By:  Lawrence J. Persick, Esquire A recent decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court allows comfort dogs in the courtroom. The case is Commonwealth v. Purnell, 2021 Pa. Lexis 3610 (Pa. Supreme, Sept. 22, 2021). The case comes from Chester County and involves a 2016 murder. A 13-year-old autistic girl witnessed the shooting and told police that the shooter pointed a gun at her as he fled the scene. Two years later, when she was with another...

By:  Lawrence J. Persick, Esquire Pfizer is saying its COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5-11.  You’re divorced and have two children in that age group; both live primarily with you, but they spend a few nights of the week with their other parent. Like most people, your relationship with your ex has its ups and downs. Things have been going well recently and the children are in good spirits, so you’re reluctant to upset all of that. You...

By: John Zurzola After a 2020 statewide referendum and subsequent changes in the law, New Jersey has decriminalized “regulated marijuana” that is prescribed for medical uses and the use and possession of up to 6 ounces of non-medical marijuana and 17 grams of hashish for people over 21 years of age. In an age where the medical usage of marijuana has been, by and large, accepted as legitimate by most adults, New Jersey continues to be steps...

By: Lawrence J. “Skip” Persick In my most recent blog post, I addressed the issues of termination of child support and child custody when either the child turns 18 or graduates from high school. You can read it here. To recap, child support ends at age 18 or graduation from high school, whichever comes later; child custody jurisdiction ends at age 18. However, there are some exceptions. Relative to child support, the biggest...

By: Lawrence J. “Skip” Persick As the weather starts to get nice, what does that mean? For families with children, it means the end of the school year. Yes, things have been different for over a year, but Memorial Day and June still mean the end of the school year. If you are a parent of a graduating senior, it is the start of a season with big transitions. If you are paying or receiving child support, there are even greater...