INDUSTRY INSIGHT
FAMILY LAW
SPONSORED CONTENT
3 REASONS
TO SETTLE
CUSTODY OUT
OF COURT
Cook & Associates
Experience, Honesty and Results
Divorce | Custody | Support
Alimony | Division of Assets/ Debts
Cook & Associates
106 Arcadia Court
9380 McKnight Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(across McKnight from the Outback)
(412) 366-8980
Amanda C. Cook
www.pittlawyers.com
1. It’s expensive and time consuming! The court process for
custody is costly and it can take a long time. Unless parents
can work out an agreement along the way, they can expect
an education session, a mediation session, a conciliation or
two with court personnel, a conciliation or two with a judge,
trial preparation and then trial. There is also a potential for
costly psychological evaluations, home studies and much
more. For each of these steps, both parties will have to take
time away from work and their families. It is advisable to
have legal counsel for most of these steps. And, as you can
imagine, the legal costs will mount.
2. It is damaging to families and ongoing relationships! Face
it, no matter how you feel about your estranged spouse,
you are not getting rid of him or her. With shared children,
you can be assured that you will have to have a workable
relationship with him or her for many years to come. The
court process often results in much of the parent’s (and
children’s) dirty laundry being dragged out. Tensions and
mistrust rise. That is no way to start your co‑parenting
relationship.
3. No one will like the outcome! Though our judges are very
capable, a judge just doesn’t know your family, doesn’t fully
understand your schedules or the specifics of your lives.
How can he or she make decisions about your day‑to‑day
life better than the two of you? Invariably, nobody likes
the outcome when it is left to the hands of a judge. Two
parents (and their attorneys) are in a much better position
to sit down and work out a schedule that best fits the family
dynamics.
This Industry Insight was written by attorney Amanda C. Cook. Ms. Cook is a Senior Associate at Cook & Associates located in McCandless Township. For over a decade, she has
provided her clients with compassionate representation during the often‑difficult divorce, support and custody processes. Ms. Cook is also a certified mediator. Other areas of
practice for Cook & Associates include estate planning and probate, real estate law and business law. For a free initial consultation, please call Ms. Cook today at 412.366.8980 or
visit the website at www.pittlawyers.com.
ROSS TOWNSHIP
❘
FALL 2018
11