Overview
An Hour That Produces an Answer
Most legal consultations serve as an introduction; this one does the work. You bring the complaint, the custody order, the draft Marital Settlement Agreement, the support figures from one of the free tools, or the question no one has answered, and the hour is spent on it. By the end the figure is calculated, the document is reviewed, the filing is understood, and there is a plan for the next step. Questions are answered and often reframed, because most people have never been through this and do not yet know what they should be asking.
The advice is specific to Allegheny County and drawn from years of practice before the judges and hearing officers of its Family Division. Attorney Levine takes the session himself.
What a Session Covers
Shaped Around Your Questions
No two consultations raise the same questions. Some people already know they want a divorce and want the next steps. A spouse with substantial income often wants to know the financial exposure. Many of our clients want specific information delivered without emotion, with the black and white laid out and the gray explained, and they make businesslike decisions that rest on the numbers. Others arrive frightened about the future. A session may cover one issue or several, whether it is dividing the marital estate, support, alimony, the house, custody, or a settlement agreement already drafted. The answers come from doing this work every day: concise answers to situations we have seen many times, and careful review of the ones we have not.
Who Requests a Session
Five Situations the Hour Is Built For
You have been served. A divorce complaint, a custody petition, a support filing, or a temporary PFA has arrived, and the deadline is running. The session reads the filing with you, explains what it asks for and what the court will do next, and sets out how to respond and when.
You have a draft agreement in hand. An MSA, a custody stipulation, or a support proposal is waiting for your signature. The session reviews it term by term against what an Allegheny County court would likely order, so you know what you are giving up and what to ask for before you sign. See MSA Review Before Signing.
You have a number and do not trust it. The child support calculator, the APL estimator, or the equitable distribution worksheet gave you a figure. The session runs it with your real income and the deviation factors a calculator cannot weigh, and tells you whether it holds.
You already have a lawyer. A second opinion before a settlement conference, a hearing, or a signature is a common use of the hour. You keep your counsel. The session gives you an independent read on the strategy and the terms.
You are deciding whether to begin. Whether the choice is separation, filing, or waiting, the session shows what each would mean for the marital estate, support, and custody, with real figures, before anything is set in motion.
“I was truly impressed about how thorough and concise Attorney Levine was during the consultation. He is the one-stop shop for all your divorce matters. The highlight of my experience with him was how he took the time to fully understand my story in order to provide tailored and creative strategies for my case. Attorney Levine comes with my strongest recommendations.”
Shelby, Family Law Client
How It Works
Requested Through the Form, Confirmed With a Time
Send the request through the contact page. When we can take on your matter, Attorney Levine replies with a time the same day. If you have not heard back by the end of the next business day, please consult other counsel. You confirm, pay through LawPay once the time is set, and the session is held by phone. Send the documents the question turns on with the request so they are on hand.
A conflict check is run before the session. If it prevents the session, nothing is owed. Sessions are not booked on a calendar, and there is no intake call in between.
The Fee
The Hour and the Half Hour
The full hour covers document review, a served filing, a complete support or property calculation, or a second opinion on a settlement. The half hour covers a single figure or a single question with the documents already in hand. Both are paid in advance through LawPay once the time is set, and current fees appear on Begin the Conversation. The fee is for the session; it does not retain the firm, and whether we go further is decided afterward, by both of us.
The first brief call is free and confirms that your matter belongs in this practice. Questions that call for advice are answered in the session.
"Scott did not make unrealistic promises or tell me what he thought I wanted to hear. He gave me direct, honest advice based on his experience and stayed focused on the issues that actually mattered."
Paul, PFA Client
What You Leave With
The Analysis, Done
You leave with the figure calculated on your income and your facts, the document reviewed with the weak terms marked and the fair ones confirmed, and the filing explained, with the response and the deadline set out. There is also a plan: what to do this week, what to expect from the court or the other side, and what it would cost to have the firm do it. Where the right answer is to handle it yourself, or to stay with the lawyer you have, the session says so.
“Scott handled my situation with empathy and expertise. He gave me clear options and their likely outcomes with each situation that came up.”
S., PFA Client
Why It Is Paid
Why the Session Is Paid
The session is paid because it is legal advice. Its guidance rests on years before the same Family Division judges and hearing officers who will hear your case, and on the many matters like yours that came before them. Once Attorney Levine has heard your side in that depth, the firm cannot represent the other party, and your matter receives his complete attention and analysis.
We have always given advice freely, and this site remains open to anyone who needs it. Demand for the firm’s time has grown well beyond what free calls can absorb, and our first obligation is to the clients we already represent. Most callers now ask how to retain the firm, and the Strategy Session is where that begins.
“Scott’s a fighter. 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 divorce court system masterfully. Knows the judges, the procedures, the other lawyers, the moves anyone can make from every angle. He possesses the right mix of empathy and pragmatism that one wants in a lawyer. He’s at core a compassionate person, and he knows where to draw the boundaries around what makes sense versus what the system will permit.”
Mike B., Divorce Client
Frequently Asked Questions
Strategy Session Questions
How much does a consultation with a Pittsburgh divorce lawyer cost?
At this firm, a Strategy Session runs one hour or a half hour, by phone, directly with Attorney Levine. Current fees appear on
Begin the Conversation. The first brief call is free and confirms that your matter belongs in this practice. Fees at other firms vary widely; many offer a free first meeting and charge from the second.
Why is the Strategy Session paid when other firms offer a free consultation?
Because it is legal advice. Attorney Levine reviews your matter and provides advice upon which you can act, drawn from years before the same Family Division judges and hearing officers who will hear your case. Once he has heard your side in that depth, the firm cannot represent the other party. The first brief call is free and confirms that your matter belongs in this practice.
Can I get a second opinion on my divorce settlement?
Yes. Reviewing a proposed Marital Settlement Agreement or a support figure before you sign is one of the most common uses of the session. You keep your current lawyer. Attorney Levine reviews the terms against what an Allegheny County court would likely do and tells you where the draft is fair, where it is not, and what to ask for.
Can an attorney review my child support or APL estimate?
Yes. Bring the figures from the calculator, and the session runs them with your real income: bonuses, self-employment, imputed earning capacity, custody overnights, and the deviation factors a calculator cannot weigh. You leave knowing whether the number holds and what would move it.
Do I have to hire the firm afterward?
No. The session is complete in itself, and paying for it does not retain the firm. Whether to go further is decided afterward, by both of us. Many people use the hour to prepare for a matter they handle themselves or with counsel they already have.
Is the conversation confidential?
Yes. What you tell Attorney Levine in a consultation is confidential whether or not you retain the firm. A conflict check is run before the session so that the conversation can be a full one.
Can my spouse join the session?
No. The firm advises one spouse only. If you and your spouse want a neutral, the firm also offers divorce mediation, which is a different service.
I live outside Allegheny County. Can I book a session?
Yes, for document review, a second opinion, or analysis of a Pennsylvania matter. Court representation is limited to Allegheny County.
How soon can I get a session?
When we can take on your matter, Attorney Levine replies with a time the same day. If you have not heard back by the end of the next business day, please consult other counsel. Time-sensitive matters, including active PFAs, go to the front of the line.
What should I send before the session?
Whatever the question turns on: the complaint or petition, the order, the draft agreement, the support figures, or a short list of your questions. Send it with the request so it is on hand. Everything is reviewed with you during the hour.
I already know I want a divorce. What are the next steps?
The path depends on how much you and your spouse already agree. At its simplest, we draft a settlement agreement that resolves everything and file the divorce complaint. The case can end soon after the 90-day waiting period that follows service. More involved cases require an inventory and appraisement and marital asset and liability summaries before anything resolves.
What is my financial exposure in a divorce?
Exposure has two parts: what the other spouse may receive from the marital estate, and what you may pay in support or alimony. We work through both with the numbers in front of us, so you see the range before the other side does.
Who keeps the house?
The marital home is often the largest asset and the hardest decision. One spouse may keep it by buying out the other, or the home may be sold. While the case is pending, a court can also grant one spouse exclusive possession.
Do I have to leave the house? Should I?
You are rarely required to leave without a court order. Moving out while custody and divorce are pending carries implications we review with you before you go.
Is Pennsylvania a 50-50 state?
Pennsylvania divides marital property equitably, which can mean an equal split but often does not. Custody follows the best interests of the child, and the law sets no presumed even schedule.
How much support will be paid or received?
Spousal support and APL follow the Pennsylvania guidelines, which start from both parties’ incomes. The questions that move the number are what counts as income and how much of it there is, and those take experience to answer. Our free
Spousal Support & APL Estimator gives a starting figure.
Will there be alimony? How is it determined?
Alimony is a secondary remedy that requires its own analysis. It comes after the divorce and stands apart from support, and a court weighs statutory factors such as the length of the marriage and each spouse’s earning capacity. Many cases settle the question in the agreement.
What happens to medical insurance?
A spouse cannot keep a former spouse on employer health coverage after the divorce, though other options are available. Health insurance belongs in the plan from the start, and we address it in support and in the settlement agreement.
I was handed a settlement agreement. Should I sign it?
Have it reviewed before you sign. A signed agreement is very hard to undo, and a single session often catches the terms that cost the most later. See
MSA Review Before Signing.
Can my divorce be mediated or resolved amicably?
Amicable resolution suits many of our cases. Mediation does not fit contentious matters or marriages marked by an imbalance of power, and we do not mediate cases involving claims of abuse. Those cases can still be negotiated effectively, since once the cards are on the table there is often little left in dispute. The firm avoids a different kind of case, where one spouse thrives on conflict and contests every issue regardless of the facts or the advice that spouse receives. Our preference is to help families move on without needless animosity, while recognizing that family law is at times inherently adversarial.
Custody: consent order or litigation?
Many of our clients resolve custody by consent order, which a court enforces like any other order, and settle some or all of the equitable distribution claims as well. Litigated custody costs more and leaves the decision to a judge.
What will my divorce cost?
Everyone asks, and we give our best estimate once we hear the facts of your matter, without evasion. Cost depends on the cooperation of the other spouse and that spouse’s attorney, and on how much resolves outside court and how much requires the court. Some cases call for experts to review the whole picture without litigation, while others go to litigation and need no experts at all.
How much can one session cover?
It is hard to put the session in a box, because it can be shaped around whatever you need. An hour can move quickly through several issues, or slow down and go deep on one or two that carry nuance or special circumstances. For a more modest marital estate, a single session may resolve the issues outright. More complex matters skew the session toward groundwork: sorting which assets are marital, nonmarital, or premarital with a marital component, and deciding which experts to engage and when to schedule appraisals. Those experts may include specialists who value executive compensation, restricted stock units, pensions, retirement assets, and businesses, as well as forensic accountants. No single hour can digest the division of an entire marital estate, so the figures are worked out afterward or in a later session, along with any settlement agreement or inventory. Arriving well prepared, with as much information as possible, makes the consultation more detailed. Some people want general advice, while others come ready to move forward at once. Either way, the session exists to help you learn your rights and the law, and to understand how your matter will unfold in Allegheny County before the hearing officers and judges who will decide it. You should leave with real value and a strategy for the next steps.
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