Divorce and Family Law Office of Joanne Kleiner

Divorce Lawyer Joanne Kleiner

Child Parenting Time

Jun 05

The Impact of a Custody Battle

custody visitation

Many parents who contest a court’s custody ruling, or who engage in long and protracted proceedings to establish custody and visitation arrangement will tell you that they are doing it “for the benefit of the children.” There are certainly instances where one parent must do whatever is necessary to ensure a safe outcome for children—if there’s domestic violence, alcohol or drug abuse, for example. In most cases, though, their actions are ultimately counterproductive, draining precious resources that could be better spent on the children or on improving their lives.

Here are the most frequent consequences of an unnecessary custody battle:

  • One or both parties spend money they can’t afford to spend—It may be money that would be used to buy clothes and food, to live in a better house, or to fund a child’s college education. Attorney’s fees can be substantial, even if the skirmish is short-lived.
  • The tension and conflict between the parties increases—When you are on opposite sides of an argument, it’s hard to find ways to agree…which is often in the best interests of your children. Not only will it have an impact on your health—medical professionals have long known that stress and anxiety are bad for you—but your kids will be well aware of what’s going on and will feel in the middle (or even to blame).
  • Co-parenting becomes difficult or impossible—Even if the issues you need to resolve involve only your children, it will be hard not to inject some of your dispute or animosity with your ex into the process. In the aftermath of divorce, your children need stability and consistency—a custody battle makes those objectives difficult to attain.
  • Your children will suffer—If you and your ex are taking side, your children will feel compelled to as well. They love both of you, so they’ll struggle to make both of you happy—an unattainable goal.

Contact the Law Office of Joanne E. Kleiner & Associates

For an appointment, contact our office online or call us at 215-886-1266. Let us use our experience, skill, knowledge and resources to help you make informed and effective decisions.

May 06

Important Terms to Know as You Prepare for Divorce

Prepare for Divorce

If you are considering or have filed for divorce, or if you anticipate being served with a divorce complaint, you’ll start hearing many terms with which you may not be familiar. Here are some legal terms that you should learn, so that you can meaningfully participate in the proceedings

Discovery

If your divorce is contested in any way—custody, visitation, child support or division of marital debts and assets—the court will most likely identify the length of the “discovery” period, and set some rules governing discovery. “Discovery” is simply the term that lawyers and judges use for gathering evidence. In the American judicial system, we have the concept of “open discovery.” That means that both sides are entitled to access to all evidence related to the case—one party cannot intentionally hide or fail to disclose relevant evidence. If that happens, there’s a significant chance that the court will rule the evidence to be inadmissible.

Equitable Distribution

Equitable distribution refers to a method for allocating the debts and assets of a marriage. For states that follow equitable distribution principles, property and liabilities are divided equitably, or “fairly.” It’s important to understand that “equitable” does not mean “equal.” The court may consider a wide range of factors. For example, in Pennsylvania, the court can examine, among other factor:

  • The duration of the marriage
  • The age and health of both parties
  • The earning power and sources of income of both parties

Spousal Maintenance

Spousal maintenance is just another term for alimony. It can also be referred to as “spousal support.” Though alimony or spousal maintenance is not as common as it used to be, it is still used in specific situations, including where a spouse may lack the skills to be gainfully employed, or may need time to develop those skills or get the requisite education or training.

Contact Us

At the office of Joanne E. Kleiner & Associates, we have more than 25 years of family law experience. We’ll help you stay focused on what matters. To schedule an appointment with an experienced Pennsylvania divorce attorney, contact our office online or call us at 215-886-1266.

Apr 19

What Happens to Pets in a Divorce?

When your marriage falls apart, there are lots of things to think about, lots of ways you have to figure out how to divide things. How will your children divide their time with parents and where will they spend their time? How about marital debts and assets? What about the family pets??? —Wait a minute—that’s not one you’d thought about, is it?

pet and separation

Though people seldom factor the pets into a decision whether or not to get divorced, experts acknowledge that, for many people, pets are part of the family. The unfortunate reality, according to the law in just about every state, is that pets are treated like property in a divorce, not like children. If it’s an amicable divorce and you and your ex can effectively work together, you can have “shared custody” of your animals. If that’s not possible, what will most likely happen is that the court order will give the “property” to one of the parties. In fact, a Pennsylvania Superior Court decision in 2003, which is still law in the state, addressed this very issue.

In DeSanctis v. Pritchard, the trial court rejected a couple’s complaint for enforcement of a divorce settlement agreement that included shared custody of a dog. The couple appealed and the appellate court likened the custody agreement for the dog to “a visitation schedule for a table or lamp.” The court ruled that the canine was personal property and that the parties could not have shared custody of personal property.

A recently enacted statute in Alaska gives animal enthusiasts cause for optimism. The Alaskan legislature passed provisions giving family law courts the authority to make decisions in divorce proceedings about companion animals. Essentially, the Alaskan law allows a court to consider the well-being of the animal when determining who will get the pet—the court can consider such factors as who had the closest bond with the animal and who cared for the pet.

Contact Attorney Joanne E. Kleiner

Let us help you protect your rights. Contact our office online or call us at 215-886-1266 to schedule a confidential consultation. We will help you stay focused on the issues that matter.

Jul 15

Choosing Where You Live after Divorce because of Your Children

house

When you are involved in a divorce and there are minor children, one of your worst fears, as a non-custodial parent, is that your relationship with your children will suffer. Even if your relationship with your ex is strong, or he/she encourages access, you may choose to stay close, so that your kids have regular and meaningful contact. The question, though, can be “just how close?”

Take, for example, the arrangement a couple in Brooklyn worked out. They had a three-unit brownstone and decided to keep the apartment, with one parent living in the garden apartment, the other on the top floor, and a tenant in between. Both parents and children acknowledged that it was initially a difficult arrangement, as the adults struggled to maintain some level of privacy. Ultimately, though, they’ve found that it works very well. The kids love that their stuff is close by, regardless of where they are. The parents appreciate that they don’t have to pack a suitcase and drop kids off somewhere, or worry about when they will be picked up. They also find it convenient when one of the parents has a work emergency or other unanticipated event.

Another approach that has been tried with mixed success is the concept of “bird-nesting,” where the children live in the same home and the parents alternate visits with the children. Many who have tried it find that it presents a lot of the problems associated with dropping off and picking up children—things get forgotten, times get mixed up, etc.

A compromise that has worked for many parents is locating within a few blocks or a couple miles of each other, allowing children to walk between the homes, or making a trip to pick up or drop off less of a burden on everyone.

Contact Us

At the office of Joanne E. Kleiner & Associates, we have more than 25 years of family law experience. We’ll help you stay focused on what matters. To schedule an appointment with an experienced Pennsylvania divorce attorney, contact our office online or call us at 215-886-1266.

May 21, 2013

Co-parenting pets

Pets are becoming increasingly involved and fought over in divorce conflicts. Oftentimes, pet owners treat their pets like children; and surprisingly, some courts agree and have begun to award custody, visitation and support payments for a pet in domestic cases.

Pennsylvania law, however, considers pets to be personal property. As such, the courts in Pennsylvania generally will not enforce an agreement made between spouses as to the “custody” of a pet and may not award title to a pet to just one of the divorcing parties. For example, in Desanctis v. Pritchard, the parties treated their dog, Barney, as a child and sought shared custody based on a settlement agreement entered into by the two parties pursuant to their divorce. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania, however, found that any agreement, which attempts to award custodial visitation or shared custody of personal property, including a pet, is void as a matter of law. The Court’s view on pet custody is strongly portrayed in its quote that the visitation arrangement sought to be enforced by the parties was “analogous, in law, to a visitation schedule for a table or a lamp.”

For additional information about Pennsylvania family law or the divorce process, or to discuss your particular situation and learn about your options, please schedule a confidential consultation with attorney Joanne Kleiner by calling us at 215-886-1266. Or, fill out our intake form and we will contact you. The decisions you make today really will affect your future. Let us help you make those decisions intelligent and informed.