-
Can You be Charged With Assault While Defending Yourself?
Pennsylvania’s laws define assault as inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily harm on another person. Though that seems fairly straightforward, what happens if you have purposely inflicted harm on somebody else while defending yourself? Though the state of Pennsylvania once had a law known as the Duty to Retreat, which meant that you had to take “reasonable steps” to avoid conflict instead of using force. Those laws were eliminated when it became clear that it put the victim in an untenable situation and unable to defend themselves. Now an individual can use self-defense as justification for inflicting bodily harm, but …Read More ➡
-
What is a Contested Divorce?
In the state of Pennsylvania, there are several different types of divorce. The easiest and most straightforward is mutual no-fault divorce, in which neither side contests the divorce. There is fault divorce, where one spouse has to prove that the marriage is over as a result of some kind of wrongdoing by their spouse, and the state will grant a divorce to a person whose spouse has already been confined to a mental institution for 18 months and will be for another 18 months. Additionally, the state has rules for a contested divorce, which is also known as a unilateral …Read More ➡
-
What Happens to Shared Debt When You Get a Divorce?
Shared debt for things like your mortgage, a car loan, and even credit card bills is a given during marriage but dividing that debt in a divorce can be remarkably challenging. Shared debt in a divorce is usually split in the same way that assets are — with an eye to divide them fairly between the two, giving consideration to each party’s economic standing. If this division is not pursued properly and with an eye to protecting both partners, the surrounding issues can follow you long after the marriage has been dissolved. This is because debt doesn’t involve just the …Read More ➡
-
How Do I Have Conditions Removed From My Green Card Status
There are two circumstances under which the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues conditional green cards. They are: When a foreign national marries a U.S. citizen and the marriage is less than two years since entry to the U.S. When a foreign investor wants to work with an American business or start-up Though conditional green cards provide the same rights as permanent green cards, there is one major difference: the conditional green card is only valid for two years while the permanent green card is valid for ten years, and the conditional green card cannot be renewed while the …Read More ➡
-
Things to Consider Before Getting a Divorce
Every divorce is different, so providing advice on steps to take beforehand risks providing too much — or too little — information for a particular situation. The information that a spouse enduring domestic abuse needs is different from the information needed by a spouse who has learned that they’ve been cheated on. Still, there are some issues that will be true under almost all circumstances. Here are some of the most important steps you need to take and things you need to consider before moving forward with a divorce proceeding. Make sure that you have money available to you. This …Read More ➡
-
What is Naturalization?
Naturalization is the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. While people who are born in the U.S. or who are born to U.S. citizens abroad are already citizens, those who come to the United States and who wish to become citizens do so through a legal process. In order to qualify for naturalization, a person must be at least 18 years old and must have been a permanent resident for at least 5 years (or have been married to a U.S. citizen for at least three years). Those who meet these qualifications need to follow several steps, including filling out …Read More ➡
-
Wage Garnishment in NJ Compared to PA
Being in significant debt can wreak havoc on your life, but there are some types of debt that have a bigger impact than others. If you owe money for student loans, back taxes, for a court judgment or for child support, the courts generally do not leave your obligation to pay in your own hands: rather, they have the power to garner your wages. Wage garnishment is a term that describes a court order that gets sent to your employer and instructs them to hold back a certain amount of your pay to be sent to the person or entity …Read More ➡
-
Does Divorce Mediation Ever Work?
Whether you’re the child of divorce yourself or have learned everything you know about splitting up from movies, television, and celebrity headlines, there’s a good chance that you think of the process as acrimonious, nasty, and expensive. That is often the case, and it is why divorce mediation has become increasingly popular. Divorce mediation represents a significant shift from the classic divorce scenario in which two attorneys go head-to-head, fighting over spousal support, equitable distribution, and child support and custody. It places a single mediator between both partners, helping them to reach an agreement in each aspect of the dissolution …Read More ➡
-
What is a Mortgage Modification and Does it Hurt Your Credit?
If you’ve been experiencing financial difficulties and have been unable to make your mortgage payments, you only have a few options available to you, especially if you want to stay in your home. One of the most appealing ways to address the problem is to seek a modification of the terms of your loan with your lender. But doing so is not necessarily a slam dunk. While a modification will lower the amount of money that you are required to pay each month, there are some cases where pursuing this step might have a negative impact on your credit rating. …Read More ➡
-
What a Short Sale Seller Needs to Know
For homeowners who are unable to keep up with their mortgage payments, there are only a few options available. If you are in this position, you may have been told that a “short sale” could work for you. Before diving in, make sure that you fully understand what a short sale entails and what it means for you in the short term and for the long-term. A short sale offers you the opportunity to avoid foreclosure by selling your home for less that the amount that you owe on your mortgage. In order to pursue a short sale, you need …Read More ➡
Find out everything you need to know about Philadelphia bankruptcy, PA divorce, immigration, etc. by reading our latest blog posts.
