Can the other party be forced to pay my lawyers fees in Pennsylvania family court proceedings?
In Pennsylvania divorce and equitable distribution cases, Pennsylvania family court judges have the power to order one spouse to pay the other spouse’s attorneys’ fees. The basis for such cost-shifting is a substantial difference in the income or property that each party has available for their use in employing a Pennsylvania divorce lawyer. However, in some cases, the request for attorneys fees can not be made until the case is near completion. In this situation, the spouse must pay their attorneys fees as work is being performed and hope that an award reimbursing those fees will be made at a later date by the judge. In other divorce cases, if there is a lump sum of money or other liquid assets in a marital account, a request can be made to advance some of those assets to the spouse needing assistance with their payment of legal fees. In situations where both spouses have similar incomes or earning capacities or if both spouses receive ample amounts of liquid assets as part of the div
