State College, Pennsylvania Divorce Lawyer & Family Law Attorney
Over 55% of all marriages will end in divorce. Deciding to end a marriage is one of the most important decisions some of us will ever make. While the end of a marriage may be easy for one person, it can be very difficult for another. Whatever the case may be, it is important that you have an experienced Centre County Law Firm Attorney to represent you.
In Pennsylvania, from a legal standpoint, a divorce gives either spouse the right to marry someone else. Divorce also legally divides the couples’ assets and debt and determines custody and support if needed. There are two types of divorces in Pennsylvania:
- Fault Divorce
- No-Fault Divorce
No-fault divorces are considered to be a more humane and realistic way to end a marriage. A no-fault divorce is a divorce in which neither the wife nor husband blames the other for breakdown of the marriage. There are no accusations necessary to obtain a divorce and no need to prove "guilt" or "fault". No-fault divorces are often less expensive and easier on all parties involved.
A fault divorce is when one spouse blames the other for the end of the marriage. Any of the following may be grounds for a fault based divorce in Pennsylvania:
- Imprisonment for two or more years
- Bigamy
- Indignities, or a course of conduct that makes a spouse’s life burdensome or conditions intolerable
- Adultery, or voluntary sex with a non-spouse
- Cruel & barbarous treatment, or physical abuse
- Desertion, or willful and malicious absence from home without justification for a year or longer
- Insanity, or a situation where a spouse is institutionalized
The primary issues to be decided during a divorce, whether a no-fault divorce or a fault divorce, are alimony or spousal support, division of property, and, if there are children, child custody or visitation and child support. When spouses agree on the division of property, support and custody, they can usually obtain a divorce quickly. More typically, divorcing spouses have disputes regarding their post-marriage financial arrangements and the care and custody of their children.
In Pennsylvania the legal term for the process of dividing the marital assets and marital debts is equitable distribution. If spouses are unable to agree about the division of their marital assets and marital debts, the spouses may elect to engage in the formal court process for equitable distribution. The decision of whether to negotiate an out-of-court settlement or utilize possibly a trial often involves analyzing the cost of a trial.
If you think would like more information about divorce, child custody or child support, please contact a State College Divorce Lawyer today at (814)237-4100 or use our contact form to email a State College Family Law Attorney now. We understand that this is a difficult decision for you. We work diligently to get the best results for our clients.
From our office located in downtown State College, Pennsylvania, minutes from the PennStateUniversity campus, we are happy to review cases from State College, University Park, Bellefonte, Huntingdon, Lock Haven, Clearfield, Altoona, and surrounding areas. Our attorneys are familiar with the court systems in Centre County, Blair County, Clinton County, Clearfield County, Huntingdon County & Mifflin County, as well as cases in Federal Court.
Fax: (814)237-5601