The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the tax deduction previously allowed for alimony payments effective January 1, 2019. This meant that alimony payments made pursuant to an agreement executed after December 31, 2018 could no longer be…
Blog Archives
How To Handle A Special Family Event When Going Through A Divorce
This time of year is especially popular for special family events such as weddings, graduations, and bar/bat mitvahs. For families going through a divorce, these events can pose unique challenges. There is no obligation in Pennsylvania or New Jersey that…
Posted in Divorce
Jurisdiction Over Out-Of-State Property In A Multi-State Divorce
In our increasingly mobile society, it is not uncommon for couples to relocate numerous times throughout their marriage and acquire property and assets in different states. When a divorce dissolves the marriage and forces a distribution of assets spread…
Posted in Divorce
Can Grandma and Grandpa Get Custody In Pennsylvania?
We constantly receive calls from grandparents inquiring about their custody rights. In some instances, the grandparent has been the child’s primary caretaker from birth. In other instances, the grandparent has had regular contact with the grandchild and now is excluded…
Posted in Custody
A Parent’s Right to College Records
For many parents, the financial support they provide to their children does not end after their children graduate from high school. For divorcing parents in particular, the payment of their children’s future college expenses is often a specific part of…
Separation During Cohabitation
In Pennsylvania, the date used to determine the value of the assets and liabilities subject to equitable distribution is the date of the parties’ separation. All assets and liabilities accrued during the marriage and prior to this date are considered…
Posted in Divorce
Defamation During a Divorce
It is often said that the Criminal Division of the Court deals with “bad” people at their best behavior, while the Family Division deals with “good” people at their worst behavior. Divorce litigation is undoubtedly stressful, and emotions often lead…
Posted in Divorce
The Lingering Impact of Tribal Law in Adoption Matters
Adoptions, like most family law matters, proceed through state courts and are governed by state laws. For most families, rules and procedures specific to the state in which the adoption takes place are the only laws that have an impact…
Posted in Adoption
To Share Or Not Share The Lottery Loot
During a recent television appearance on Fox 29 (see clip by clicking here), I was asked to comment on a New Jersey case receiving significant media attention. A non-married couple, Ines Sanchez and Pedro Quezada, resided together as a couple for ten years, and a child…
Posted in Support
The Hague Convention
The Hague Convention, a treaty adopted by over seventy countries, addresses custody matters on an international level. The most common situation where the Hague Convention comes into play is “wrongful removal” (where one parent takes the child to another country…
Posted in Custody
Attorney Jennifer A. Brandt, chair of Cozen O'Connor's Family Law practice, has represented a wide variety of clients in hundreds of family law cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Jennifer is a regular legal commentator on national and local television outlets such as CNN, Fox New Network, HLN, MSNBC, Fox29, ABC News, NBC and CBS and frequently writes and contributes to articles in numerous publications, including the Huffington Post, Fox Business.com, The PhiIly Post, Avvo.com, Allparenting.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Business Journal, the National Law Journal, and Main Line Today magazine.
