Caracappa Cook Scott & Ramagli PC

04/28/2025

https://www.ccsrlaw.com/grandparent-custody-rights-in-pennsylvania/

Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli is dedicated to providing quality legal services in Bucks County, PA. The law firm is based in Newtown Pennsylvania and serves the Philadelphia region.

04/15/2025

Understanding Bucks County Custody Procedure

In Pennsylvania, each county has its own unique procedures concerning custody matters. While there are often similarities in those procedures, it is important that your attorney understands how a specific county handles these custody matters. In all of Pennsylvania, a new custody matter begins with the filing of a Custody Complaint or Petition for Custody. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to this as the Custody Complaint. Often, the custody matter is open by including a count for custody in a divorce complaint.

Bucks County Custody Procedure

Once a Custody Complaint is filed, the complaint is sent to the Family Masters Office for review and the scheduling of a conference before a Family Master. A conference is generally scheduled within 45 days of the date of the filing of the Custody Complaint. The conference is an informal proceeding in the Family Masters Office, located on level B-1 of the Bucks County Justice Center.

Even though the proceeding is informal, the conference is an important first step which you should spend time preparing for with your attorney. The Family Master will collect information about you, the other parent (or party), and the children involved. The main objective of this conference is to try to reach an agreement, with the help of the Master. The Master has no authority to issue any court order. If you and the other parent/party are unable to reach an agreement, the Masters Office will draft a report and recommendation and schedule a hearing before a judge. The hearing date can be 2 to 3 months from the date of the conference.

Prior to the hearing, you and the other parent have the option of participating in a program unique to Bucks County – Court Conciliation and Evaluation Services (“CCES”). CCES is an affordable custody evaluation completed by qualified, licensed professionals. This process usually takes up to 6 months, depending on the complexity of your custody matter and the cooperation of the parties. You should discuss the CCES process with your attorney in greater detail.

At the custody hearing, a judge will hear evidence, such as witnesses, documents, text messages, videos, etc. You and the other parent/party will each have the opportunity to present evidence to the judge. At the conclusion of the custody hearing, the judge will issue a Custody Order. Under Pennsylvania law, this order, if final, must consider each of the sixteen (16) custody factors.

If you are involved in custody litigation, having an attorney who understands this process and who practices regularly in Bucks County can make all the difference. Please reach out to me if you are considering filing a Custody Complaint or are involved in a custody dispute.

Joseph M. Ramagli, Esq.
Caracappa Cook Scott & Ramagli PC
215-946-4342
[email protected]

02/16/2024

Joseph M. Ramagli is a partner with Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli. Mr. Ramagli concentrates his practice in family law, wills and probate, and real estate law. Mr. Ramagli has a deep-rooted passion for empathetically and effectively assisting families through the most difficult times of their lives. Whether divorce, custody, support, adoption, or a death, families can count on Mr. Ramagli to be a guide and advocate during these trying times. He has represented individuals in family-related matters in Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, as well as in New Jersey. His knowledge of the law and the legal system is a noticeable advantage to his clients.

Believing that everyone deserves superior legal representation, Mr. Ramagli volunteers his time to assist both victims and those accused in Protection from Abuse matters. He also serves as conflict counsel in Bucks County dependency court, representing parents in Children and Youth matters.

Mr. Ramagli is also a licensed Realtor®. This gives him a unique perspective when dealing with residential real estate disputes. Having represented both buyers and sellers, Mr. Ramagli can quickly identify where problems arose and how they can be rectified in the quickest, most efficient, and cost-effective manner.

Mr. Ramagli is a council member with the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section, an organization dedicated to making family law policy that works better for families in the Commonwealth.

Mr. Ramagli earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law. Born and raised in Bucks County, Mr. Ramagli is proud to continue residing in the county with his wife and children.

02/13/2024

William E. Scott has been a Bucks County resident for over forty (40) years and is a proud Bishop Egan graduate. He is a graduate of Villanova University, cm laude, 1986, Bachelor of Science in Economics, and Villanova University School of Law, 1989. Mr. Scott has worked for the firm of Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli and its predecessors for his entire professional life and became a partner in the firm in 1999. He is a member of the Bucks County Bar Association and a past member of the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.

11/21/2023

Our new website is now live!

Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli is dedicated to providing quality legal services for a fair and reasonable fee. To that end, Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli aspires to the highest ideals of professional excellence in responding to its clients’ needs with efficiency, diligence, and economy. Of co...

11/21/2023

Introducing Our Attorneys: Joseph P. Caracappa

Joseph Caracappa has been an attorney with the law firm of Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli PC since 1978, and currently serves as its Managing Partner. Mr. Caracappa earned his J.D. degree from Duquesne University School of Law, and his B.A. from Penn State University. He clerked for Ruggero J. Aldisert, now Sr. Judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and Louis Manderino, Associate Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, before joining the Firm where he continues to practice to this day. Mr. Caracappa represents individuals and corporate entities in a variety of business transactions, and litigation related thereto. Mr. Caracappa also represents individuals and fiduciaries in matters of estate administration and practice. He is a member of the Orphans’ Court section of the Bucks County Bar Association, and advises and represents clients in a wide range of Orphans’ Court matters including will contests, guardianships and accounting for both fiduciaries and agents under powers of attorney.

Mr. Caracappa is a former adjunct faculty member of Bucks County Community College, where he taught real estate and property law for 10 years. He has served as Solicitor to the Yardley Borough Zoning Hearing Board for over 35 years. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of PA and the U.S. Tax Court.

Mr. Caracappa was born and raised in Lower Bucks County, and is a graduate of Neshaminy High School. He has lived in Newtown, PA for 39 years. His community involvement includes being a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County; Adult Volunteer with Woods Services in Langhorne, PA for 15 years; serving as a Director and Past President of both the Lower Bucks Family YMCA and Bethanna, which provides foster care and related social services to at-risk children and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties; and a long-time Director of both ChoiceOne Pregnancy + Sexual Health Resource Centers and World Team, a global mission agency dedicated to church planting and global missions among unreached people groups.

11/21/2023

Welcome to CCS&R!

Formerly Jackson, Cook, Caracappa & Scott, Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli is dedicated to providing quality legal services for a fair and reasonable fee. To that end, Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli aspires to the highest ideals of professional excellence in responding to its clients’ needs with efficiency, diligence, and economy. Of course, throughout the firm’s representation of its clients, Caracappa, Cook, Scott & Ramagli consistently conforms to the strictest ethical standards, while at all times protecting and preserving the confidence of its clients.

10/19/2023

Celebrating our Fightin' Phils at CCSR today! Let's go Phillies!