VERY

We are proud to announce that Managing Partner Ryan D. Very, Esq. has been named Chair of the Lawyer Referral Committee by the President of the Allegheny County Bar Association. Mr. Very was named chair because of his competency with the Bar's Lawyer Referral Service. As Chair, Mr. Very will make legal services more readily available to persons in Allegheny County, and serve as a liaison for receiving and forwarding lawyer referral matters to other agencies, bar associations, and lawyers within and outside of the state. Mr. Very follows in the...

Ordinarily, Pennsylvania law views pets merely as property, so that your legal rights are limited to property rights. But you can get additional rights at home, at work, in places of business, and when traveling if you designate your pet a therapy or disability service animal, which usually only requires a note from a therapist or doctor, and sometimes training.¹ If someone interferes with these special animal rights, they can be subject to more sophisticated civil and criminal claims. In this post, I’ll explain how my firm can help your pet b...

Pennsylvania courts have instituted a new records policy that, in an attempt to minimize the disclosure of personal information over the internet, imposes filing requirements and viewing restrictions. The policy is difficult to understand even with the use of a county-specific chart like this one. Under the policy, Confidential Documents, such as but not limited to bank statements and medical records, must be accompanied by a form. Confidential Documents are distinguished from Documents Containing Confidential Information, which are documents...

Most homeowners facing foreclosure do not hire an attorney. In this post I will argue that this is a mistake for three reasons.

          The first reason is that your attorney might be able to provide you with a favorable settlement. This could save you from lengthy court proceedings, having to pay opposing counsel's attorney fees, and a court judgment, which could leave a mark on your credit. 

          The second reason to hire a foreclosure attorney is to win money damages. There are consumer protection laws that reg...

I am proud to announce that I am no longer a regular lawyer. Nay, I am a Super Lawyer.

     I was nominated, researched, validated, and selected out of 2.5% of attorneys based on professional achievement. I was featured in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Magazines’ June issues to over one million readers.  You can read about the selection process here.

     It's great to be Super.

The viral video below depicts loss-prevention employees at a Washington state WinCo store detaining a 15-year-old girl who was later charged with second-degree robbery for stealing a candy bar. The girl, screaming, admits to stealing and skins her knee. Angry customers yell at the employees. The person recording, who claims to be an attorney, insists that the employees are acting illegally.

Outrage erupted on social media after United Airlines forcibly removed a passenger from an overbooked flight on Sunday. Many fault the airline for removing the passenger on the grounds that the passenger was a paying customer. 

          Unfortunately, in most cases, airlines have the legal right to remove paying customers. This is because, most of the time, airline tickets are 'revocable licenses.’ Indeed, most tickets are not construed to be contractual guarantees by the property owner of the right to use the premises. This has been the...

Imagine receiving a surprise $92,943 bill for a relative's medical or nursing home care. Would you believe that you could be ordered to pay it on pain of imprisonment in Pennsylvania?¹ Provided that the debtor is your parent, spouse, or child,² the debtor is unable to pay,³ you are able to pay,⁴ and the debtor did not abandon you as their child for more than ten years,⁵ you could be held liable.⁶

         Most of the time you are not responsible for the debts of others.⁷ But Pennsylvania law holds you responsible for filial support even if you...