Blog Category | Child custody
February 17, 2026
What to Expect in a Child Custody Hearing
Walking into a child custody hearing without knowing what lies ahead can make an already stressful situation feel unbearable. Knowing what to expect in a child custody hearing in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, can help you approach it better prepared and with confidence. Preparation Before the Hearing Getting organized well before your...
Read MoreJune 17, 2025
Equal Parenting Is Not Always Equal: How Shared Custody Works
When you are going through a divorce, the time you get with your child often matters more than anything else, even the assets you are splitting. However, in Pennsylvania, shared custody does not always mean equal parenting time. What shared custody means under Pennsylvania law So, what does shared custody...
Read MoreMay 29, 2025
How the Best Interests Standard Works and What to Expect
Parents who divorce or separate generally have two options when addressing custody matters. They can cooperate with one another and set their own terms, or they can litigate in family court. Parents who don’t agree on custody terms can request a hearing, present evidence and ask a judge to establish...
Read MoreMarch 27, 2025
What Happens With Child Custody if Unmarried Parents Separate?
Married parents who divorce usually recognize that they have to address custody issues. They may spend quite a bit of their divorce negotiating about parenting time, decision-making authority and even financial support matters. Not all minor children have married parents. Plenty of unmarried couples also choose to raise children together....
Read MoreAugust 29, 2024
How Family Courts Determine Children’s Best Interests in Custody Cases
When a former couple shares minor or otherwise dependent children, the family courts make an effort to prioritize the children’s best interests when approving custody arrangements. Understandably – the law is complicated – many parents are not fully familiar with the concept of the “best interests of the child.” Following...
Read MoreJuly 27, 2024
Why Formal Custody Modifications Can Be Important for Parents
Child custody orders are often necessary for the protection of parental relationships. They also help ensure stability for the children in a shared custody scenario. Parents may spend quite a bit of time trying to find ways to share parental rights and responsibilities with each other. When they can’t reach...
Read MoreApril 08, 2024
What Should Unmarried Parents Know About Child Custody?
Parents who didn’t opt to marry each other married and who are no longer romantically involved generally have to go through the child custody clarification process. This helps both sides to set the foundation for raising their children in ways that allow their rights to be protected and their expectations...
Read MoreMarch 11, 2024
What Is the Process for Modifying a Custody Order?
A Pennsylvania custody order establishes numerous key terms for adults who have children together. Custody orders discuss the overall breakdown of parenting time between the adults and also allow for parents to share legal custody or decision-making authority. Parents either establish custody arrangements by negotiating with one another or by...
Read MoreJanuary 26, 2024
Addiction Issues and Custody
Courts are increasingly recognizing that addiction to drugs or alcohol is not simply a “choice” that one can easily escape through abstinence. In custody matters, the best interests of the child(ren) involved in a custody action is always the foremost concern. However, it is not always necessary to completely separate...
Read MoreDecember 03, 2023
What Is the Best Parenting Time Schedule for Your Child?
Parenting time schedules vary based on the needs of a child, their parents’ work schedules, the distance between households and many other factors. These schedules aim to provide consistency, stability and meaningful time for both parents to be involved in the child’s life. Typically, physical custody is also referred to...
Read MoreAugust 08, 2023
Why Do Parents Sometimes Need to Modify a Custody Order?
A custody order carries the full weight of the Pennsylvania family courts and is an enforceable legal document. Whether parents agree on specific custody terms or a judge sets them for the family, both parents will generally need to abide by the terms of the custody order. They will regularly...
Read MoreJune 05, 2023
What Does “The Best Interests of the Child” Mean?
In Pennsylvania, the “best interests of the child” is a legal standard used by courts to make decisions regarding child custody, parenting time and other matters related to the welfare of a child. It is the guiding principle used to determine what arrangements will promote a child’s overall well-being and...
Read MoreApril 13, 2023
When Unmarried Parents Need a Custody Order in Pennsylvania
When many people talk about custody hearings and parenting plans, the discussion occurs in re: the context of divorce. Almost everyone recognizes that parents who divorce are often mandated to negotiate or litigate some kind of parenting plan, but fewer people understand the Pennsylvania laws that apply to unmarried parents....
Read MoreAugust 16, 2022
3 Reasons You May Need to Ask for a Custody Modification
It can take weeks of negotiations or a frustrating trip to family court for parents to settle their disagreements about custody matters and work out a parenting plan. You and your ex have an obligation to uphold that custody order to the best of your abilities. Occasionally, there will be...
Read MoreJuly 22, 2022
How Does a DNA Paternity Test Work?
If you and your partner have a child but you’re not sure that the child is yours, one of the things you might do is ask for a DNA paternity test. A DNA-based paternity test is around 99% accurate, which means that the findings from that test, when given correctly,...
Read MoreJune 29, 2021
Can My Child Choose Where to Live After Divorce?
Living in Pennsylvania during your divorce, it’s important for you to get to know the state’s laws. One of the things that may influence your case is if you have a child. If you do, then you should be aware of the custody rules that apply. As your child gets...
Read MoreApril 30, 2021
Does Pennsylvania Favor One Parent Over the Other for Custody?
Filing for divorce leads to a lot of uncertainty. Unless you have a prenuptial agreement, you don’t know what will happen with your property or who gets to keep the house. If you have children, your access to them will depend on how the courts rule in your custody proceedings....
Read MoreApril 04, 2018
Will I Be Monitored on My Child Support Spending?
Any custodial parent can breathe a sigh of relief when the family law court enacts a child support order. Raising children on your own can be expensive and stressful, and child support helps to remove some of that burden. Like many single parents in Pennsylvania, you might worry how you...
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