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Parents who are facing custody disputes in Pennsylvania may be interested in understanding how child alienation tactics are viewed by judges in Pennsylvania courts. A recent decision of the Pennsylvania Superior Court (unpublished) illustrates the perils that may befall a parent who engages in alienation tactics.  In B.E. v. D.N., No. 1894 EDA 2013 (April 9, 2014), a mother lost custody of her children, ages 12 and 9, when the […]

PITTSBURGH — Family law attorneys Candice L. Komar, founding partner, and Stephanie L. Jablon, senior associate, of Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC, recently received certification in mediation, allowing the boutique family law practice to offer mediation services to clients in addition to the full range of litigation services for which it is already well known. A cutting-edge, growing family law trend, mediation is an alternative dispute resolution option in […]

PITTSBURGH — Divorce attorney Brian C. Vertz, partner of family law firm Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC, recently received his certificate as a family law arbitrator from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). Vertz is one of only two arbitrators with AAML training in Western Pennsylvania. With this credential, Vertz can offer arbitration services to estranged couples seeking a more confidential, swift and sophisticated option to resolve their […]

Presumably, opinions of the Superior Court are published when, in the estimation of the Court, they articulate important principles of jurisprudence. So, the Superior Court was sending a message to family law practitioners when it chose to publish M.O. v. J.T.R., 2014 Pa.Super. 15 (February 4, 2014). M.O. is a custody case in which Mother and Father were divorced parents of one emancipated daughter and two minor sons.  When they […]

PITTSBURGH — Brian C. Vertz, partner of family law firm Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC, has been appointed National Chair of the Amicus Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). An amicus, or “friend of the court,” may be permitted to submit a legal brief to assist an appellate court to recognize important policies and public interests that may be affected by the court’s decision in a […]

A non-precedential decision of the Superior Court, Morabito v. Morabito, No. 878 WDA 2013 (January 17, 2014) might provide a little window into the minds of our judiciary when interpreting prenuptial agreements.  The marriage in this case lasted nearly twenty years before the wife filed a complaint in divorce.  Wife initially challenged the validity of the prenup, but soon conceded that it was valid and enforceable. What Husband and Wife […]