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Presentation part of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC conference PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh divorce attorney and custody litigator Todd M. Begg will moderate an upcoming Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC panel discussion on trauma associated with high-conflict custody matters. “Through Their Eyes: Panel Discussion with Young Adults who Survived their Parents’ Custody Disputes,” is part of the Eighth Annual Pittsburgh Conference on Child Maltreatment and will examine several detrimental elements that […]

A recurring issue in divorce litigation is the treatment of marital assets that generate income, such as pensions, rental real estate and businesses. Pennsylvania case law establishes clearly that these assets can be divided as property in equitable distribution or counted as income for alimony, but not both. A recent decision published by Adams County Judge Robert G. Bigham applies this law and logic to IRA distributions, in Sealander v. […]

The Pennsylvania custody law, promulgated in 2011, lists 16 factors that a trial court must consider when determining which parent shall have custody of minor children. Already, in the brief time since the law’s passage, the Superior Court has emphasized repeatedly that the courts must consider and articulate all of the relevant factors in its decisions. See M.P. v. M.P., 54 A.3d 950, 956 (Pa.Super.2012). Several of those factors touch […]

When the Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced its decision last year in K.E.M. v. P.C.S., 38 A.3d 798 (Pa.2012), it changed the face of child support paternity law, applying a “best interests of the child” standard in cases involving paternity by estoppel. An age-old concept, “paternity by estoppel,” means that a man who acts as though he is the father of the child may be held legally and financially responsible, even […]

Confidentiality and preventing malpractice among topics PITTSBURGH — Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC partner Daniel H. Glasser will present at a National Business Institute (NBI) legal education seminar on Tuesday, April 23, entitled “Legal Ethics: Hot Topics and Current Events.” The half-day program for lawyers and legal professionals will focus on ethical concerns that may arise when providing counsel and offer attorneys information on protecting confidentiality, guarding against conflicts […]

Some clients and lawyers question why I am so meticulous in specifying certain details when I settle divorce cases. A recent unpublished decision of the Superior Court brilliantly illustrates the hazard of vague settlements involving marital property, justifying my fastidiousness. In Rissmiller v. Rissmiller, No. 124 MDA 2012 (February 26, 2013), Husband and Wife entered into a settlement agreement providing that Husband would convey half of the marital component of […]