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Family Law PublicationsResources for Individuals to Represent ThemselvesFamily Law Forms and Instructions: These forms and instructions were prepared under the sponsorship of the Family Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Divorce:Philadelphia Self-Help No-Fault Divorce Manual
Protection From Abuse (PFA): Petition for Protection From Abuse
Custody:Complaint for Custody/Partial Custody/Visitation
Support:Complaint for Support
Forms for General Use: Domestic Relations Information Sheet Informational BrochuresThe following brochures were developed by the Philadelphia Bar Association Family Law Section Consumer Education Committee in collaboration with the Domestic Relations Division of the Philadelphia Family Court. They are available online and at the Philadelphia Family Court at 34 South 11th Street in Philadelphia. Child Custody in Philadelphia County Child Support in Philadelphia County Divorce in Philadelphia County Domestic Violence and Welfare Support Requirements (Philadelphia County) Emergency Domestic Violence Site (Philadelphia County) Paternity of Children in Philadelphia County Protection from Abuse in Philadelphia County
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Family Law
Judicial BenchbookDeciding Child Custody When There is Domestic Violence: A Benchbook for Pennsylvania Courts.Justice in the Domestic Relations Division ReportIn October, 2003, the Women's Law Project published Report to the Community: Access to Justice in the Domestic Relations Division of Philadelphia Family Court. Widely hailed as a long-overdue expose of the complexities, challenges, and troubling conditions of the Domestic Relations Division, the report is the culmination of two years of research, including over 700 direct observations of court proceedings, comprehensive review of substantial information collected from consumers and lawyers and in-depth analysis of funding and budgeting issues. The findings were shocking and included:
Reaction to the report has been supportive of relocating to a more appropriate facility. In Re: Matter of L.A.R: Petition for Change of Name of Minor Child (PA Superior Ct. 2005)Amicus brief by WLP and Legal Momentum in support of the mother’s request to change her daugher’s surname to a hyphenated surname to include her surname as well as the father’s surname, providing the Court with relevant background on the historic custom of assigning children the surname of their fathers and the ways in which this custom continues to permeate decision-making around children’s name changes, despite the legal guarantee of gender equality under the Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment and name change law.Egolf v. Seneca (Pa. Ct. Com. Pls. 2004)In 2004, same-sex couples in Pennsylvania faced a bizarre attack on their rights in the form of twelve conservative state legislators preemptively suing a couple from Bucks county to prevent them from ever attempting to get a court to delcare Pennsylvania's bigoted marriage laws unconstitutional. The Women's Law Project joined with the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP in defending the rights of the couple and asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit. In a victory for gay and lesbian couples in Pennsylvania, the court agreed, ruling that the legislators had no right to bring this crazy lawsuit.P.R. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pa. S. Ct. 2002)In 2001, the Women's Law Project, along with Professor Louis Rulli from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, wrote an amicus brief arguing for an equitable interpretation of the child abuse laws so that women who accidentally injure their children are not permanently prohibited from various forms of employment. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed with the Law Project's interpretation of the law. |
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