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Downingtown
Family Law & Divorce Attorneys
A divorce or custody case puts the most personal parts of your life in front of a court: your children, your finances, your footing for the years ahead. Lancaster Law Group represents Chester County families, and Downingtown clients get prepared, methodical advocacy in a court we know.
We represent Downingtown clients in the central part of the county along the Brandywine Creek, working primarily by video conference and phone, with in-person consultations available at our office in Lancaster, a straightforward drive east. The Chester County courthouse hears your case; we handle the representation.
Schedule a consultation: call (717) 358-0600 or book a time online. We will review your situation and tell you, in plain terms, what your options are.
Family Law We Handle in Downingtown
If your case is heard at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, our attorneys are prepared to represent you. The family law matters we handle for Downingtown clients:
- Divorce. Contested and uncontested divorce, and the division of marital property that goes with it.
- Child Custody. Custody, parenting plans, and modifications, resolved through Chester County conciliation where possible.
- Child Support. Calculating, enforcing, and modifying support through the county Domestic Relations Section.
- Spousal Support. Interim spousal support during the case and alimony after it concludes.
- Property Division. Dividing marital assets under Pennsylvania’s equitable-distribution standard, not automatically in half.
- Paternity. Establishing paternity to secure a parent’s rights and obligations.
Downingtown Communities We Serve
Downingtown is a borough on the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek along the Lincoln Highway, at the center of the Downingtown Area School District. Areas we serve in and around the borough include:
- Areas and nearby communities: Downtown Downingtown, the Lincoln Highway corridor, the Brandywine Creek neighborhoods, and the residential areas bordering East Caln and Caln Townships
We represent clients in and around Downingtown. Call us and we will confirm coverage based on your court location and the nature of your case, and match you to the right attorney.
Where You Are, Where Your Case Is Heard
Family law cases for Downingtown are filed and heard at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. The table below maps our office to that court.
| Our Office | County Served | Primary Courthouse |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Law Group
110 East King Street Lancaster, PA 17602 (717) 358-0600 | Chester County | Chester County Court of Common Pleas 201 West Market Street West Chester, PA 19380 15th Judicial District of Pennsylvania |
Downingtown is in the central part of Chester County, roughly ten miles from the courthouse in West Chester along Route 322. Divorce and custody filings go to the Prothonotary at the courthouse; child support matters are handled through the Chester County Domestic Relations Section at the same location.
The same court hears every Chester County family law matter we take. Chester County also operates Magisterial District Judge offices for citations, summary offenses, and smaller civil claims; if you received a hearing notice, the assigned MDJ office is listed on your paperwork. For the family law matters we handle, we represent clients largely by video and phone, with in-person meetings at our Lancaster office.
Why Downingtown Residents Choose Lancaster Law Group
Downingtown families have options when they hire a family law attorney. Here is why ours earns the work. It comes back to the line the firm is built on: a firm commitment to trust.
The first call is a conversation, not a commitment. You describe what is happening, and we tell you honestly whether we can take your Chester County matter and whether a consultation makes sense. There is no pressure and no obligation. That candid first read is often the most useful step.
We build cases the way you would want yours built. Pennsylvania family law rarely stays in one lane. Custody intersects with support. Divorce intersects with property. When your situation is complicated, we treat it as one connected problem, build your strategy around how each piece affects the others, and prepare to argue it in court if that is what protecting your position requires.
You will always know where your case stands. You should never have to wonder what is happening in your own case. We keep you current on what each phase demands, where things realistically stand, and what choices are coming, so the only uncertainty you are managing is the case itself, not your lawyer.
We understand the financial picture Downingtown-area cases often involve. Downingtown-area divorces frequently involve a family home with equity, retirement and college-savings accounts, and two working parents with separate benefit plans. Those assets have to be identified, valued, and divided correctly, and dividing a pension takes a separate court order, a Qualified Domestic Relations Order for a private plan or an Approved Domestic Relations Order for a state SERS or PSERS pension. We handle that exacting work directly.
We are staffed for cases that do not fit a template. Our partner Shawnee S. Burton is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a national credential earned by demonstrated, peer-recognized experience in complex family law, and founder Joseph P. McMahon, known for being thorough, knowledgeable, and aggressive, tried cases as an assistant district attorney before advising clients. You can meet the attorneys who would handle your case, and for Downingtown clients facing high-asset divorce, contested custody, or a case headed to trial, that depth means an attorney who has handled situations like yours and is ready to fight for the outcome that protects you.
No outcome guarantees. Only preparation. We will not promise you a result, because no honest lawyer can. What we commit to is the work: building your case, knowing the court, and being ready to argue it if a hearing is where your matter ends up. When a family law matter requires litigation, we are not adjusting to it. We are already prepared for it.
Ready to talk? call (717) 358-0600 or book a time online. A member of our team will confirm the right attorney for your case and get you on the calendar.
What to Expect When You Call
There is nothing to prepare for the first call. For Downingtown clients, the process works like this:
- We start by listening. Tell us what is going on. A rough version is fine, and we will draw out the details that count.
- We make the law make sense. You get a plain-English read on how Pennsylvania treats your situation, with no pressure and no theatrics.
- We leave you with direction. When the call ends you will know your next step, be it filing, responding, gathering paperwork, or thinking it through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lancaster Law Group handle family law cases in Downingtown?
Yes. Downingtown cases are heard at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, and we represent clients there. Call (717) 358-0600 to discuss your specific case and confirm our team is the right fit.
Which courthouse hears my Downingtown family law case?
Your case is heard at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas at the Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester, PA 19380, in the 15th Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Downingtown has a Magisterial District Court on Boot Road, but family law matters are heard at the West Chester courthouse.
I live in the Downingtown area near East Caln or Caln Township. Do you serve those areas?
Yes. We serve Downingtown and the surrounding East Caln, Caln, and Uwchlan communities. Every family law matter there is filed at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas in West Chester.
Does Pennsylvania divide property 50/50 in Chester County?
No. Pennsylvania is an equitable distribution state. Chester County judges divide marital property using the statutory factors in 23 Pa.C.S. 3502, which weigh the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, and separate property, among others, rather than applying a 50/50 split.
Do you charge for the first conversation?
The first call is a conversation. If you move forward to representation, we prepare a fee agreement covering scope and costs before anything is filed, so there are no surprises.
Talk to a Downingtown Family Law Attorney
We represent Downingtown clients with full preparation at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. Downingtown clients get methodical preparation and straight answers about the range of outcomes. We know what it takes to move a case through the Chester County court, and we keep you informed rather than in the dark. From our Lancaster office, Lancaster Law Group stands ready to help with your Downingtown matter.
Call (717) 358-0600 or schedule a consultation online. We will confirm whether we can take your Downingtown matter and get you on the calendar.