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PITTSBURGH — Divorce attorney Joseph R. Williams has been elected to serve as chair of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA). Williams, an associate at Downtown-based family law firm Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC, will commence his three-year term on July 1, 2013. This election marks the second election to office in the YLD in just three short years for Williams, who was […]

During a custody exchange, a child’s father told that the mother that she’d better not refer to her boyfriend as the child’s dad “or else.”  While yelling at her, he pointed his finger in her face.  He also placed his hands around her boyfriend’s hands and squeezed. Upset and fearful, the mother applied for an extension of an existing PFA (protection from abuse) order. The trial court found that father […]

In Suzanne D. v. Stephen W., 2013 Pa.Super. 93 (April 22, 2013), the Superior Court contemplated how to characterize $350,000 in money transfers that father received from his father, in the context of a post-divorce child support proceeding. Father testified that the transfers were loans, evidenced by a promissory note, which would be deducted from his inheritance if not repaid before his father’s death. Mother, on the other hand, claimed […]

Marriage and divorce are not cold business transactions. Couples who are about to marry or divorce have emotions and intimate relationships that may compromise their ability to negotiate at arm’s length like business people. For this reason, the law of Pennsylvania prior to 1990 imposed two special requirements upon family law agreements, such as prenups and divorce settlement agreements.  Pennsylvania law prior to 1990 required (i) full and fair disclosure […]

As a child support lawyer, I am frequently asked why the Pennsylvania child support guidelines don’t consider a parent’s expenses. Sometimes paying child support makes a parent “see red.”  Parents may experience personal budget deficits when they have to add child support to the list of bills they pay each month. And the court doesn’t seem to care. What gives? The child support guidelines do not (generally) consider expenses. That’s […]

Firm associates also honored; Pollock celebrates 10 years on the list PITTSBURGH — For the eighth year in a row, all five partners of family law firm Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC have been named to the list of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.  Several associates at the firm were named to the list of 2013 Pennsylvania Rising Stars, and founding partner David S. Pollock celebrated a decade in the listings […]