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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Across the country, school districts are trying to train parents and community members to fight back against child abuse. Many districts host workshops including topics like safeguarding kids online, recognizing the signs of child abuse, and dealing with troublesome behavior in kids.

Here are 3 tips for protecting your child from abuse:

Monitor your children’s friend lists and online communications, making sure they are talking only with people you know and trust.

• Inform your children that once something is online, it may stay there forever.
• Talk with your children about their online activities.

provides aggressive representation in child abuse cases. If you have been accused of abuse, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

Under Pennsylvania law, courts make decisions on child-custody matters based on the child’s best interests. The court looks at key factors that affect the child’s physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual well-being.

In determining whether to award temporary custody, the court considers 16 factors, including elements such as the child’s sibling relationships, the availability of extended family, and the present and past abuse of the child.

Another important factor for determining custody is promoting consistency for the children. Courts are generally reluctant to disturb an existing arrangement or split siblings between parents.

Spivak Law Firm provides strong, compassionate representation in child custody cases. Call us at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.