Additional Domestic Relations Information
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What happens in the initial office conference? During your initial office conference you will meet with the attorney and review the divorce information checklist. This checklist is used by your attorney to gather as much information as possible regarding your marriage, children and marital assets and liabilities. Your attorney will discuss your options for filing a divorce complaint and the procedures for doing so, as well as child custody and support issues. You will be advised of your rights and obligations regarding an equitable distribution of marital property, alimony, alimony pendente lite, spousal support and counsel fees. Finally, the attorney will advise you of the right to request marital counseling and the requirement to attend the "Children Coping with Divorce" seminar.
Filing for Divorce: Following your initial office visit our staff will prepare your divorce complaint for your signature. Once you have met with the attorney, reviewed and signed the complaint, it will be filed at the courthouse and served on the defendant as required by law.
Resolution of Issues and Settlement: Once your divorce has been filed with the Court and served on the defendant, your attorney will work with you in an attempt to achieve a full and fair settlement of all issues related to your pending divorce, including an equitable distribution of marital property and liabilities, alimony, counsel fees, child custody and support. Some cases do not settle and it is sometimes necessary to take all or part of a case to court for a judicial determination of a particular issue or in an appropriate case, to determine all of the outstanding issues.
Divorce Decree: Once all issues involved in your case have been resolved, the staff at Steadman Law Office will work quickly to prepare the necessary documents to finalize your divorce and file them with the Court so that the divorce decree can be entered and the marriage terminated.
What happens during the initial office visit? During the initial office visit your attorney will meet with you to determine the issues involved in your case and obtain the facts necessary to prepare a custody petition and represent your interests. You will discuss the possibility of resolving your case amicably, by way of a Consent Agreement, or the need to file a petition with the Court and the procedures involved with both. Finally, your attorney will discuss with you the requirement to attend the "Children Coping with Divorce" seminar. Attendance at this seminar is required even if no divorce is contemplated.
If it is possible to resolve your case by way of a consent agreement, the attorneys and staff will work with you to achieve such an agreement and present that agreement to the Court on your behalf. If it is necessary to file a custody petition, we will prepare the petition for you and accompany you to the intake and mediation conferences at the Office of Custody Conciliation. Finally, we will represent your interests and argue your case before the Court, if it becomes necessary to do so.
What happens during the initial office visit? Your attorney will meet with you to discuss your right to receive support, or your obligation to pay support under Pennsylvania law.
What happens then? Following your office visit, your attorney may accompany you to your support intake or modification conference if you choose to have him do so. If it becomes necessary to appear before a Judge, your attorney will meet with you to prepare your case and represent your interests before the Court.
Your case is important to us. One thing is certain in divorce, custody or support cases, the circumstances are always changing. This page is not intended to give legal advice, or to answer all questions. If you have questions about your case, or about any of these matters in general, please feel free to contact one of our attorneys at your convenience. If an attorney is not available to meet or discuss your case with you, please ask to speak with Debra Rickard, who handles domestic relations matters in the office and will put you in touch with your attorney either by leaving a message or by scheduling an appointment.
Thank you for selecting us to represent your interests and be assured that we will do our best to accomplish the results that you desire.