New Statewide Guidelines for Court Records Access Goes Into Effect on January 8, 2018

2017/12/22

On January 8, 2018, a new statewide public records access policy goes into effect which will govern how Court records at all levels will be available for viewing. Parties to actions and their counsel of record will have one level of access to Court dockets, both in person and online, and the general public will have another, more restrictive level of access. The goal of the policy is to balance the public’s Constitutional right to open access to the Courts against litigants’ and related parties’ rights to protect confidential information. Attorneys and self-represented parties will be responsible for submitting documents to the Court with either a “Confidential” designation as specified in the policy, or to redact certain “confidential” information within the document, again, as specified in the policy, prior to filing documents with the Court. Nevertheless, all Opinions, Orders of Court and the docket list will be viewable online without restriction. Read More

Five Reasons to be Thankful for Divorce

2017/11/20

Carla Schiff Donnelly authored “Five Reasons to be Thankful for Divorce,“ which was published in The Huffington Post, on November 20, 2017. Read More

Carla Schiff Donnelly Speaks on “Knowing Your Rights in a Divorce”

2017/10/06

On September 29, 2017, Attorney Carla Schiff Donnelly spoke at the Rivers Club Women’s Leadership Breakfast on “Knowing Your Rights in a Divorce.” The attendees learned about waiting periods, how support is calculated, how assets are divided and what goes into the calculation of alimony. In addition, Ms. Donnelly spoke about how the courts determine custody. Ms. Donnelly  focuses her practice on divorce litigation, with a concentration on high asset financial and complex custody issues, including grandparent rights matters. She also specializes in preparing and negotiating prenuptial agreements. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Donnelly practiced family law for 11 years at Stern and Edlin, P.C., a leading domestic relations firm in Atlanta, Georgia, where she handled all aspects of divorce and post-divorce cases. Ms. Donnelly is a founding member of the Smart Divorce Institute, LLC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is an active participant in the Children’s Issues Sub-Committee of the Family Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Women in the Profession section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She was named a “Rising Star” by Georgia Super Lawyers and one of “Georgia’s Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend Magazine and selected for inclusion into the 2013 Edition of the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers. She was also a member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia and served on the board of the Visions Anew Institute, a nonprofit organization in the Atlanta area whose mission is to assist individual through the divorce process with information, integrity, and dignity. “In just a few short years, Carla Donnelly has proven herself to be a natural leader in our firm as well as in the family law community in Western Pennsylvania,” said partner Kenneth J. Horoho. “She has demonstrated an ability to grow a legal practice and has been a critical part of the growth of our firm.” Read More

Back-To-School Tips For Divorcing Parents

2013/08/09

Carla Schiff Donnelly authored “Back-To-School Tips For Divorcing Parents,“ which was published in The Huffington Post, on August 9, 2017. Read More

Carla Schiff Donnelly appeared on KQV Radio Show “Dealing with Divorce”

2017/06/20

New one-year waiting period for divorce in Pennsylvania, support, and what to expect at an initial consultation. Recently, Carla Schiff Donnelly appeared on the KQV Radio Show “Dealing with Divorce” hosted by Nan Cohen. She talks about the new one-year waiting period for divorce in Pennsylvania, support, and what to expect at an initial consultation. Listen here! Ms. Donnelly discusses the Act 102, changes to the required waiting period for divorce from the two-year waiting period required for all no-fault divorces in Pennsylvania to a one-year waiting period. This change in the law impacts many divorcing individuals reliant on the interim support they receive prior to their divorce being finalized. Read More

Carla Schiff Donnelly Quoted in a Huffington Post Article

2017/06/15

Pietragallo attorneys are often called upon by the press to talk about issues related to divorce. Most recently, Carla Schiff Donnelly was quoted in the Huffington Post article “The 8 Biggest Relationship Killers, According To Divorce Attorneys.” Read the article here. Read More

Carla Schiff Donnelly Discusses Divorce on KQV Radio Show

2017/04/25

Attorney Carla Schiff Donnelly appeared on the KQV Radio Show “Dealing with Divorce” hosted by Nan Cohen. She talks about getting started with your divorce, custody issues and what happens at an initial consultation.  Listen here! Read More

Charles Avalli Reappointed to Pennsylvania Orphans’ Court Rules Committee

2016/12/06

Charles J. Avalli, has been reappointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee, with manages the rules that govern matters in Orphans’ Court. He has served on this committee since 2014. The Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee is one of seven such committees established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to provide advice and make recommendations for rules governing substantive areas of the law. Rules committees are made up of judges and attorneys appointed by the Supreme Court. They are not paid for their work and typically serve a three-year term with a maximum of two terms. Committees typically meet quarterly to consider issues brought forward by the Supreme Court, judges, attorneys, employees of the Unified Judicial System, members of the legislative and executive branches of government, and citizens. Mr. Avalli has a long and distinguished reputation in Orphan’s Court law in Pennsylvania based on his extensive experience in all aspects of estate litigation, estate planning and estate/trust administration. He has represented and sued all the major banks of Pittsburgh in estate litigation matters and has created estate plans for some of the wealthiest families in Western Pennsylvania. He has successfully litigated surcharge actions that recovered as much as $1.4 million for the estate’s beneficiaries. He was counsel in a landmark case of trustee removal and regularly lectures on estate and tax planning to civic and professional groups. Also, he has had articles published in Financial Advisor on estate and trust litigation matters. Mr. Avalli also has a substantial practice in the area of family law. He has worked on and litigated some of the biggest divorce cases in Western Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Probate and Trust Law Section and Family Law Section and is also a member of the Butler County Bar Association. Read More

Kenneth Horoho Appointed Charmain of Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Continuing Legal Education Board

2016/12/06

Kenneth Horoho has been appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Chair the Continuing Legal Education Board, which designs and governs ongoing education for lawyers across the state. He has served as a member of this board since being first appointed in 2011. His appointment as chairman is effective January 1, 2017. The mission of the Continuing Legal Education Board is to establish and maintain rules for continuing legal education to assure that lawyers admitted to the practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania continue their education to have and maintain the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill their professional responsibilities. The Board’s duties also include updating the requirements and rules as necessary, monitoring each attorney’s compliance with the requirements, notifying attorneys of CLE status, accrediting courses and working with providers of CLE. He will be one of ten members serving on the board. Mr. Horoho has a long history as a leader in state, local and national bar association organizations. In addition to serving as President of the 29,000-member Pennsylvania Bar Association in 2006, Mr. Horoho has been elected and appointed to numerous PBA committees, task forces and special projects throughout his distinguished career. As Chair of the PBA Young Lawyers Division in 1991, he developed and co-produced an education videotape “Children First: Custody, the Courts and Your Family”, that explains the custody process for families experiencing separation and divorce. Mr. Horoho also served for 12 years on the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Board of Governors and was Chairperson of its Family Law and Young Lawyer Sections. In 2009, he was appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Castille to the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice; a special panel created by Governor Edward Rendell and the Pennsylvania state legislature to investigate the causes of one of the most extraordinary cases of judicial corruption in state history. Read More

Carla Schiff Donnelly Argues Custody Case Before Pennsylvania Supreme Court

2016/12/05

On November 1, 2016, Carla Schiff Donnelly, argued a child custody case before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Ms. Donnelly had prevailed on behalf of her client before the Superior Court. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court accepted the appeal on behalf of the opposing party. The Legal Intelligencer wrote the article “Justices Mull Whether Court Can ‘Diagnose’ Mental Illness” based on Ms. Donnelly’s case. On November 15, 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ms. Donnelly’s client, dismissing the appeal for having been improvidently granted. Read More