Law Offices of Scott L. Levine Contact Us 412.303.9566

About

About Scott Levine Why Clients Choose Us Recognitions & Awards

Divorce

Divorce Overview Uncontested Divorce Uncontested (No Children) High-Asset Divorce Process Guide Cost Guide Allegheny County Procedures Separation Date of Separation Prenuptial Agreements Same-Sex Divorce International Divorce Divorce & Immigration

Property & Settlement

Equitable Distribution Marital Settlement Retirement Accounts Dividing a Business Protecting Assets Must I Leave the Home? What Affects Outcomes What Happens to Debt Bankruptcy & Divorce

Custody

Custody Overview Emergency Custody Modification Relocation Grandparent Rights Paternity Custody Conciliation PA Custody Laws 2026 Allegheny County Procedures Generations Program Kayden’s Law

Support & PFA

Spousal Support / Alimony Child Support Support Calculator Complex / High-Income Modification Enforcement Is Alimony Taxable? How Long Alimony Lasts PFA Defense For Plaintiffs Hearing Process Temporary Orders Leaving Abuse

Resources

Free Child Support Estimator Family Law FAQ Family Law Blog PA Custody Laws 2026 Pittsburgh Divorce Process Guide Pittsburgh Divorce Cost Guide Divorce Mediation Collaborative Law For Pittsburgh Professionals Bakery Square / East End Information Center
18+ Years · Exclusively Allegheny County

Pittsburgh Divorce
& Family Law Attorney

Strategic guidance. Practical outcomes. Steady counsel.


How can we help?

Representing clients across Allegheny County family law — built on the preparation that makes outcomes predictable.

Contact Us

Free phone consultation · 412.303.9566

When you call, an attorney with 18+ years of family law practice exclusively in Allegheny County answers.

Practice Scope
18+ Years

Exclusively in Allegheny County family law

80+ Five-Star Reviews

From clients across two decades of practice

300+ Questions Answered

Public legal Q&A on Avvo

100+ Recognitions

Independent peer and directory recognitions over two decades

A Strategic Approach

We begin at the end.

Every case begins with the likely outcome if the matter went to trial. Then we build a plan backward — focused on what matters most, what resolves efficiently, and what is worth contesting.

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What Clients Say

A knowledgeable, down-to-earth guy who'll fight his damnedest to advocate for you in the courtroom. Knows the lay of the land of Pittsburgh's byzantine divorce court system masterfully.

— Mike, divorce client
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Rooted in Pittsburgh

Local insight. Local rules. Local strategy.

Family law is decided at the county level — by the judges, hearing officers, and conciliators who hear these cases every day, under procedural rules that vary courthouse to courthouse. Eighteen-plus years of practice in the Allegheny County Family Division translates to working knowledge of the procedural detail, the regional conventions, and the specific judicial register that shape outcomes in the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania.

A Measured Approach

Clarity in the
face of conflict.

Every decision is guided by strategy, experience, and an unwavering focus on what matters most.

The Approach

Financial divorce issues
require judgment, not reflexes.

Divorce is rarely just a legal event. It can involve business interests, real estate, retirement and equity compensation, executive incentive plans, support exposure, and long-term financial consequences that play out for years.

Our work is practical and deliberate: understand the likely outcome, prepare the financial picture, evaluate the statutory factors, and help clients decide what is worth pursuing — financially, emotionally, and strategically.

The goal is not conflict for its own sake. The goal is a reasonable, informed path forward.

Practice Areas

Focused. By Design.

A boutique practice focused exclusively on adult family law in Allegheny County, with a deliberate emphasis on the financial dimensions of divorce. Full attention to each matter, from the first call through decree.

Divorce

Strategic guidance from filing through decree, built from the outcome backward and focused on what matters most to your specific situation.

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Equitable Distribution

Division of marital property — real estate, retirement accounts, businesses, executive compensation — handled with precision and care for every component.

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Marital Settlement Agreements

Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating MSAs that hold up — from straightforward consented divorces to complex agreements involving business interests and long-term financial planning.

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Spousal Support & Alimony

Support calculations, APL, and alimony analysis grounded in both Pennsylvania guidelines and the realities of Allegheny County practice.

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High-Asset Divorce

Complex matters involving closely held businesses, professional practices, retirement and equity compensation, and significant real estate portfolios.

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Child Custody

Protecting the relationship between parent and child, with a long view of what matters most — particularly where custody is part of an integrated divorce strategy.

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Child Support

From conference-level matters to complex income cases — calculating, modifying, and enforcing support with accuracy.

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Protection from Abuse

Representation on both sides of PFA matters — defending against petitions and representing plaintiffs seeking immediate protection, often filed alongside a divorce. Both with the urgency these cases demand.

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The First Conversation

Straight talk
from the first call.

The first call is free. Attorney Levine answers personally. Honest assessment of where you stand, what your situation actually involves, and whether the firm is the right fit. Most callers leave the conversation knowing exactly what comes next — no pressure to retain, ever.

A Better Experience

Methodical. Direct. Prepared.

Clear guidance, plain-English communication, and a strategy that keeps the larger picture in focus — from intake through resolution.

What Clients Say

Client Reviews.

Specific, detailed accounts from clients who have worked with Attorney Levine — posted publicly, accumulated over nearly two decades.

★★★★★
"Scott will not always tell you what you want to hear, but rather, what you need to hear. I found this quality the most admirable."
— Joseph, custody client
★★★★★
"He does not play games. If you want a serious lawyer to handle your case with dignity, and no legal shenanigans, look no further."
— B., divorce client
★★★★★
"He instilled confidence in me when I had none, and took over complete control of the case. I received my children back in less than a month."
— Mark, PFA client
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100+ Independent Recognitions

Recognized by Peers, Clients & the Legal Community.

18+ years exclusively in Allegheny County family law. Licensed since 2005. View the full record →

AVVO 10.0 Rating Superb PITTSBURGH ★★★ AVVO Clients Choice 12 Years PITTSBURGH ★★★ THREE BEST RATED Top 3 Family Law 2021–2026 PITTSBURGH ★★★
What the Work Requires

Knowledge. Preparation.
Trial readiness.

Knowledge

Eighteen years exclusively in family law builds working command of the statute, the case law, the local rules, and the specific way Allegheny County applies them. Clients arrive with questions; the right answer is usually shorter and more specific than they expect.

Experience

Motions, conferences, hearings, conciliations, trials, and appeals — the full range of Allegheny County family law procedure, handled personally by the attorney who answered your call.

Preparation

Outcomes in family law matters are shaped before either side files a motion. Financial discovery prepared with the rigor of a hearing, asset valuations defensible under cross-examination, and statutory factors mapped to the specific record — this is the work that makes settlement reliable when settlement is the right outcome, and makes trial defensible when it is not.

Trial Readiness

Twenty-one years of total practice, eighteen-plus exclusively in the Allegheny County Family Division. The reason most matters resolve before trial is rarely that settlement was the goal. It is that opposing counsel calculates the cost and outcome of going to trial against a fully prepared adversary, and advises their client accordingly.

Communication

Direct attorney access from the first call. No intake screen, no rotating associates. Clients are kept current as the matter develops — what has happened, what is happening next, and what the options are at each decision point.

Integrity

Clients and opposing parties are treated with courtesy and respect. The work is cost-conscious and proactive — mindful of the emotions involved, focused on resolving cases through preparation rather than escalation.

Why Scott Started His Own Firm
Many years ago, when I started my own firm, I sought not the perceived prestige, but doing right by the people sitting across from me at my conference table. As time has passed my passion for service and helping others has only grown. I liken it to all the enthusiasm of a new lawyer tempered with the deeply tested, hardened experience that’s only gained from the tests of time. I don’t take a lot of clients, but the ones I do accept get impeccable, unmatched attention, commitment and service. The results and reviews speak for themselves.
Scott L. Levine, Esquire
Law Offices of Scott L. Levine, LLC
The Practice Philosophy

Why Clients Choose Scott Levine

Knowledge Erases Fear

Most clients arrive scared and confused. That is normal — you are facing the legal system, often for the first time, while also facing a major life transition. The job is to alleviate fear and confusion by answering your questions honestly and explaining what comes next. You are expected to ask questions; otherwise, the assumption is that you understand what has been said.

The goal is for you to walk into every conference, hearing, conciliation, or trial knowing what is going to happen, what is being asked of you, and what the realistic range of outcomes looks like. Knowing what is coming is not optional — it is the foundation of being able to participate meaningfully in your own case.

The Clients Who Work Best With This Office

The ideal client for the firm is not defined by income or asset level alone. It is defined by disposition. Clients who do best here tend to share certain characteristics:

  • They want to understand their case — not just be told what to do
  • They can transmit documents, respond to emails, and engage in the process actively
  • They are clear-headed about what they want and why
  • They are prepared to hear honest assessments, including unfavorable ones
  • They are not looking for a scorched-earth approach or the most aggressive attorney available
  • They want results — not drama

Clients driven primarily by the desire to punish an ex-spouse, or who need significant hand-holding and emotional support from their attorney, tend to be better served by a different kind of practice.

How Honest Counsel Actually Works

The job is to explain the relevant law and procedures, discuss the available options, listen to your goals, and work with you to devise a strategy for achieving those goals within the parameters of the law.

You will not like everything you hear, and you may not agree with the law as it exists. But the job is to work within the system as it presently exists — not to tell you what you want to hear.

From the Practice

Substantive Writing

Divorce Hearing Officer Conciliation in Allegheny County

The first formal economic proceeding in a contested divorce — and where most cases actually resolve. Preparation determines what is possible at it.

Equitable Distribution Hearing in Allegheny County

When ED does not settle at conciliation, the case proceeds to hearing. What goes into the record before the hearing officer is what the result is built from.

Equitable Distribution: The Eleven Factors and the Marital Estate

The doctrinal framework Pennsylvania courts apply to divide marital property — characterization, valuation, the eleven 23 Pa.C.S. § 3502 factors, and what they actually produce.

Spousal Support, APL, and Alimony in Pennsylvania

Three distinct forms of financial support arise at different stages of a divorce. The differences between spousal support, APL, and alimony shape both negotiation and outcome.

Exclusive Possession of the Marital Home

Neither spouse is automatically required to leave. The decision to move out — or to stay — has financial, evidentiary, and strategic consequences most clients underestimate.

Protecting Assets in a Pennsylvania Divorce

What "protecting assets" actually means: full disclosure with discipline around tracing, valuation, expert team assembly, and the realistic application of the ED factors. Concealment fails. Preparation produces defensible outcomes.

The Date of Separation in Pennsylvania Divorce

Pennsylvania treats the date of separation as the cutoff for the acquisition of marital property — not as a freeze on valuation. The distinction has real consequences.

Divorce Involving Custody in Allegheny County

When children are involved, parenting and financial issues are deeply interconnected. Custody schedules affect support; support affects equitable distribution. Strategy requires both lenses.

PFA Defense in Allegheny County

A Protection from Abuse order has immediate and serious consequences. What a defendant should know between service of the temporary order and the final hearing.

We Handle Family Law Matters Because Your Family Matters.

How can we help?

Whether the case calls for negotiation, financial preparation, or contested representation, the first step is understanding your situation and your options. Complete the intake below or call 412.303.9566 directly — an attorney with 18+ years of family law practice exclusively in Allegheny County answers.

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Our Office

Law Offices of Scott L. Levine, LLC

6425 Living Place, Suite 200
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412.303.9566
Exclusively Allegheny County
By appointment · Phone & video consultations available
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