-violence crimes will be required to relinquish their guns to police within 24 hours.
The new law applies to people convicted of:
- Simple Assault
- Terroristic Threats
- Aggravated Assault
- Endangering The Welfare of A Child
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person
- Child Abuse
- Stalking
- Harassment
The new law could have a devastating impact on people whose livelihoods depend on the ability to carry a firearm such as police officers and other law-enforcement officials.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, aggressive defense for people accused of domestic abuse. For a free consultation, call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.
PFA Destroys Careers
If you’ve been served with a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order, your career may be at risk.
The PFA petition alleging abusive behavior is a public record that may be viewed by your employer.
You may be especially at risk if your employment requires background checks such as nurses, teachers, coaches, and daycare providers.
Others at risk include police officers, security guards and others whose jobs require them to possess a firearm.
Under newly restrictive laws in Pennsylvania, gun possession is expressly prohibited so long as the PFA remains active.
Spivak Law Firm provides strong, aggressive defense at PFA hearings in Pittsburgh and all surrounding counties, including: Allegheny, Fayette, Beaver, Butler. Indiana, Mercer, Washington, and Westmoreland.
We have helped to save the careers and restore the reputations of police officers, homeland-security officers, state troopers, registered nurses, teachers, coaches, and government employees.
Served with a PFA? Call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.