Laura E. McGarry

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With the headlines coming out of the United States Supreme Court, I thought this would be a good time to write about the different courts that make up the American judicial system and how they work together. Let this be the start of a new blog series I’m calling Capturing the Courts, where I will discuss the different levels of state and federal courts and how cases work through each of the various court systems.

For this post, I will delve into the US Supreme Court (“the Court”) but will follow this up with a general overview of how the state and federal courts work together before digging into each specifically.

What is the US Supreme Court?

The United States Supreme Court was established by Article III of the United States Constitution to act as the highest court in the United States.
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Continue Reading Capturing the Courts: The US Supreme Court

One year ago today, on March 18, 2020, Aaron Marines wrote a blog article entitled How Does Coronavirus Affect Your Contracts? When that article was published, we were at the beginning of a government-mandated shutdown that was supposed to last for two weeks, just long enough to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 cases.

Now, one year later, with shut down orders still partially in effect and the phrase “flatten the curve” a distant memory, I decided to look back at what has happened on the Lancaster Law Blog. What I saw was a variety of articles about all of the things we here at Russell, Krafft & Gruber have done to stay up-to-date on the fast-paced changes to help our clients through this difficult time.

Virtual Offices

After the initial shutdown orders took effect, we quickly pivoted to working remotely through Russell, Krafft & Gruber’s virtual office to avoid any lapses in service for our clients. I was pleasantly surprised when I spoke with a client recently who was shocked to learn that most of our conversations over the past year took place with me at my dining room table.
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Continue Reading COVID-19 and the Law: One Year Later

Child support is an area of the law where the outcome is a moving target. Throughout the course of a child’s minority, the amount of child support at issue can regularly change based on the parents’ financial positions and other circumstances, such as the custody schedule.

We regularly meet not only with clients who are filing for child support for the first time, but also with those who wish to modify the amount of child support they are receiving or paying due to a change of circumstances. In both situations, you will be discussing similar information.

But what information should you prepare prior to meeting with an attorney to make the most out of your child support initial consultation?
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Continue Reading How to Make the Most Out of Your Child Support Initial Consultation

For many parents, taking the first step to meet with an attorney to discuss custody of your children can be a scary and lonely process, especially if you have never worked with an attorney before. This article will provide information about what to expect during a custody initial consultation and how to make the most of that time.

At Russell, Krafft & Gruber, we view the initial consultation as the first substantive opportunity to meet with a client to gather as much information as possible and prepare a game plan for what will happen next. In custody cases, that involves discussing details about you, your children, the opposing party, and your goals concerning the custody of your children.

Information to Bring

The following is a list of information you should have prepared before you meet with your attorney for an initial consultation:…

Continue Reading Child Custody Initial Consultations: How to Make the Most of Your First Meeting with Your Lawyer

They are calling it “the flush heard around the world.” I am calling it the “flush heard by the small minority of people who listen to live Supreme Court Oral Arguments.” Whatever it ends up being called, one thing is for sure: during a telephonic oral argument, a United States Supreme Court Justice flushed the…

Now that the shock of business and court closures has started to wear off, we are beginning to ask ourselves, “Now what?” Fortunately, the Lancaster County Court is taking that question very seriously. It has started processing legal matters and holding hearings, particularly domestic relations or family law matters, via video conferencing.

The Lancaster County…