Family
Law

At Appel Yost LLP, our Family Law Practice Group provides representation to clients throughout Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and its surrounding communities concerning a wide range of legal services in all aspects of family law including Divorce, Pre-Marital and Post-Marital Agreements including the enforceability of such Agreements, Spousal Support and Alimony, Child Custody and Child Support, Paternity, Grandparents Visitation Rights, as well as Non-Traditional Family Law matters and has been consistently ranked as one of the top three law firms providing family law services in both the Central Penn Business Journal’s Readers Rankings and LNP Media’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Whether your case involves complex personal or economic decisions related to a divorce or matters concerning custody of your children, our firm’s family law lawyers are ready to provide the services necessary in your particular case.

Divorce

If you have considered filing for divorce or are currently a party to divorce proceedings, it is vitally important that you engage experienced counsel to represent and protect your interests as soon as possible. At Appel Yost LLP our experienced family law attorneys take a holistic approach to providing our clients with comprehensive counsel and guidance throughout their divorce action, a time which many individuals, no matter what their age or financial background, find to be an emotionally trying experience. In both contested divorces and uncontested divorces, simple or high net worth matters, knowing the skilled divorce attorneys at our firm will be there for you from the initial consultation to the conclusion of your case will provide invaluable peace of mind during these challenging life events.

Spousal Support and Alimony

Separation and divorce may place great financial strain on one or both parties, and the need for one spouse to pay support or alimony to the other spouse often arises. Spousal support and alimony are terms used to describe a situation where one spouse pays the other spouse a court-directed payment, either by periodic installments or lump sum during and/or after a divorce. Oftentimes, a support obligation can be negotiated and agreed to between the parties, both the amount and the duration. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, the spouse seeking support must petition the Court and establish their need and the payor spouse’s ability to pay the appropriate level of support based upon the parties’ incomes. Alimony can be temporary or permanent. It can be paid as a lump-sum payment or may be paid by way of periodic monthly payments. Alimony can be modifiable upon a showing of material change in circumstances or nonmodifiable as to amount or duration. The family law attorneys at Appel Yost LLP have extensive experience advocating on behalf of clients seeking or contesting spousal support and alimony claims. Spousal support and alimony cases are often quite complex, as judges are asked to balance specific factors in determining whether alimony should be awarded. When addressing spousal support and alimony matters, you should always seek the advice and guidance of an experienced divorce lawyer. Our attorneys have a thorough understanding of the factors judges consider in making these decisions and will provide the support and representation you need, including your efforts to obtain, argue against, or modify spousal support or alimony obligations.

Child Support

A child has the right to financial support from both parents. And in a non-intact family situation, one parent alone should never have to shoulder this financial burden. If both parents no longer reside together with the child as a family, hiring counsel becomes particularly important due to the heightened emotions typically associated with disputes over the child’s well-being. Especially when it comes to the financial nature of child support. Such feelings and emotions often make independent resolution between the parties difficult, if not impossible. At Appel Yost LLP, our experienced attorneys provide clients with the information and guidance they need to make well-informed decisions and to protect their assets as well as the interests of their children. The skilled attorneys at Appel Yost LLP will draw upon their extensive experience and practice before support conference officers and judges to vigorously advocate for the interests of their clients and their clients’ children so that the support obligation ordered is fair and in accordance with the law.

Equitable Distribution

The attorneys at Appel Yost LLP recognize that the allocation, division and distribution of property and debt among the parties to a divorce is one of the most significant legal issues our clients will face. The failure to hire an experienced advocate with a thorough understanding of the law in this regard may result in substantial financial losses that are often difficult to bear. Our attorneys understand what clients are going through and will take the steps necessary to make the process as smooth as possible and assist them in attaining the equitable division of the martial assets in accordance with the law. Our divorce attorneys welcome the opportunity to assist clients in planning and preparing for the future by setting realistic expectations based upon the parties’ current financial situation. With these expectations in mind, our firm is committed to skillfully negotiating on behalf of its clients and vigorously representing its clients’ financial interests in court.

Child Custody

Child custody disputes are among the most intensely emotional aspects of divorce. Pennsylvania law requires the courts resolve child custody disputes in accordance with the best interests of the children involved. Parents and judges themselves often hold very different views with regard to what is in fact in a child’s best interest. That fact alone makes it critically important that the parties in a child custody dispute engage knowledgeable counsel with experience evaluating and applying the “best interests” legal standard. Appel Yost LLP recognizes that every client’s situation is unique, and our family law attorneys work closely with their clients to acquire a thorough understanding of the facts and circumstances of each case. Our attorneys’ commitment to personalized service and extensive experience representing parties to child custody disputes enable us to tailor our legal strategy to the specific goals of our clients in resolving child custody matters.

Grandparents’ Rights

When couples separate or obtain a divorce, or in those instances where both parents want to block contact between a grandparent and a child, the close relationship between a grandparent and a grandchild is often strained, threatened or disrupted. Moreover, a grandparents’ and grandchild’s relationship can be negatively impacted or even terminated in the event that a child’s parent dies. Pennsylvania law provides grandparents with a right to seek visitation and physical custody of minor grandchildren in certain cases. Pennsylvania courts consider the best interests of the grandchild in this context while placing particular emphasis on how the proposed visitation or physical custody would impact the relationship between the grandchild and his or her parents. When death, divorce or family disagreements threaten to separate them from their grandchildren, many grandparents today turn to the law to help them maintain a relationship with their grandchildren. At Appel Yost LLP, our attorneys are committed to providing personalized service to our clients throughout this emotionally trying time.

Adoption

While the prospect of adopting a child is often an exciting family event, the adoption process itself can be quite difficult and stressful. Adopting a child involves identifying and terminating the rights of the natural parents and subsequently establishing those rights in the adoptive parents. At Appel Yost LLP our family law attorneys provide clients with practical guidance based on experience. Our attorneys are thoroughly committed to making the adoption process as smooth as possible.