Wyomissing Pennsylvania Legal Blog

Your pets are a part of the family. When you get a divorce in Pennsylvania, it may become a struggle to figure out where the pets go. Do you get them or your spouse? Who has the right to a pet? Are pets handled by the courts in the same way as children? When it comes to Pennsylvania law, CBS explains that pets are considered property in a divorce.

This can make things difficult. You probably do not look at your pet as property, like it is a piece of furniture or a car. The idea of dividing the ownership of pets based upon property rules can be upsetting, but that is the way the law sees pets. In fact, the highest court in the state set precedence in a case involving a man trying to get visitation rights for his dog after a divorce. The ruling became known as Barney's law and stated clearly that pets are property. They are not subject to vistation and other custody rights. It also says that whoever has physical custody of the pet gets to keep it, and even custody agreements that may have been included in a divorce agreement are not enforceable.

One of the important aspects of forming a business in Pennsylvania is deciding on the business form you will use. You have options, but the most common for a person forming a business by themselves is a sole proprietorship, as explained by Entrepreneur. This business form is the easiest to create because it requires no legal steps. You are operating the business as the sole owner, so you do not have to worry about partnership agreements. You are not forming a legal entity, such as a corporation, so you do not need to file any special legal documents in forming your business.

As a sole proprietor, you may only need to file forms to set up your business name if you are not using your name as the business name. You also have to handle taxes, licenses and permits, but you can do all this easily because you are the sole owner of the business and can sign all the necessary documents yourself. 

You may have a situation where you or a loved one needs to create a power of attorney in Pennsylvania. In this situation, it is a good idea to understand exactly what this legal document is and what it can do. According to the National Caregivers Library, a power of attorney grants a person the right to make decisions for you. 

Obviously, this is a very powerful document. However, there are restrictions on it. A power of attorney can be limited so only specific rights are granted to someone else. For example, you could limit your power of attorney so a person can only make decisions for you in the area of health care. 

Some Pennsylvania entrepreneurs decide that for their new startup company, forming a limited liability company (LLC) is the way to go. According to an article in Forbes magazine, an LLC is a popular choice because of the limited liability it offers to its owners, as well as a lack of double taxation that is usually found with C corporations. As with other business formations, there are a number of general requirements expected in forming an LLC.

Any LLC needs a name. A few issues exist in choosing the right name. First, whatever the company name is, it must end with “Limited Liability Company” or at least a legally recognized abbreviation, such as “LLC.” The company name cannot contain terms that state law prohibits. For example, the business cannot include the word “incorporated” or “corporation” as an LLC is not a corporation. Any business name should also not infringe on another’s trademark, and must be distinguished from any other LLC that is registered with the state’s secretary of state office.