Family Law

Doing what is right for the family

At Sigmon & Sigmon, P.C. we attempt to resolve divorces quickly and amicably so that the emotional stress of the situation is not prolonged. The more emotional the parties are, the costlier the divorce, both financially and psychologically. It is best to treat a divorce as a business transaction. When a divorce cannot be resolved amicably, we are ready to fight zealously for our clients in court. We never engage in tactics that serve no other reason but to build up the attorney fees.

Ready for our clients

Our attorneys are prepared to appear in court at a moment's notice when necessary. For example, we will step in when domestic violence occurs or to enforce the terms of a visitation agreement when one party refuses to abide by the schedule. Our clients have access to us 24 hours a day, as we often give them our cell phone numbers in addition to our business phones. We are available for appointments or emergencies in the evening and on weekends.

Some other family law issues that we resolve include:

Alimony
Child support
Child custody
Adoptions
Visitation rights

Divorce law in Pennsylvania

The court will grant a divorce when both parties agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken and either:

Both agree to the divorce, or
They have been separated for two years

When one of the spouses does not want to divorce, and the separation has not lasted for two years, the spouse wanting the divorce must prove one of the following grounds for divorce:

Desertion of one year or more
Adultery
Bigamy
Cruel and inhuman treatment endangering the life or health of the spouse
Imprisonment for two or more years
Personal indignities
Confinement to a mental institution

We advise our divorcing clients:

Do not trade nasty comments or verbally abuse each other.
Communicate information or problems happening with the children so that both spouses are aware of what is going on.
Do not exchange accusatory e-mails, voice mails or texts.
Leave all negotiations to the attorneys who will communicate information back to the parties appropriately and calmly.

Helping children during divorce

We try to prevent situations where negative accusations are exchanged. Families, especially children, suffer irreparable harm when this happens. Children are never used by our firm as leverage against the other party.
The overriding factor for determining child custody in Pennsylvania is the best needs of the children. Some factors that are taken into account:

Preference of the children
Parent’s ability to provide for the child, physically and emotionally
History of criminal or abusive behavior by either parent
Willingness of the custodial spouse to continue contact between the child and the non-custodial parent

Fighting to win your legal issue