Lorraine Smith is an associate attorney in the Pittsburgh office of Lisa Marie Vari & Associates located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The lawyers in our law firm practice exclusively in Pennsylvania divorce and family law areas including:

• Pennsylvania divorce and annulment
• Equitable distribution of marital assets and marital debts
• Pre-nuptial and postnuptial agreements for Pennsylvania couples
• Pennsylvania spousal support, alimony pendente lite (APL) and alimony cases
• Pennsylvania child support, paternity and DNA issues
• Child custody and grandparents’ rights in Pennsylvania
• Contempt, enforcement, modification and appeals of Pennsylvania family law orders
• Pennsylvania step-parent rights including step parent adoption and custody
• Pennsylvania juvenile law governing juvenile delinquents and juvenile dependents
• Domestic violence including spousal and child abuse issues

At our law firm, we believe that a team approach is the best method to provide clients with prompt and efficient service at affordable prices. This is why our office utilizes the talents of a select number of lawyers, law clerks and paralegals to assist our family law clients.

Our office is lead by Attorney Lisa Marie Vari. Attorney Vari has been in private practice in the family law area for over ten years. Prior to establishing her private practice, Attorney Vari was employed as a staff attorney to Judge Max Baer when he served as the Administrative Judge of the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.

Lorraine Smith is a 1994 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law. After graduation, Attorney Smith practiced law in Florida in the areas of juvenile dependency and appellate law. In 2002, she returned to the Pittsburgh area and has concentrated her efforts representing clients in domestic relations matters. Attorney Smith joined the staff at Lisa Marie Vari & Associates in July of 2004. Ms. Smith maintains her license to practice law in both Pennsylvania and Florida.

David Obarra holds an “of counsel” designation with our office. Attorney Obarra has been employed by the Allegheny County Public Defender’s Office for the past six years. Three of his six years with the Public Defender’s Office where spent working in the Juvenile Court section of the Allegheny County courts. Attorney Obarra assists our offices with Pennsylvania juvenile criminal law issues also known as juvenile delinquency cases.

Jamie Stapinski is employed as a law clerk in our law firm. She currently attends Duquesne University School of Law and anticipates receiving her Juris Doctorate in June 2004. Prior to her employment with our law office, Ms. Stapinski participated in a one-year internship in the Allegheny County Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas. Ms. Stapinski graduated magna cum laude from Robert Morris University in 2000 with a B.S.B.A. in Accounting. Her accounting skills and background in family law are utilized to assist the attorneys with child and spousal support cases as well as equitable distribution and other matters.

Jacqulyn West received her B.S. in Chemistry at Duquesne University in 2000, and anticipates receiving her Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law in June 2004. Ms. West is a member of Duquesne Law Review, and the Associate Recent Decisions Editor for Volume 42. Prior to her employment with our law firm, Ms. West served a law student legal intern with Judge Jeffrey Manning in the Criminal Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. Ms. West’s excellent research and writing skills are frequently called upon by the lawyers in the office.

Barbara Morgan received her paralegal certificate from the Bradford School in Pittsburgh. She was then employed by the Administrator of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Family Division. From 1997, Ms. Morgan has been a paralegal in the office of Lisa Marie Vari & Associates.

From our offices in downtown Pittsburgh (located directly across the street from the Allegheny County Family Division court) and Whitehall, our team of Pennsylvania divorce and family law attorneys and our support staff are available to assist family law clients with issues originating in Western Pennsylvania. Although our offices are located in the Pittsburgh section of Allegheny County, our team of Pennsylvania divorce and family law lawyers welcome cases not only in Allegheny County, but also in the family court systems located in Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Indiana County, Somerset County, Washington County and Westmoreland County. Whether you want to call us your divorce lawyers, child custody attorneys, support lawyers, adoption advocates, or something else, our team of attorneys and experienced staff are ready to assist you with your Pennsylvania divorce and family law matters.

Please visit our law firm’s website at: www.PaFamilyLawyers.com for general information about Pennsylvania laws governing separation; divorce; annulment; equitable distribution of marital assets and marital debts; prenuptial agreements and post-nuptial agreements; spousal support; alimony pendente lite; alimony; child support; paternity and DNA tests; child custody; grandparents’ rights including grandparent custody, partial custody and visitation; stepparent rights; adoption; juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency; and domestic violence including spouse and child abuse. Our website also contains informative articles on the tax implications of divorce and support, laws governing the presumption of paternity and paternity by estoppel, ways to protect children during divorce and child custody proceedings, the recent abolishment of common law marriage in Pennsylvania and the use of court appointed psychologists in child custody cases.

Our law offices’ website also contains comprehensive biographies of the qualifications of our attorneys, law clerks and paralegals. Feel free to compare information regarding the experience and qualifications of the lawyers and staff in our office against other attorneys and their law firm’s experience and qualifications. Afterwards, our office is confident that you will agree that our law firm is the right choice for your Pennsylvania divorce, support, child custody or other family law matters.
Please feel free to contact us by email or telephone to schedule your appointment. We offer both free and paid consultations. Evening hours are available upon request.

Please inform the secretary if you are a member of the military serving on active duty. Our office is familiar with military divorce and support issues. As a thank you for your military service, we offer a free initial consultation on Pennsylvania family law matters to any active duty soldier or sailor. Attorney Vari understands the commitment to your country and the sacrifices made by you and your family members as her husband is serving in the Special Forces unit of the U.S. Army.

Lisa Marie Vari & Associates
Manor Building, Penthouse Suite
564 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 281-9906
Fax: (412) 281-9908
Firm website: www.PaFamilyLawyers.com
Email: Info@PaFamilyLawyers.com

Transmission of the information from this site to the reader and contact with our office by email from the reader will not create an attorney-client relationship between the sender and the receiver. Email communications with our firm may not be secure even if they are encrypted and prospective clients or clients should not send confidential, time-sensitive or proprietary information over unsecured electronic lines..