Philadelphia Bar Association
Lawyer Referral and Information Service
1101 Market Street, 11th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Telephone: (215) 238-6333
Please select an office or department from the list below to view detailed information regarding operational procedures in place while the Family Court Building remains closed to the public:
Until further notice, child support payments made not be made in-person at the Family Court Building. Please use one of the payment options below:
Ways to Pay Your Child Support
n-Court (online) - www.phillychildsupportpay.com
n-Court (telephone) - 1-866-993-6019
- This vendor deals solely with credit card payments and each transaction carries a 3% processing fee. Once payment is made, the court is immediately notified so the individual''s case(s) can be noted and further action taken if necessary.
PA SCDU (mail)
PA SCDU
PO Box 69110
Harrisburg, PA 17106-9110
- Please print the defendant's name and ten (10) digit PACSES member ID.
- DO NOT MAIL CASH
PA SCDU (telephone) - 1-800-955-2305
- This option is credit card based and carries a 2.95% processing fee for each payment under $700. Any payment over $700 is charged a flat fee of $20. This transaction will reflect on our system in 1-2 business days.
Expert Pay www.expertpay.com
- This option links to your bank account. It takes approximately a week to set up and is free of charge. Once your account is ready, you can set up automatic withdraw or complete the transaction on demand. The transaction will reflect on all systems the following day.
Other Options Include:
Litigants seeking assistance with domestic relations matters may contact Family Court Domestic Relations Customer Service representatives at 215-686-7466 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday (except holidays).
Litigants may obtain information about their support cases at www.childsupport.state.pa.us
CORRESPONDENCE to the Customer Service Center should be addressed to:
Family Court Customer Service Center
1501 Arch Street - 8th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-9191
E-mail: PhilaCSC@PACSES.com
Emergency Custody Petitions may be filed as follows:
Emergency filings OTHER THAN CUSTODY EMERGENCY OR PROTECTION FROM ABUSE may be emailed to the following email address: DRClerkEmergency@courts.phila.gov.
Office of the Clerk of Family Court
1501 Arch Street, 11th Floor
Philadelphia PA 19102
ATTENTION: FILING FEES (if payment is included)
IMPORTANT: If, after Court review, the IFP petition is denied, payment of all applicable filing fees must be made via mail within twenty (20) days from notification by the Clerk’s office to the Petitioner that the IFP petition has been denied.
IF THE FILING FEE IS BEING MAILED SEPARATE FROM THE LEGAL FILING, BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE DOCKET NUMBER IN THE MEMO PORTION OF THE MONEY ORDER.
Emergency Temporary Protection from Abuse Hearings and Orders: Emergency PFA relief will be available Monday through Thursday at the Stout Center for Criminal Justice beginning daily at 5:00 P.M. and until 8:00 A.M. the following day, and weekends from Friday at 5:00 P.M. to the following Monday at 8:00 A.M.
Temporary PFA Filings:
Honorable Margaret T. Murphy
Administrative Judge, Family Division
1501 Arch Street - 14th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-9158
Honorable Walter J. Olszewski
Supervising Judge
1501 Arch street - 14thFloor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-4157
Mary Lou Baker
Deputy Court Administrator
Domestic Relations Division
1501 Arch Street - 14th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-8858
Roy C. Chambers, III
Director
1501 Arch Street- 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Joseph P. McGill, Esq.
Director
1501 Arch Street - 14th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-8858
Fred Keller
Director, Case Management
1501 Arch Street - 8th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-9162
Edward V. Lehmann, Jr.
Director, Data Management and Case Processing
1501 Arch Street - 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Fax: (215) 686-4298
Franco Modaferri, Supervisor
Tactical Enforcement Unit
1501 Arch Street - 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-9312
(215) 686-4017 (Bank Account Seizure only)
Fax: (215) 686-7759
E-Mail: philatacticalenf@pacses.com
(IRS, Driver License, Credit Bureau)
fidm@phillychildsupport.com
(Bank Account Seizure ONLY)
The enforcement of support orders is accomplished by various methods under the law including the issuance of wage attachments, employer compliance, Tax Refund Offset Program (TROP) cases, preparation of support contempt petitions, credit bureau reporting, and judgments by operation of law.
Listed below are the actions available to the Tactical Enforcement Unit:
NOTE: Defendants responding to any of the Tactical Enforcement actions listed above should send a letter to:
Tactical Enforcement
1501 Arch Street - 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
*FOR GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING TAX REFUND OFFSET PROGRAM (TROP), CLIENTS ARE DIRECTED TO CALL (215) 686-4024, 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK.
Click Here To download the package of forms to request an administrative review of the submission of your case to TROP. (Adobe PDF Format).
Keturah Williams, Supervisor
1501 Arch Steet - 9th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-8954
The Department of Human Services (formerly The Department of Public Welfare) refers cases in which the plaintiff is receiving public assistance benefits to Family Court. These cases are referred electronically through the statewide child support computer system, PACSES. The automation of these referrals, which were previously accomplished by a "643" paper form and required appearance by the plaintiff, relieves the congestion at the courthouse. The TANF Filing Unit is charged with reviewing and processing these referrals and filing Complaints for Support.
All matters that were given a date certain by notice issued prior to March 16, 2020 for any date from March 17, 2020 through December 31, 2020, are hereby administratively canceled and will be rescheduled. Parties will receive notification of their rescheduled hearing date(s).
Conference Officers under Pa. R.C.P. 1910.12, et seq., conduct pre-trial conferences in support and paternity cases. Until further notice, all establishment and enforcement conferences will be conducted telephonically. Parties and counsel will receive advance notice via US Mail of the date and time of their telephone conference. Several days before their scheduled conference parties will receive a phone call from Family Court staff to confirm their appointment and conduct a brief pre-conference interview to update their demographic information. Parties may submit conference documents to PhilaSupEstab@pacses.com or fax them to 215-686-9188.
If no agreement for support is reached at the conference, the Conference Officer enters an interim support Order based on the Support Guidelines as allowed by Pa. R.C.P. 1910-12 (b)(1), (2).
Child and Spousal support cases have three components: 1) establishment of paternity; 2) determination of the support obligation; and 3) enforcement
Paternity: For children born out of wedlock, establishment of paternity is the first step toward determining the child support obligation. Paternity can be established in one of four ways: 1) voluntary acknowledgement of paternity; 2) genetic testing; 3) default paternity establishment; and 4) in-hospital voluntary paternity establishment.
Obligation: In determining support obligations the amount of support - child support, spousal support, or alimony pendente lite (suspended by the lawsuit or in effect until the outcome of the case is determined) - is awarded pursuant to procedures under the Rules of Civil Procedure and determined in accordance with support guidelines.
Enforcement: Support orders are monitored through the Pennsylvania Automated Child Support Enforcement System (PACSES) for payments. Efforts are taken to encourage compliance as soon as the order is entered. If necessary, progressive enforcement remedies are taken. When accounts become delinquent, payors may be scheduled for Enforcement Conferences, Contempt Conferences, or Judicial Contempt Hearings, depending on the circumstances or the severity of the delinquency. The underlying objective of the enforcement process is to compel payment, and encourage ongoing compliance.
NOTE: Pursuant to Administrative Regulation 94-2 and Federal Mandate, as contained in the Child Support Amendments of 1984, all Orders for income attachment in child or spousal support cases may be administratively increased by 35% of the current support order as payment toward arrears.
Click here for Administrative Regulation #02-02, setting forth the continuance policy of the Domestic Relations Division.
CORRESPONDENCE to the Order Establishment and Enforcement Unit should be addressed to:
Philadelphia Family Court
Order Establishment and Enforcement
1501 Arch Street – 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-9330, 9331
Fax: (215) 686-9198
Supervisors: All OEE staff is located on the 12th Floor 1501 Arch St. Phila. PA 19102
Atiba Askew, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-7268 |
Jennifer Muller, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-9323 |
Stephen Baker, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-8384 |
Tabitha Dorchery, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-9391 |
Michelle Montano, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-7742 |
Andrea Rosengarten, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-9351 |
Kathleen Visco, Supervisor Telephone; (215) 686-7270 |
Teresa Wines, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-3825 |
Marc Fumo, Supervisor Telephone: (215) 686-9345 |
On site genetic tests are not being conducted at this time. Clients previously scheduled for genetic testing will receive information in the mail on how genetic tests will be conducted moving forward.
Michael Pandolfi, Esq., Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - 13th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-8865
Fax: (215) 686-8868
Terri Lynn Sicura, Clerical Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - 13th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-8865
Fax: (215) 686-8868
All matters that were given a date certain by notice issued prior to March 16, 2020 for any date from March 17, 2020 through December 31, 2020, are hereby administratively canceled and will be rescheduled. Parties will receive notification of their rescheduled hearing date(s).
If a support complaint or petition is not resolved at the pre-trial conference, either or both parties may request that it be listed for a hearing before a Support Master. Under certain circumstances a case can also be "remanded" to the Master by a judge after a court hearing on exceptions (see below). Until further notice, all Support Master Hearings will be conducted using advanced communication technology. Upon scheduling, parties and counsel will receive specific instructions on how to virtually participate in their hearing.
All Support Masters are licensed attorneys who conduct record hearings (by audio-recording) at which the parties are sworn in and present to the Master evidence, testimony and documentation to support their positions regarding the support order. At the conclusion of the hearing the Master prepares a "proposed order," which is the Master's recommendation to the court as to what the final order should be.
Issuance of the proposed order starts a twenty day period during which either or both sides may file "exceptions" to the proposed order. Exceptions is a document in which a party specifies the mistakes of law, fact or procedure that the party believes were made by the Master in the report and proposed order and/or during the hearing.
Ordering Notes of Testimony
Please note that an outside vendor prepares the Notes of Testimony from Custody and Support Master hearings conducted in Family Court. The following form MUST be used to order Notes of Testimony from those proceedings.
DURATION OF HEARINGS: NORMAL, SEMI-PROTRACTED, AND PROTRACTED LISTINGS
Depending upon the facts of the case a Support Master hearing may be scheduled for a "normal" listing of forty-five (45) minutes or a "semi-protracted" listing of ninety (90) minutes.
Pursuant to Pa.R.C.P.1910.12 (c)(1), a "protracted" listing longer than ninety minutes may be requested by filing an appropriate motion with the Clerk of the Family Court, 1133 Chestnut Street, First Floor.
PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW TO REQUEST A CONTINUANCE OF A SUPPORT MASTER HEARING
Family Court Administrative Regulation #02-02 sets forth the continuance policy of the Domestic Relations Division and the procedures to request any changes in the time or date of a Support Master hearing.
Paul W. Bennett, Coordinator
1501 Arch Street - 12.39
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-8374
Fax: (215) 686-9145
Dawn Wilkerson, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street, 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone 215 686-4241
Fax 215 686-9145
The Networking for Jobs and Ex-offender Reentry Program promotes responsible parenthood and improves work opportunities for unemployed noncustodial parents who are required to pay child support by helping them find and keep full time employment. The Networking for Jobs and Ex-offender Reentry Program connects unemployed noncustodial parents with private and public job training and placement agencies. These agencies' assistance includes career counselling, job readiness classes, peer support, job placement, on-going contact with career counselors, and additional training.
Employable noncustodial parents are referred to the Networking for Jobs and Ex-offender Reentry Program by the Judiciary, Support Masters, Trial Commissioners, and Conference Officers after support order establishment, modification, or enforcement proceedings where they assert unemployment as a defense. All unemployed noncustodial parents who are referred to the Networking for Jobs and Ex-offender Reentry Program are initially screened and interviewed by the program manager, Paul W. Bennett who is also responsible for outreach to potential job providers. After the screening and interviewing process; Mr. Bennett determines if unemployed noncustodial parents are employable and identifies any potential barriers to employment. A significant portion of Philadelphia's noncustodial parents are indigent, transient, lack education and training, or have summary, misdemeanor and felony criminal histories that have been barriers to employment.
If eligible to participate in a job program, Mr. Bennett determines which job program is best suited to meet the individual needs of the unemployed noncustodial parents and makes the referrals to the selected job training and placement programs. The basic noncustodial parent program eligibility requirements are:
Periodic employment reviews are conducted or scheduled during the pendency of the program to monitor the participation and cooperation of noncustodial parents. The underlying support order establishment, modification, or enforcement proceedings resume after completion of the program.
1501 Arch Street - 15th Floor
Sari Love, Accounting Manager
Telephone: (215) 686-9179
Fax: (215) 686-8950
Access to information regarding payments should be directed to (215) 686-4766 or www.childsupport.state.pa.us
Joseph Steward, Esq., Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - 13th Floor
Philadelphia, Pa 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-9208
Fax: (215) 686-9286
Lisa Dacri, Clerical Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - 13th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-9208
Fax: (215) 686-9286
All matters that were given a date certain by notice issued prior to March 16, 2020 for any date from March 17, 2020 through December 31, 2020, are hereby administratively canceled and will be rescheduled. Parties will receive notification of their rescheduled hearing date(s).
All petitions seeking to establish a custody order or to modify an existing order are referred to the Master's Unit by the Clerk of Family Court and the Intake Unit. Until further notice, all Custody Master Hearings will be conducted using advanced communication technology. Upon scheduling, parties and counsel will receive specific instructions on how to virtually participate in their hearing. Where no final agreement is reached at the conference, the matter will be listed for a full hearing before a Domestic Relations Judge in all matters filed to establish primary custody. Partial custody cases will be scheduled for a record hearing before a Custody Master
Ordering Notes of Testimony
Please note that an outside vendor prepares the Notes of Testimony from Custody and Support Master hearings conducted in Family Court. The following form MUST be used to order Notes of Testimony from those proceedings.
Home Investigations:
Custody Probation Officers conduct Home Investigations (ordered by the Court) upon the Court's own motion or motion of parties or counsel. There is a $200.00 fee for each Home Investigation, unless waived by the Court through the In Forma Pauperis process. (Fees are waived for clients verified to be receiving public assistance). Home Investigations are not conducted until the fee is paid or waived.
Shawn McCormac
1501 Arch Street - 13th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-9287 or 9288
Fax: (215) 686-9286
James Tobin
1501 Arch Street - 13th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-9287 or 9288
Fax: (215) 686-9286
Mental Health Assessments:
Mental Health Assessments (MHA's) in custody cases for one or both parties and for the children may be ordered by the Court upon the Court's own motion or upon motion of the parties or counsel.
Mental health assessments are conducted by Family Court Psychologists at 1501 Arch Street, 13th Floor. For scheduling or further information, contact (215) 686-9208. There is a $200.00 per person fee for all Mental Health Assessments, unless waived by the Court via the In Forma Pauperis process. (There is no fee for the evaluation of children). Mental health assessments will not be conducted unless the fee is paid or waived by the Court.
NOTE: All fees for Home Investigations and Mental Health Assessments are to be paid by certified check or money order, drawn to the order of the "Prothonotary," and are to be paid with the Cashier, located on the 11th Floor at 1501 Arch Street. Personal checks are NOT accepted; attorney checks are accepted.
Custody Stipulations
Until further notice, Custody stipulations may be filed (original and 5 copies, plus however many copies you want/need returned) as follows:
A Praecipe to Transmit Custody Stipulation form referencing the Domestic Relations Number must accompany the stipulation, along with a completed Domestic Relations Information Sheet, and pre-addressed, stamped envelopes for each party and attorney of record..
Each page of the stipulation must be numbered consecutively (e.g., 1 of 3) and each party must date the stipulation when he/she signs it.
The accompanying Order must refer to the date(s) when the stipulation was signed.
Click Here for Administrative Regulation 97-2: setting forth procedures for Custody.
APPROVED PARENTING COORDINATORS FOR PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
DIVORCE
When a case is certified to the Permanent Divorce Master for disposition, the case is randomly assigned to an individual Divorce Master on a rotating basis. Once assigned to an individual Master, the same Master normally continues to handle the case until disposition.
Continuance Requests
Click here for Administrative Regulation #02-02, setting forth the continuance policy in the Domestic Relations Division.
Shawn Hagerty, Manager
1501 Arch Street - Suite 2.65
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-2978
TIP LINE: 215-686-2978
Fax: (215) 686-7580
Philadelphia Field Operations consists of the Bench Warrant Unit, Parent Locator Services Unit, and the Writ Service Unit.
Bench Warrant Unit
Antoinette Herring, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - Suite 2.65A
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-2978
Fax: (215) 686-7580
TIP LINE: 215-686-2977
All inquires about outstanding bench warrants should be directed to 215-686-2977.
Parent Locator Services Unit
Arthur Shipley, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street, suite 15.42
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone number 215-686-4075
The Philadelphia Domestic Relations Branch is required to obtain information concerning the physical whereabouts of the noncustodial parent, or the noncustodial parent's employer(s), other sources of income or assets, as appropriate, which is sufficient and necessary to take the next appropriate action in a child support case. The location of absent parents is vital to the service of original process which is required before the court can move to dispose child support pleadings.
Investigators assigned to the Parent Locator Services Unit are responsible for conducting uniform table top investigations concerning the whereabouts, income, income sources, and assets of noncustodial parents.
Writ Service Unit
Cheryl Zimbarladi, Clerical Supervisor
1501 Arch Street, suite 15.43
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone number 215-686-7480
Fax number 215-686-9181
Service refers to the giving of notice to a party of the contents of documents filed in any case. Service is usually accomplished as provided by rules which may allow service by mail, by personal delivery of a copy of the document to that party or counsel of record.
Writ Servers are required to make personal service of legal notices, subpoenas, and other legal documents upon individuals ordered to attend Philadelphia Family Court proceedings. Writ Servers establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of the communities that they serve. Writ Servers attempt personal service on the individual to be served seven days per week by conducting table top and field investigations which include visiting the homes or places of employment.
William Schenk, Esq., Clerk of Court
Jacqueline Mansfield, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - 11th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-3805
Fax: (215) 686-9308
Joseph Kaminski, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street - 11th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-3805
Fax: (215) 686-9308
All complaints or petitions for support, custody, divorce, or other petitions or motions under the jurisdiction of the Domestic Relations Division of Family Court, including petitions to modify, petitions for contempt, emergency petitions, interstate support petitions, all stipulations, and exceptions to Masters' Proposed Orders, are to be filed and docketed with the docketing clerks located in the Clerk of the Family Court.
Emergency Custody Petitions may be filed as follows:
Emergency filings OTHER THAN CUSTODY EMERGENCY OR PROTECTION FROM ABUSE may be emailed to the following email address: DRClerkEmergency@courts.phila.gov.
Office of the Clerk of Family Court
1501 Arch Street, 11th Floor
Philadelphia PA 19102
ATTENTION: FILING FEES (if payment is included)
IMPORTANT: If, after Court review, the IFP petition is denied, payment of all applicable filing fees must be made via mail within twenty (20) days from notification by the Clerk’s office to the Petitioner that the IFP petition has been denied.
IF THE FILING FEE IS BEING MAILED SEPARATE FROM THE LEGAL FILING, BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE DOCKET NUMBER IN THE MEMO PORTION OF THE MONEY ORDER.
The docketing clerks also accept certified copies of foreign divorce and custody orders for registration in Philadelphia County.
A Claim for custody in a divorce action will be docketed and assigned a Domestic Relations (DR) Case ID number, in addition to a case ID number for the Divorce action.
It is essential that all inquiries to the Clerk of Family Court include clear identification of case names and the Domestic Relations docket numbers.
An original, plus three copies, of all filings AND a pre-addressed, stamped envelope for each opposing counsel and/or unrepresented party, must be included at the time of filing.
Pursuant to Administrative Regulation 93-4, all original filings, including divorce complaints and stipulations, must include the Domestic Relations Information Sheet, with all requested information completed. Case demographics must be provided to enable staff to establish case data on the Domestic Relations automated system.
Pursuant to Administrative Regulation 93-5, all custody stipulations must be filed with the Clerk of the Family Court and must include a Praecipe to Transmit the Custody Stipulation.
Pursuant to Administrative Regulation 92-4, all attorneys must file their entries and withdrawals of appearance on all support or custody cases, including custody cases raised through counts in Divorce, with the docketing clerks.
Only attorneys who have entered their appearances on behalf of a party, or the party to a support, divorce, or custody action, will be permitted to review a record. Clients must have an I. D. (Photo I.D., if possible).
Record reviews may be arranged by contacting (215) 686-3805.
A coin-operated copy machine is available to make copies at the cost of $.25 per page.
NOTE: Confidential reports, such as psychological studies, will not be available for copy without the approval of the Administrative Judge.
Individuals, other than parties and counsel of record, seeking to review Family Court records must submit a Request for Access to Case Records, which is available under the "Public Access Policy" tab on the court's homepage.
A certified copy of a Divorce, Support, or Custody Order may be obtained at the Clerk of the Family Court. The fee for a certified copy of an order is $41.58, payable by credit card, debit card, certified check, or money order, drawn to the order of the Office of Judicial Records (OJR). Personal checks are NOT accepted.
Effective July 1, 1996, all Motions filed in Family Court, Domestic Relations Division, must attach a completed Motion Cover Sheet. This shall apply to Divorce and Domestic Relations Motions. The Clerk of the Family Court will reject for filing any Motion that fails to comply with this notice.
PROTHONOTARY
Clerk of the Family Court
Family Court's Prothonotary functions are performed by the Clerk of the Family Court staff as deputized Prothonotaries, 1501 Arch Street, for purpose of receiving all initial filings in Divorce, Support, and Custody, as well as the receipt of all fees relating thereto. THE FOLLOWING FEE SCHEDULE BECAME EFFECTIVE December 2017:
Certified checks or money orders, made payable to the Office of Judicial Records (OJR), are acceptable, as are attorney checks. Personal checks are NOT accepted.
Click Here for the Prothonotary Fees (Adobe PDF Format).
Intergovernmental Affairs is the single point of contact and gateway for all intrastate, intergovernmental, and international child support case processing matters, as well as, communication with clients, government agencies, Domestic Relations Sections, Central Registries, State and Regional Child Support Enforcement Agencies.
Intergovernmental Affairs functions are organized into three basic areas: filing; case processing; and customer service.
Intergovernmental Affairs Filing Unit
Christopher Grasso, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street, 12th floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Until further notice all Philadelphia Domestic Relations Intergovernmental Affairs Filing Unit intake appointments shall be conducted by telephone.
Before any action can be taken to establish or modify an intrastate, intergovernmental, or international child support order, a Uniform Support Petition which clearly and concisely states the specific relief sought with the requisite accompanying documents must be properly prepared and filed in the county, state, or foreign country with jurisdiction to dispose the Uniform Support Petition.
Self-represented Philadelphia residents who require assistance with the preparation and filing of child support establishment/modification pleadings against parties who reside outside Philadelphia and are not subject to personal or “Long Arm” jurisdiction by Philadelphia may contact the Intergovernmental Affairs Filing Unit to schedule an appointment by email at: philainterstate@pacses.com by fax to: 215-686-9377 or via regular mail addressed to the Intergovernmental Unit, 1501 Arch Street, 9th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Petitioners will need to provide documentation of ALL of the following that apply:
The Intergovernmental Affairs Filing Unit will:
Intergovernmental Affairs Pretrial I, II, and III
Until further notice, all Philadelphia Domestic Relations Intergovernmental Affairs paternity, establishment, modification, and enforcement conferences shall be conducted by telephone.
The Order to Appear shall instruct the litigants to provide the following documents by email, facsimile, or regular mail:
The above required documents must be received by the Hearing Officer whose name is set forth on the conference notice within twenty (20) days of the conference date. The above required documents can be forwarded by email at: philainterstate@pacses.com or facsimile at: 215-686-9377 or regular mail at: 1501 Arch Street, 9th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102 with the case member’s name and the PACSES case number listed on the Order to Appear. The Hearing Officer will place the call on the date and time of the conference. If there is no answer another call will be made. The underlying pleading may be disposed under applicable law if the case members cannot be reached.
The Intergovernmental Affairs Pre Trial Units are supervised by:
Elizabeth Dougherty, Supervisor
Intergovernmental Affairs Pre Trial I Unit
Matthew Carrafiello, Supervisor
Intergovernmental Affairs Pre Trial II Unit
Nicole Kelly, Supervisor
Intergovernmental Affairs Pre Trial III Unit
Intergovernmental Affairs Customer Service Unit
Marie Rich, Supervisor
1501 Arch Street, 9th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
The Intergovernmental Affairs Customer Service Unit is staffed by Legal Clerks who are responsible for performing all forms of specialized front line customer service such as receiving and greeting clients and their attorneys and responding to: unsolicited telephone calls; hard copy mail; electronic mail; faxes; and CSENet inquiries. Legal Clerks are required to exercise initiative and broad discretion concerning the determination of a course of action when addressing routine, general, or case specific concerns conveyed by clients, attorneys, child support enforcement workers, and Central Registries. Legal Clerks provide case status, update case members' personal information, retrieve and forward copies of orders, and prepare payment histories.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mailing address: Intergovernmental Affairs
1501 Arch Street, 9th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Email: philainterstate@pacses.com
Telephone: 215-686-4004, option 2
Fax: 215-686-9377
All matters that were given a date certain by notice issued prior to March 16, 2020 for any date from March 17, 2020 through December 31, 2020, are hereby administratively canceled and will be rescheduled. Parties will receive notification of their rescheduled hearing date(s). This does not apply to cases designated as protracted, which remain as scheduled.
Until further notice, Family Court hearings and court proceedings shall generally be conducted through the use of advanced communications technologies as defined in the General Statewide Judicial Emergency Orders issued by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on April 28, 2020 (Nos. 531 and 532 Judicial Administration Docket).
Please note that these rescheduled proceedings will be conducted through the use of advanced communication technology, including audio and video conferencing. As such, it is imperative that litigants provide the court with their most up to date contact information, specifically email addresses and phone numbers. Litigants may send their updated information to PhilaCSC@pacses.com. Please include DR or PACSES case number on all correspondence. Upon receipt, DR staff will update member information accordingly.
Parties and counsel will continue to receive an order to appear for all hearings and court proceedings. Additionally, several days before the scheduled hearing, parties and counsel will receive an email providing the specific details and meeting links to participate in the virtual hearing.
Family Court reserves the right to require parties and/or counsel and necessary witnesses to participate in person at proceedings held in the Philadelphia Family Courthouse, if necessary.
Joseph P. McGill, Esq. - Director
1501 Arch Street - 14th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215)686-7085
Fax: (215) 686-8858
The Domestic Relations Division supports and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All requests for accommodations are to be forwarded to the above named individual and should include the appropriate documentation when necessary. Every effort will be made to comply with requests for reasonable accommodations. All requests should be forward to Joseph P. McGill, Esq. at the address above as soon as possible in order to facilitate compliance.
Caroline Belger
1501 Arch Street - 14th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: (215) 686-8355
Fax: (215) 686-8858
Requests for hearing impaired and foreign language interpreters, other than for the Spanish language, should be sent to DR Administration c/o Angela Merriweather's attention at the address listed above. All requests must be made at least two weeks prior to the scheduled event to allow sufficient time to secure the services of a translator.
Requests for interpreters for the Spanish language should be directed to Family Court's Spanish Language Interpreter's Office at the address listed below:
1501 Arch Street - 14th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone (215) 686-3513
Fax: (215) 686-7931
DOMESTIC RELATIONS JUDGES
Honorable Margaret T. Murphy
|
Honorable Walter J. Olszewski
|
Honorable Ida K. Chen 1501 Arch Street -Suite 1558 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-4225 |
Honorable Deborah Cianfrani
1501 Arch Street- Suite 1547 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax 215-686-7560 |
Honorable Michael Fanning 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1545 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-7827 |
Honorable Ourania Papademetriou 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1427 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-9172 |
Honorable Holly J. Ford 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1560 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-9545 |
Honorable Mark B. Cohen
1501 Arch Street -Suite 1545 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-7824 |
Honorable Elizabeth Jackson 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1559 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-9298 |
Honorable Viktoria Kristiansson
1501 Arch Street-Suite 1546 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax 215-686-7822 |
Honorable Joel S. Johnson 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1418 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-9160 |
Honorable Diane Thompson 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1430 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-7825 |
Honorable Christopher Mallios 1501 Arch Street - Suite 1417 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-8327 |
Honorable Tiffany Palmer
1501 Arch Street - Suite 1428 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-7823 |
Honorable Daniel Sulman
1501 Arch Street - Suite 1417 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Fax: 215-686-4010 |
ADMINISTRATION 215-686-8858
BENCH WARRANT UNIT 215-(215) 686-7580
CLERK OF COURT 215-686-9308
COURT SUPPORT UNIT 215-686-9161
CUSTODY AND DIVORCE MASTERS UNIT 215-686-9286
CUSTOMER SRVICE AND CALL CENTER 215-686-9191
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT 215-686-7931
ESTABLISHMENT/ENFORCEMENT UNIT 215-686-9198
FINANCIAL SERVICES 215-686-8953
GENETIC TESTING UNIT 215-686-9161
INTAKE UNIT 215-686-9308
INTERGOVERNMENTAL UNIT 215-686-9377
PARENT LOCATOR SERVICE 215-686-9181
SUPPORT MASTERS UNIT 215-686-8868
TACTICAL ENFORCEMENT UNIT 215-686-7758
WAGE ATTACHMENT UNIT 215-686-7289
COMPASS - PA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS)
COMPASS is an online application provided by the PA Department of Human Services that allows individuals, providers, and community based organizations access to screen for, apply for, and renew a broad range of social programs.
The COMPASS website is: www.compass.state.pa.us.
For general Court information, contact (215) 686-7000.