Delaware County Family Law Lawyer

Graff & Associates is a family law firm that helps Delaware County families through divorce, child custody, child and spousal support, alimony, protection from abuse, and related matters filed at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media. Our attorneys handle the full range of Pennsylvania family law, and we represent parents, spouses, and grandparents across Delco, from Upper Darby and Havertown to Media, Springfield, Newtown Square, and the Chadds Ford line.

Family law is personal, and it is local. The Pennsylvania statutes are the same statewide, but how a case actually moves depends on the county it is filed in: where you file, which judge you draw, how the local Domestic Relations Section runs its support conferences, and how long the courthouse calendar takes to schedule a hearing. This page explains how family law works for Delaware County residents specifically, what to expect at the courthouse on Front Street, and how our firm can help.

The information below is general and educational. It is not legal advice for your situation. To talk through your case with a Delaware County family law attorney, call Graff & Associates for a free consultation at 215-572-6868.

Do You Need a Family Law Attorney in Delaware County?

You need a Delaware County family law attorney any time a family matter is headed to, or already sitting in, the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County: a divorce, a custody dispute, a support order, or a protection from abuse petition. Some family matters can be resolved by agreement without ever seeing a judge, and a good attorney will tell you honestly when that is the case. But once the other side hires counsel, once children or significant assets are involved, or once you are served with papers and given a deadline, having a lawyer who practices in the Delaware County courts is the single biggest factor in getting a fair, predictable outcome.

Local experience matters more than most people expect. A lawyer who regularly appears at the Media courthouse knows the judges’ preferences, the conference officers in the Domestic Relations Section, and the practical rhythm of the Delaware County docket. That knowledge does not change the law, but it does change how efficiently your case moves and how well prepared you are for each step. Graff & Associates brings that day-to-day family court experience to Delco clients, backed by a team that focuses on Pennsylvania family law.

Where Are Family Law Cases Handled in Delaware County?

Family law cases in Delaware County are handled at the Delaware County Courthouse complex in Media, the county seat. Divorce and custody matters are filed with the Office of Judicial Support in the Delaware County Government Center Building at 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063, and each new case is randomly assigned to a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Child and spousal support are handled separately by the county’s Domestic Relations Section.

Media, known locally as “Everybody’s Hometown,” sits near the geographic center of the county, which makes the courthouse reasonably central whether you are coming from Upper Darby in the east, Radnor in the north, or the Chester and Brookhaven area to the south. Because divorce, custody, and support each follow a different track, it is common for one family to have more than one case number open at the same time: a divorce docket, a custody docket, and a support docket, all proceeding on their own schedules. Coordinating those tracks so they do not work against each other is a large part of what a family law attorney does.

How Does Divorce Work in Delaware County, PA?

Divorce in Delaware County follows Pennsylvania’s statewide divorce law, filed locally through the Office of Judicial Support at the Media courthouse. Pennsylvania is a no-fault divorce state, which means neither spouse has to prove wrongdoing to end the marriage. Most Delaware County divorces proceed on one of two no-fault grounds: mutual consent, which requires both spouses to sign affidavits after a 90-day waiting period from the date the complaint is served, or irretrievable breakdown after the spouses have lived separate and apart for at least one year.

The bigger question in most divorces is not the ground, it is the money and the children. Pennsylvania divides marital property by equitable distribution, which means a fair division rather than an automatic 50/50 split. The court weighs factors such as the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, and contributions to the marriage, then divides the marital estate accordingly. Marital property generally includes assets acquired during the marriage regardless of whose name is on the title, while property owned before the marriage is often treated as separate, subject to important exceptions.

For Delco families, the marital estate frequently centers on a home, and home values across the county vary widely, from Upper Darby rowhomes to larger properties in Radnor, Newtown Square, and Chadds Ford. Deciding whether to sell, buy out the other spouse, or hold the property has tax and financing consequences that are worth mapping out early. Retirement accounts, pensions (including public pensions common among county and municipal employees), and business interests also require careful valuation. An experienced divorce lawyer helps you see the full financial picture before you agree to anything.

How Is Child Custody Decided in Delco?

Child custody in Delaware County is decided under Pennsylvania’s best-interests standard, using the sixteen custody factors set out in state law at 23 Pa.C.S. § 5328. There is no automatic preference for mothers or fathers. Instead, a Delaware County judge weighs which arrangement best serves the child, considering factors such as each parent’s role in daily caregiving, the child’s need for stability, the ability of each parent to support the child’s relationship with the other, sibling relationships, and any history of abuse.

Pennsylvania law distinguishes between legal custody, the right to make major decisions about education, health care, and religion, and physical custody, where the child actually lives. Many Delaware County families end up with shared legal custody and some form of shared physical custody, but the exact schedule depends on the family. Practical geography matters here: school district boundaries, commuting distance between two Delco homes, and the logistics of getting children to Rose Tree Media, Marple Newtown, Springfield, Haverford, or Upper Darby schools all shape a realistic parenting schedule.

Custody cases in Delaware County typically begin with a required parent education session and often move through a conciliation or mediation step before any full hearing, an approach designed to help parents reach an agreement without a contested trial. When agreement is not possible, the case proceeds before a judge. Whether you are negotiating a parenting plan or preparing for a custody hearing, the goal is the same: a durable schedule that protects your relationship with your children and holds up as their needs change.

Relocation is a particularly sensitive custody issue in a county as compact and commuter-heavy as Delco. Pennsylvania has specific rules that apply when one parent wants to move in a way that significantly affects the other parent’s custodial time, and those rules require notice and, if the other parent objects, court approval before the move. In practice, even a move from one side of the county to the other, say from Upper Darby toward West Chester or across the Philadelphia line, can trigger a dispute if it disrupts the existing schedule or changes the child’s school district. If you are considering a move or your co-parent has announced one, address it early, because acting without following the notice rules can seriously damage your position.

How Is Child Support Calculated in Delaware County?

Child support in Delaware County is calculated using Pennsylvania’s statewide guidelines, which are based on the Income Shares Model under Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-1. The formula combines both parents’ monthly net incomes, matches that figure and the number of children to a statewide support schedule to find a basic support obligation, then divides the obligation between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The guideline amount is presumed correct, so support outcomes are fairly consistent from one Delco family to the next.

What is local is the process. Child and spousal support in Delaware County run through the county’s Domestic Relations Section, located in the Curran Building at the courthouse complex at Second and Orange Streets in Media. After a support complaint is filed, the parties are usually scheduled for a support conference with a conference officer, who reviews income documentation and tries to reach an agreed order. If the parties cannot agree, the matter proceeds to a hearing before a support master or judge. Because the calculation depends on accurate net income, custody time, and add-on expenses like child care and health insurance, coming to that conference with complete and organized financial records makes a real difference.

Support is not permanent once entered. Either parent can ask the court to modify an order after a material and substantial change in circumstances, such as a job loss, a significant income change, or a new custody schedule. If your income or your co-parent’s income has changed, or your parenting time has shifted, it is worth reviewing whether your current Delaware County support order still reflects reality.

What About Alimony and Spousal Support?

Alimony and spousal support in Pennsylvania come in three distinct forms, and Delaware County courts apply all three. Spousal support and alimony pendente lite (APL) are payments made while a divorce is pending, helping a lower-earning spouse maintain stability during the case. Alimony is a payment made after the divorce is finalized. Unlike child support, there is no fixed formula for post-divorce alimony: the court weighs seventeen statutory factors, including the length of the marriage, each spouse’s earning capacity, age and health, and the standard of living established during the marriage.

For long marriages where one spouse stepped back from a career, or for “gray divorces” later in life, alimony is often the central financial issue. The amount and duration are highly fact-specific, which is exactly why they are negotiable, and why having an attorney who can build and defend a realistic budget and earning-capacity analysis is valuable. Spousal support and child support also interact, so they should be calculated together rather than in isolation.

Can I Get a Protection From Abuse Order in Delaware County?

Yes. A person who has been abused by a family or household member, a current or former intimate partner, or a co-parent can petition for a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media. Pennsylvania’s PFA Act allows a judge to grant an emergency temporary order the same day in urgent situations, followed by a full hearing, usually within about ten business days, where both sides present evidence before a final order is entered. A final PFA order can last up to three years and can be extended.

A PFA order can do more than order someone to stay away. It can grant temporary possession of a shared home, establish temporary custody arrangements, and order temporary support, which is why PFA cases so often overlap with divorce and custody. Delaware County also has victim-services resources that work alongside the court process. Whether you are seeking protection or you have been served with a PFA petition you believe is unfounded, both sides have important rights at the hearing, and both benefit from prepared representation, because a final PFA order carries lasting consequences.

How We Help Delaware County Families

Graff & Associates handles the full range of family law matters for Delaware County clients, and we approach each case with the understanding that these are among the hardest moments in a person’s life. Our practice covers:

• Divorce and equitable distribution: contested and uncontested divorce, property division, and complex asset issues including homes, retirement accounts, pensions, and business interests.
• Child custody: legal and physical custody, parenting plans, relocation, and modifications, built around your children’s schools and daily lives in Delco.
• Child support and spousal support: establishing, negotiating, enforcing, and modifying support orders through the Delaware County Domestic Relations Section.
• Alimony: spousal support, APL, and post-divorce alimony, including gray-divorce and long-marriage cases.
• Protection from abuse: representing petitioners seeking safety and respondents defending against a petition.
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, grandparents’ rights, and mediation for families who want to resolve matters without a courtroom fight.

We serve families throughout Delaware County, including Media, Upper Darby, Havertown and Haverford, Springfield, Drexel Hill, Broomall, Newtown Square, Ridley, Radnor, Wayne, Swarthmore, Aston, Brookhaven, Chester, Glen Mills, and Chadds Ford.

Frequently Asked Questions about Family Law in Delaware County

Talk to a Delaware County Family Law Attorney

If you are facing a divorce, a custody dispute, a support issue, or a protection from abuse matter anywhere in Delaware County, the sooner you understand your options, the better your decisions will be. Graff & Associates helps Delco families move through these cases with clear advice, steady representation, and a focus on protecting what matters most: your children, your finances, and your future.

Call today for a free consultation: 215-572-6868 Graff & Associates, LLC 123 Old York Road, Suite 200, Jenkintown, PA 19046 Serving Delaware County and the greater Philadelphia region.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Family law outcomes depend on the specific facts of each case and on current Pennsylvania law and Delaware County court procedures. For advice about your situation, please consult a licensed Pennsylvania family law attorney.

I had a most difficult and a complex case, requiring research and full understanding of the law and the involved personalities. We received a settlement of our case that exceeded our expectations
Don

I had an excellent experience with Graff & Associates Law Firm during my divorce process. From the very beginning, the team to include Leesa, Kate, and attorney Lindsay were professional , compassionate, and highly knowledgeable. They kept me informed every step of the process, answered all of my questions promptly, and truly made a difficult situation much less stressful. Leesa was the first contact/interaction I had with the law firm and the positive interaction is the reason why I chose Graff & Associates.
Denaire

Caren and her staff made a divorce easy !!!! I couldn’t ask for a better lawyer. It was easy, quick and painless. I highly recommend the whole staff. Grateful for her experience and expertise. Caren made a tough situation bearable.
Debbie