Doleva Law

Doleva Law is a law firm located at 606 Court Street, Suite 200, in Reading, Pennsylvania. The office sits in the Court Street corridor of downtown Reading, the section of the city where much of the county's legal community is concentrated because of its proximity to the Berks County Courthouse and the associated county offices. The firm can be reached by telephone at +1 610-375-3700.

The practice is associated with attorney Kristen Doleva-Lecher and is known primarily for family law work, with a concentration in child custody matters. Clients who have worked with the firm describe representation that continues over long stretches of time, which is typical of custody practice: orders get modified, circumstances change, relocation questions arise, and the same attorney often handles a family's matters across several years rather than a single hearing.

Areas of Practice

Family law is the core of the firm's work. While the specific scope of any engagement depends on the facts of a case, firms of this type in Berks County typically handle matters that include the following:

• Child custody, including initial custody complaints, legal and physical custody determinations, and primary or shared custody arrangements
• Custody modifications, where an existing court order no longer matches a family's circumstances
• Custody contempt and enforcement, when one party is not following the terms of an existing order
• Relocation petitions, which carry their own statutory requirements under Pennsylvania law
• Child support matters, including establishment, modification and related conferences
• Divorce and the issues that accompany it, including the resolution of economic claims
• Protection from abuse proceedings and related emergency filings
• Grandparent and third-party custody standing questions

Because family cases in Pennsylvania are filed in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where the children or parties are located, a Reading-based practice is positioned for matters venued in Berks County, with occasional work in neighboring counties depending on the case.

How Custody Matters Work in Berks County

People contacting a family law office for the first time often have little idea of the procedural steps ahead of them, and understanding the general sequence can make the process less disorienting. In Pennsylvania, a custody case ordinarily begins with the filing of a complaint for custody, which must include information about the child, the parties and any prior custody proceedings. The court then schedules a custody conference, which is an early meeting intended to see whether the parties can reach an agreement without a full hearing. Many cases resolve at or shortly after this stage, producing a consent order that is entered by the court and carries the same force as an order issued after trial.

When agreement is not possible, the matter moves toward a hearing before a judge. Pennsylvania courts decide custody according to the best interests of the child, weighing a list of statutory factors that includes which party is more likely to encourage contact with the other parent, the need for stability and continuity in the child's education and community life, the availability of extended family, sibling relationships, the child's preference depending on maturity, any history of abuse or drug and alcohol problems, and the parties' availability to care for the child. A significant part of an attorney's job is organizing evidence around those factors rather than around the emotional narrative a client may initially bring to the first meeting.

Child support is calculated separately from custody and follows statewide guidelines based on the parties' net incomes and the number of overnights each parent exercises. Because the number of overnights can affect the support figure, custody and support questions are often related in practice even though they proceed on separate tracks.

Working With the Firm

Prospective clients generally begin by calling the office to describe their situation and arrange a consultation. It is useful to bring or have at hand any existing court orders, filed pleadings, correspondence from the other party's attorney, and documentation relevant to the issues in dispute, such as school records, medical records, text message histories or financial statements. Having dates and a clear chronology written out in advance tends to make a first meeting more productive, since much of what happens in family litigation turns on a precise timeline of events.

Family law representation is unusual among legal services in that it can last for years. A parent who obtains a custody order while a child is in elementary school may return to the same lawyer when the child reaches high school and schedules, activities or living arrangements change. Clients of this firm have described exactly that kind of continuity, which means the attorney already knows the case history and the personalities involved when a new issue arises.

Location, Parking and Access

The Court Street address places the office within walking distance of the Berks County Courthouse and the Berks County Services Center, which is convenient for clients who have filings, conferences or hearings scheduled downtown. The area is served by city bus routes and is reachable from the Penn Street and Washington Street corridors, with access from Route 422 and the bridges crossing the Schuylkill River into central Reading.

The property has a wheelchair accessible parking lot. Downtown Reading also has metered street parking and several public parking garages within a short walk, though availability on weekday mornings can be limited when court is in session. Clients traveling from outlying parts of Berks County, including Wyomissing, Exeter, Muhlenberg, Shillington, Kutztown, Boyertown and Hamburg, generally find the location straightforward to reach by car.

Practical Information

• Address: 606 Court St, Suite 200, Reading, Pennsylvania 19601
• Telephone: +1 610-375-3700
• Business type: law firm, with a focus on family law and child custody
• Accessibility: wheelchair accessible parking lot
• Primary service area: Reading and Berks County, Pennsylvania

Appointments are generally arranged by telephone, and calling ahead is advisable rather than arriving unannounced, since attorneys in litigation practices spend substantial portions of the week in court or in conferences. Clients with urgent matters, such as an emergency custody situation or a protection from abuse filing, should say so when they call so the office can advise on timing.

Choosing Family Law Representation

Family cases differ from most other legal matters because the outcome shapes daily life for years afterward: where children sleep on school nights, who makes medical and educational decisions, how holidays are divided. For that reason, people selecting counsel often weigh courtroom experience alongside practical questions such as familiarity with local judges and procedures, responsiveness, and a clear explanation of what the law can and cannot deliver in their circumstances. Doleva Law operates in that setting, handling custody and related family matters for clients in Reading and the surrounding Berks County communities.