Wills, Trusts, Estates and Taxes – Why draft a will when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania already provides one? What happens if you die without a will? In Pennsylvania, your assets* that are in your name will be distributed based on the intestate succession laws of Pennsylvania. Specifically, your property will […]
New Associations Code Amendments, Part 1 Senate Bill 304 was signed into law on July 9, 2013 by Governor Corbett as the GAA Amendments Act of 2013 (the “Act”) to be effective September 7, 2013. The Act was drafted by the Title 15/Business Associations Committee of the Section on Business […]
Fertility Contracts Legal issues can arise with assisted reproductive technology. What happens if a married couple freezes embryos and later separates? Who decides what happens to the frozen embroyos? Does a sperm or egg donor have a child support obligation to the child born from this arrangement? What happens if […]
Real Estate – Fair Housing Law Traps for the Unwary. All landlords, condominium associations, homeowners’ associations and residential co-ops are subject to the Fair Housing Laws. What does this mean? As a member of the Board of an association, a manager or a landlord, what is my exposure to liability? […]
Real Estate – Condominium or Homeowners’ Association Operating Pitfalls Must the Association hold formal meetings, adopt formal resolutions and keep formal minutes? Are our rules and regulations enforceable? Do changes in our rules and procedures require formal amendment of our governing documents? Can portions of our governing documents be unenforceable […]
Business Law – Term Sheet or Letter of Intent. The Term Sheet or Letter of Intent states specifically that it is not a binding agreement and is subject to the parties turning it into a formal binding agreement. This does not mean that it should not be reviewed by an […]
There is almost no such thing as a “standard” contract. Each contract is unique and merits the attention of an experienced lawyer to raise the proper questions and deal with the proper issues. Although your review will not be from a legal point of view, but rather from a layman’s […]
Real Estate – New lease for my business Why can’t I just sign the landlord’s form lease? Who should make various repairs to the premises? What can happen if the landlord is not satisfied with my repairs? Do I have the right to alter the premises and install fixtures and […]
Is There Alimony in Pennsylvania? There are three types of support available to the dependent spouse: spousal support, alimony pendente lite and alimony. Spousal support and alimony pendente lite are forms of support which can be awarded to a dependent spouse after the parties’ separate but prior to the entry […]
College Support Under the present law in Pennsylvania, neither parent has any legal obligation to pay for the college education of their children. This means that no court can order someone to pay for tuition, room, board, books or fees. Once a child has graduated from high school or turned […]