Below is how the firm actually works — in Scott Levine's own words, and in the words of 80+ clients who went through it. The patterns that emerge are specific. They are not slogans.
“A lawyer who works hard is dangerous. A smart lawyer is a serious adversary. A smart lawyer who won’t be outworked — that’s a tough combination to beat. That’s what you get with me.”
Three Things Every Client Gets
Family law matters often arise during difficult and emotionally charged transitions. The firm's approach rests on three things every client receives, regardless of the case.
Honest Guidance
Straightforward advice about your options, risks, and realistic outcomes — based on actual experience with the Allegheny County Family Division. Not what you want to hear; what you need to hear.
Wisdom Through Experience
Twenty-one years of family law — eighteen of them exclusively in Allegheny County — inform the strategy, preparation, and advocacy on every case. The work shows up before any document is filed.
Respect for Families and the Court
Effective representation balances advocacy with professionalism — particularly in cases involving children and long-term family relationships. The case ends; the family continues.
Know when to settle. Know when to fight. The art of practicing family law well is not picking one of those by default. It is recognizing which the case in front of you actually calls for — and being capable of either.
What Clients Can Expect, In Practice
Beyond the philosophical approach, certain operational commitments shape what clients actually experience working with this office:
Respect, Personal Attention, and Responsiveness
Clients are treated with respect and professionalism at all times. By maintaining a calculated caseload, the practice provides each matter with the attention it deserves. Calls and emails receive timely responses — clients are not numbers.
Cost-Conscious Representation
Quality representation at reasonable rates. Hourly rates are competitive and may vary depending on the type of matter and complexity of the issues. Flat-fee options are available for specific court hearings — custody conciliations, support hearings, and final PFA hearings — for clients who need representation at a single proceeding.
Proactive Representation
Forethought and advance planning produce better outcomes than reactive case management. From the first call, the work of building a plan of action begins — anticipating issues before they arise, preparing the client for what to expect, and managing the matter according to the client's stated priorities.
We Keep You Informed
Clients should never be confused about what is going on with their case. Copies of documents sent or received on the client's behalf are forwarded promptly. Developments are communicated as they unfold, and frequent correspondence summarizes case status and updates.
Flexible and Accommodating
Meetings happen in person, by phone, or by video conference depending on what works for the client. Evening and weekend availability for client communication is the norm rather than the exception. Clients are encouraged to reach out whenever a question arises.
Latest Technology
Wireless integration, sophisticated software, and digital file handling enable faster response times. Documents are saved digitally on receipt and forwarded electronically. Online payment, electronic forms, and current support-calculation software shorten the time from intake to action. Clients consistently prefer the convenience of real-time visibility into their case.
What Clients Actually Experience
Most attorney websites lead with the same claims: experienced, aggressive, results-oriented. Those words have been used so many times they say nothing. What the 80+ client reviews of the firm reveal is something more specific — and more useful for someone trying to choose representation during one of the most difficult periods of their life.
"He 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
The Themes That Appear Across 80+ Reviews
Direct Access
Every call is answered personally by Attorney Levine. Clients consistently note his accessibility — by phone, text, and email — including evenings and weekends. "Receiving emails at 3am was not uncommon" describes more than one client's experience.
Honest Assessment
The most common theme across client reviews is honesty. Attorney Levine will tell you what the case actually supports — not what you want to hear. Clients who initially found this difficult consistently report, in retrospect, that it was the most valuable thing he provided.
Deep Local Knowledge
Eighteen years practicing exclusively in Allegheny County family court. Clients and opposing counsel both note Attorney Levine's familiarity with the procedures, the hearing officers, and the practical reality of how cases are decided locally — knowledge not available in any database.
Thorough Preparation
"He lost count of how many times he crunched numbers." "Early morning court work to late night court prep." Clients who faced complex financial disputes consistently describe an attorney who arrived at negotiations fully prepared. That preparation is reflected in the outcomes.
Direct Representation
Every matter is handled personally by Attorney Levine from the first call through final resolution. Clients consistently describe the experience in personal terms: "He treated me like a friend." "He made your cause truly his own." That personal quality is what direct representation looks like in practice.
Managed Expectations
Clients who wanted reassurance and instead received honesty are uniformly grateful after the fact. "He proposed the settlement at the very beginning — we reached exactly that settlement 1.5 years later." Managed expectations at the outset produce better outcomes than false optimism followed by disappointment.
What Makes This Practice Different from High-Volume Firms
Most family law firms in Pittsburgh operate on volume — a steady flow of cases handled by teams of attorneys and paralegals. That model works for the firms. It does not always work for the clients.
The firm is built on a different model: selective intake, direct attorney involvement from start to finish, and honest case assessment before a retainer is ever signed. Scott Levine will tell you in the first call whether your case is a good fit for the firm. If it is not, you will leave the call with a direction — not just a rejection.
"After consulting with several attorneys in the Pittsburgh area, it was clear that Scott Levine stood out. After one consultation I could tell he actually cared." — J., divorce client
Contact UsFlat-Fee Options and Flexible Representation
In addition to full hourly representation, flat-fee options are available for specific court hearings — support conferences and hearings, custody conciliations, and final PFA hearings. Clients who need representation at one specific proceeding can retain experienced counsel for that matter without committing to full-case hourly representation.
After the first call, there are multiple ways to proceed:
- Retain full representation for a divorce, custody, or support matter
- Schedule a paid phone meeting or video consultation for a specific issue
- Get assistance at one specific hearing — support conference, custody conciliation, or PFA hearing
- Take the information from the first call and proceed independently
"Chat for Free Before There's a Fee.™" The first call is free and useful. Not everyone who calls will become a client — and not every caller needs a lawyer. The goal is to leave better informed than when you called.
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.
Plain English, Always
Family law has a lot of unfamiliar terminology. The goal is to explain everything in plain English so that you understand what is happening and why. No question is too basic. You should never feel unprepared heading into any conference, hearing, or conciliation.
Emotions and the Case
Emotions naturally find their way into family law. The job is to separate the emotion from the case so you can proceed in the most cost-effective and productive course of action. Clients are actively encouraged to seek additional emotional support from family, friends, clergy, or trained professionals. This keeps legal costs down and allows you to focus on the legal dimensions when you are working with your attorney. The attorney handles the law. Family and professionals help with everything else.
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.
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."
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. The 10-minute fit call exists to make that determination for both sides — quickly, directly, and honestly.
"He did not try to oversell me or make unrealistic promises like some other lawyers I talked to." — Ray, divorce client
How Cases Are Approached
Before any strategy is built, before any document is filed, the right question is: how does this case likely end? What would an Allegheny County divorce hearing officer decide on the major issues if the matter went to a full hearing?
That picture — built from 18 years of practicing exclusively in this court — becomes the foundation of everything that follows. From there, the work is to reach that outcome as efficiently and soundly as possible.
Some cases resolve through negotiation and a marital settlement agreement. Others require thorough preparation and litigation. The preparation is the same either way. A case that is prepared to litigate effectively will also negotiate more effectively.
The firm handles all types of motions, conferences, hearings, conciliations, and trials in Allegheny County family court — and can handle appeals when needed. Full litigation capability, from the first conference through any appellate review.
This is not a complicated methodology. It is simply one that requires experience to execute — knowing what Allegheny County hearing officers actually decide, on the specific types of issues that arise in the cases handled here.
Why Courthouse Experience Cannot Be Replicated
Pennsylvania statutes are publicly available. Published case law is searchable in seconds. Neither tells you how an Allegheny County hearing officer actually approaches a contested equitable distribution — which arguments tend to move a case forward, and which ones exhaust time and money without shifting the outcome.
That knowledge isn't published anywhere. It comes from 18 years of showing up in this courthouse, handling these cases, for these families, in this system.
Judgment is not a feature that gets updated. It accumulates.
When you call the firm, you are not getting a search result. You are getting me.