Establishing the Division of Property and Equitable Distribution in Bucks County
When a marriage ends, personal and economic relationships end as well. In Pennsylvania, the assets and debts you and your spouse acquired during the marriage — your marital property — is divided equitably when you divorce. Bear in mind that equitably does not mean equally; it means fairly.
Factors the court considers for equitable distribution of property
The court considers a variety of factors in determining the division of property:
- Length of your marriage
- Any prior marriages
- Each spouse's age, health, income, vocational skills, employability, assets and liabilities
- The contribution of one spouse to the education, training and earning power of the other spouse
- The opportunity of each spouse to earn future income and acquire future assets
- Sources of income
- The services of each spouse as parent, wage earner or homemaker
- The value of the property
- The standard of living you both established during your marriage
- The tax ramifications of the distribution
- Child custody
At Gordon Liebmann, our Bucks County Property Division lawyers have more than 65 years of combined legal experience in dealing with equitable distribution issues. Often, these are among the most contentious in a divorce. In our experience, we usually find it beneficial for divorcing couples to propose their own property division. It's useful to inventory your property, including date of purchase, value and account or serial numbers.
Skilled Bucks County Property Division attorneys at Gordon Liebmann answer your questions
Can I appeal a property division court ruling?
All states have a ''statute of limitations,'' a period of time after the finalization of the divorce in which a party may file a notice of appeal. The time limit can often be fairly short, like a month. After that, any chance of opening the judgment depends on the facts of the judgment, and state law. Some states have an open-ended rule that allows a party to seek relief from an unjust order for many years. However, ''unjust'' is very different from simply not liking the judgment.
Can property acquired prior to marriage be divided upon divorce?
Generally, assets owned by either spouse prior to the marriage will remain that spouse's separate property after the marriage ends, and won't be distributed by a court as marital property.
Contact us to schedule your free initial consultation
Call the Bucks County Divorce and Family Law attorneys at Gordon Liebmann, Attorneys at Law, at 1.215.375.7848 or contact us online and schedule your free initial consultation.
