Recent Blog Posts

What to Do when Your Spouse Lies During Your Divorce
The foundation of the legal system is honesty. Judges need to hear accurate information so that they can render fair rulings. Unfortunately, we have handled many divorces where the other side submits false or highly misleading information to the court. Often, spouses lie to seek an edge in a contested divorce. Maybe they want… Read More »

Can the State Deduct Child Support from My Unemployment Compensation?
The Pennsylvania economy continues to be hammered by the recent economic downturn. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s current unemployment rate is 6.6%. This might understate the problem, since certain people are not counted (such as those who have given up looking for work). Fortunately, Congress has passed two stimulus bills… Read More »

5 Mistakes to Avoid in a High-Asset Divorce
It is no secret that high-asset divorces are more complicated than regular, run-of-the-mill Media divorces. When couples have substantial assets, the process for valuing everything and dividing it is extended. Unfortunately, as experienced Media divorce lawyers, we see many common mistakes that cost high-income individuals big time. Below, we highlight 5 mistakes that we… Read More »

When Does My Child Support Obligation End?
Parents are not legally required to support their children forever, which means the obligation to pay child support must end at some point. A question always arises: When? This is a complicated area of law and there is no one, simple answer. Instead, we need to answer several questions first. If you need help… Read More »

Are There Advantages to Filing for Divorce First?
You might have heard that spouses gain the upper hand in a divorce by being the first to file. But is this really true? And should you be scared if you receive divorce papers from your spouse, who was the first to get the courthouse? At Barbara Flum Stein & Associates, we have tackled… Read More »

Paternity Cases in Pennsylvania
When a child is born, there is no doubt as to who the mother is. However, things are different for fathers. In many cases, there is a dispute about paternity, and either a man or woman must use the legal process to establish parental rights and responsibilities. At Barbara Flum Stein & Associates, we… Read More »

Should You Wait until after the Holidays to Initiate Divorce?
There is never a “good” time to file for divorce. But most couples historically avoided filing during the holidays. After all, the holiday season is stressful enough, especially with a pandemic thrown into the mix. However, Fox News is reporting that divorce lawyers are seeing many more filings during the 2020 holidays. And they… Read More »

Protecting Your Business During Divorce
Many of our clients are small business owners. They work long hours making sure their business is a success, and they are shocked when we explain to them that their spouse might own some of the equity in the business. But that is simply a fact—under Pennsylvania’s property division laws, your spouse might leave… Read More »

Does Divorce Have Financial Benefits?
There is no question that many divorced men and women are shocked by how difficult it is to support themselves when single. This is especially true for people who have spent decades married. When single, a person must fully pay for the full cost of housing, utilities, food, transportation, and other expenses. There is… Read More »

Deviations from the Child Support Formula
Pennsylvania has taken a lot of the guesswork out of child support determinations by creating guidelines. A judge will most often plug in several numbers to a calculator to arrive at an amount that the non-custodial parent must pay every month. However, judges do have the power to deviate from the guideline amount up… Read More »