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Family Law

Pennsylvania Superior Court Grants Equal Custody of Child to Same-Sex Partner

A hotly debated, and often scrutinized, issue in Pennsylvania child custody law is standing in custody awards to third parties when a biological parent is a litigant. Recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court addressed the issue of standing between same-sex partners in the case of C.G. v. J.H., 193 A.3d 891 (Pa. 2018). In that case, a

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Sexual Minorities Are Given Overdue Hearing in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, like much of Southeast Asia, has made slow progress in supporting LGBTQ+ rights when compared with jurisdictions in the Western world. Homosexuality — in terms of private, adult, non-commercial and consensual relations — was decriminalised in 1991 yet there have been no significant legislative changes to support or recognise same-sex relationships since then.

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Prenuptial Agreements: Increasing Global Popularity

A prenuptial agreement can be viewed as a rational choice when newly-weds bring assets into their marriage. Prior to getting married, a prenuptial agreement is a formal agreement which sets out how a couple’s assets will be divided in the event of them divorcing or separating. Whether a “prenup” is enforceable varies by country and

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Applicable U.S. Federal Rates For January 2017

The United States Internal Revenue Code prescribes minimum imputed interest rates and time-value-of-money factors applicable to certain loan transactions and estate planning techniques. These rates are tied formulaically to market interest rates. The Internal Revenue Service updates these rates monthly and the full list can be found at the IRS webpage “Determination of Issue Price in the

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Family Assets: How To Assure Fair Use For All Members

The holiday season is a good time to reflect upon shared family time. Families with shared assets – such as vacation homes passed down from parents – may suffer friction or confusion in the use of the asset in the absence of clear mandates as to how the asset is to be shared. For instance,

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Child Abduction: “Habitual Residence” Under The Hague Convention

When a child is removed from or retained in a country that is not a child’s habitual residence a parent can seek to have the child returned to their habitual residence country under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. However, not every country recognizes the Hague Convention and thus determining

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Do You Know How The Law Will Treat Your Estate After Death?

Dying without a will is called dying “intestate.” Where this occurs, the local, regional, or federal law (not you or your family) determines who is entitled to your assets, based on your survivors’ relationship to you.These are known as the intestacy laws, and they vary greatly from one country to the next, and even from

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Estate Planning: Avoid The Seven Common Mistakes

Estate planning falls to the wayside for many people – in fact, studies show 64% of Americans do not have a basic will. However, if you fail to make provisions for your assets and belongings, you cannot be sure that those you leave behind will know how you wished to distribute them. Many common mistakes

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Same-Sex Marriages – The US Joins a Growing List of Countries : What Are The Employee Benefit Ramifications?

In June, the United States Supreme Court decided the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges. The decision requires all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages validly performed in other jurisdictions. This legalized same-sex marriage throughout the United States, its possessions and territories. About two dozen other countries around the

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