Blog

Nov. 9, 2022

The court process for custody is costly and it can take a long time.  Unless parents can work out an agreement along the way, they can expect an education session, a mediation session, a conciliation or two with court personnel, a conciliation or two with a judge, trial preparation and then trial.

Oct. 9, 2022

When faced with a divorce, many people would like to avoid the court process and the knock-down, drag-out conflicts that can come with it. If you find yourself in this position, you have three options: mediation, kitchen-table divorce, and Collaborative divorce.

Sept. 9, 2022

Fear. Sadness. Loss. Anger. Resentment.  These are just some of the negative emotions that a person may be feeling when he or she is faced with the prospect of a divorce.

Oct. 28, 2020

When parties divorce in Pennsylvania, a judge is able to rule that one party pays the other party alimony. Alimony is a payment from one former spouse to the other after the divorce is finalized.

Dec. 17, 2019

Every day a new Pennsylvania couple decides to call it quits on a marriage, and often children are involved. If you and your spouse are splitting, there are ways to handle it so that the negative effects on your children are minimal. This is especially important if your children are going to live in two homes rather than the one they are used to.

July 31, 2019

Picking a Pennsylvania resident to be the executor of your estate involves important qualities in your candidate, such as trustworthiness and competence, but it is also crucial to evaluate the health of your executor. You might be tempted to overlook health concerns if your executor candidate fulfills all of your wishes, but if you do not take health into consideration, you might end up outliving your own executor.

July 17, 2019

Writing a will is a necessity if you want to protect your assets. You may be putting this task off for various reasons. But the truth is that everyone can benefit from creating a will. Here at Cook & Associates, we help clients from all walks of life achieve peace of mind by creating wills and estate plans.

July 9, 2019

When a Pennsylvania marriage ends, it is not just the spouses who are affected. In-laws, friends and especially children go through extreme changes and life will likely never be the same. Because they do not have the same rational thought processing ability or reasoning skills, children may be extremely emotional and act out in ways that have nothing to do with the divorce. If you are preparing to tell your kids about the upcoming changes, there are several ways to do it in a mentally healthy way.

June 25, 2019

People in Pennsylvania who are planning for the future should name an executor of their estate. This person is responsible for a variety of tasks upon death. It is important to understand exactly what an executor does so the right one for the job is chosen.

June 21, 2019

When you live separately from your child’s other parent, a legal custody order can ease the co-parenting relationship by establishing fair parenting time and clear expectations. You do not need to go to court to make a legal child custody agreement. Parents can create their own agreement and have it approved by the state.