Pennsylvania Family Law: A Legal Research GuideFishman, JoelItem #: 1007517 ISBN: 9780837743431 Pages: 132 Published: Getzville; William S. Hein & Co., Inc.; 2025. Series: LEGAL RESEARCH GUIDES Subjects: STATE LAW The adoption of the Pennsylvania Divorce Code on April 2, 1980, P.L. 63, Act 1980-26 replaced the Divorce Laws of 1785 and 1929. The new act created two major features not found in the earlier acts: no-fault divorce and equitable distribution of property. Following the passage of the act, the trial courts throughout the state began to issue opinions on appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts to develop case law that has been ongoing for the past forty-plus years. The appellate opinions published in the Atlantic Reporter 2d and 3d series provides the case law on Pennsylvania family law.
Secondary sources quickly developed under this new law. Law reviews, bar journals, and legal newspapers began to publish articles on the law, summaries of cases, etc. The Family Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association began in 1980 its Pennsylvania Family Lawyer as a quarterly journal to keep its members current on new developments in the law. Continuing Legal Education publications keep the bench and bar current on new developments in the law. Since the 1960s, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute has published CLE titles that number over 11,000 today, including several hundred dealing with family-law topics that have been listed in this bibliography.
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