Amori & Associates, LLC

Congratulations to Attorney Donald E. Gual, President of the Monroe County Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, who accepted a County Bar Award on behalf of the YLD at the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Conference of County Bar Leaders on February 28, 2020 for the YLD's Legal Information Seminar Series.

Monroe County Bar Association Legal Information Seminar Series operates as a collaborative effort between the MCBA-YLD and the Pocono Mountains United Way. 

Launched in August 2019, the seminar series provides the residents of the Monroe County and broader Pocono community with access to free legal information from local, practicing,  attorneys in a relaxed setting fostering dynamic interaction for attendees and participants.  The monthly seminars focus on timely and relevant legal topics affecting the community including criminal expungements, DUI law, family law, wills and estate planning, employment, landlord-tenant issues, and social security disability law.

For a no obligation consultation Attorney Gual may be reached at (570) 421-1406 or by email at [email protected].

Attorney Victoria A. Strunk was profiled in the Pennsylvania Bar Association's publication of "Family Lawyer" in the most recent edition for the Winter 2019-2020.  

Attorney Strunk concentrates her practice primarily in the areas of child custody, divorce, child support, spousal support, equitable distribution and guardianship.

Congratulations to Attorney Strunk for being recognized as a leader in this ever-changing area of the law in Pennsylvania.

On August 20, 2019, Attorney Victoria Strunk presented a seminar on family law, divorce, custody and support in conjunction with the  Monroe County Bar Association and the Pocono Mountains United Way.  Attorney Strunk concentrates her practice in the areas of child custody, divorce, support and family law.

The seminar was free and open to the public.  The Monroe County Bar Association and the Pocono Mountains United Way are sponsoring an ongoing legal information series covering topics such as family law, unemployment compensation, wills and landord/tenant relations.

Attorney Victoria A. Strunk has been named to the Lehigh Valley Hospital -- Pocono Board of Associates.  Members of the LVH Board of Associates are community members driven by a common interest in improving patient care, health care education and a healthier community.

The Lehigh Valley Health Network started its Board of Associates 25 years ago as an effort to meet and improve the health care needs of the broad population it served.  Attorney Strunk is proud to bring her enthusiasm for our community and its healthcare needs to  the LVH -- Pocono Board of Associates.

At Amori & Associates, the interplay between our various practice areas and their impact on our clients' firearms rights arises frequently.  Whether the interplay involves criminal law, family law, mental health law, estate law or firearms purchases, our firm is well versed in handling these matters.

In a new legal development, the United States Supreme Court has gone many years without hearing a case involving the Second Amendment and the rights of firearms owners.  The Supreme Court has agreed to review the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v New York.  The City of New York passed a law prohibiting city residents from transporting their firearms beyond the city limits.  In addition to the obvious Second Amendment implications of the law, there may also be Commerce Clause impacts on interstate commerce.  For more from the SCOTUS blog, please read here. 

Should you have any questions concerning firearms, their use and their ownership, Attorney Scott M. Amori would be happy to discuss these matters.  Please feel free to contact our office at (570) 421-1406 for a no obligation consultation.

While the social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like) firestorm rages in the public forum, social media continues to make its presence known in court during discovery.

The latest case comes from Monroe County, Pennsylvania.  Judge David Williamson issued his opinion on February 14, 2018 in Kelter v. Flanagan (No. 286 CV 2017).  The case involved a motor vehicle accident and the defendant wanted previously available access to the plaintiff's Instagram account.  The plaintiff shut off public access to her Instagram account after the defendant filed a motion requesting access which had neen previously available publicly.

Judge Williamson ordered the plaintiff to provide her login information to the defendant.  The full case opinion may be found here.

Social media posts matter.  If you have any questions, the attorneys at Amori & Associates would be happy to assist.

As so often happens, the modern world outpaces the legal constructs we all live by.  Nothing shows this more than the unbridled explosion of people's online and social media presence.  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,  the multitude of dating applications, texting, and many other online social media platforms provides billions of people with a digital fingerprint that is used daily.

But what happens when the account owner dies?

What happens if the person becomes incapacitated?

What did the person want to have happen with their digital information, such as photographs?

A recent article in Scientific American examines this issue.  At the very least, individuals should now consider keeping track of their social media accounts, and what they want to occur with them, like they should with their financial accounts.  Common estate planning documents like wills and powers of attorney may need to contain express provisions permitting agents, executors or other personal representatives to access, and even delete, social media accounts.  A talk with an estate planning attorney can help in this situation.

The estate planning attorneys at Amori & Associates would be glad to discuss the estate planning options for your situation.  If you have any questions, please call (570) 421-1406 for a no obligation consultation.

Medical marijuana continues its implementation in Pennsylvania and the possession of a Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card will have a signficant impact on Pennsylvania firearms owners.

The Pennsylvania State Police Firearms Division is responsible for maintaining the records related to firearms transfers and dealer licensing in Pennsylvania.  The Pennsylvania State Police have issue the following official statement on its website relating to Medical Marijuana:

"It is legal under Pennsylvania law for the holder of a validly issued patient Medical Marijuana Card to possess approved forms of medical marijuana. However, as per the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), the possession of medical marijuana remains a violation of federal law, and possession of a valid Medical Marijuana Card and/or the use of medical marijuana makes you an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” who is prohibited by federal law from the purchase or acquisition, possession, or control of a firearm pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), and 27 C.F.R. § 478.32(a)(3)."

 
The complete Pennsylvania State Police Firearms Division statement may be read here.  Given Pennsylvania's deeply engrained tradition of firearms ownership Medical Marijuana Card possession will spawn legal challenges for the foreseeable future.

If you have any questions, please contact Attorney Scott M. Amori for a no obligation consultation at (570) 421-1406.

Young parents often neglect to think of writing a Last Will and Testament.  The overwhelming demands on parents' time with raising a family and working often means that writing a will gets put "on the back burner."

But should something happen to you, who would get custody of your children?  

You can leave it to chance or you can specifically direct the people to raise your children.

Wills can address guardianship of your children so you get to direct who will raise them.  In fact, Section 2159 Pennsylvania's Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code specifically empowers the writer of a will to name the guardians of their children.  

Attorney Scott M. Amori has decades of experience drafting wills to help parents not only plan their estates but also direct who would raise their children.  Contact the estate planning attorneys at Amori & Associates to arrange for a no obligation consultation at (570) 421-1406.