Serratelli Schiffman Shaffer P.C.

Focus and practice areas

The firm runs a general civil practice from a Harrisburg office, and it works for clients in Harrisburg and the surrounding counties of Central Pennsylvania. The range of listed work is wide. The website names business law, family law, employment law, estate planning, tax, real estate, bankruptcy and personal injury. That mix places both individuals and companies within reach of one office.

A general practice of this kind sets out to cover the legal needs that come up over the course of a life or a business. A person might arrive for a divorce, then return years later for a will. A company might start with formation, then call again about a lease or a dispute. The firm's list of services reads like an answer to that pattern of need.

A firm this broad asks a client to think about which lawyer fits the matter. Serratelli Schiffman Shaffer P.C. answers that on its attorney page, where each name carries a stated focus. A family case and a tax dispute rarely go to the same person, and the directory is organized that way.

How the team is built

Four attorneys appear in the firm's directory, and one of them is listed as retired. Steven J. Schiffman concentrates on business matters, and his work also covers taxation. Lori K. Serratelli practices family law and employment law. Bret P. Shaffer is a member of the firm, and he was admitted to practice in Pennsylvania in 2010.

John D. Sheridan is the retired attorney, and his background is in business and taxation. Each listing pairs a name with a stated focus. In my opinion, that pairing is a useful signal for anyone deciding who to call first. It sets expectations before the first meeting, and it tells a caller who to ask for.

A directory of four names, one of them retired, points to a compact team. In a smaller firm, the attorney a client meets is often the attorney who does the work. The named focuses also let a caller route a question quickly, since the site connects each field to a person.

What the family law practice covers

Family matters make up a detailed part of the firm's listed work. The site names prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, divorce, equitable distribution, alimony and questions about the marital residence. It also names child custody, adoption and guardianship. Lori K. Serratelli is the attorney tied to this area.

Family cases in Pennsylvania often move through several stages. A divorce may start with a complaint, then reach equitable distribution, where a court divides marital property. Custody runs on its own track, with the child's welfare as the standard a judge applies. Alimony and support follow state guidelines that weigh income and need.

The listed work reaches past divorce. Prenuptial and cohabitation agreements are set before a relationship changes its legal footing, and they fix terms in advance. Adoption and guardianship ask a court to confirm who cares for a child or an adult. A firm that lists these matters together handles the full arc of family change, and one attorney anchors that work.

Business, tax and real estate work

On the business side, the firm handles entity formation, commercial transactions and regulatory compliance. It also handles business litigation, which puts contract and ownership disputes in front of a court. Steven J. Schiffman is the attorney the firm ties to business and tax, and John D. Sheridan had the same focus before he retired.

Formation is often the first legal step for a new venture. The choice among a corporation, a partnership or a limited liability company shapes taxes, liability and paperwork for years after. Commercial transactions cover the contracts a business signs to buy, sell or supply. Regulatory compliance keeps a company inside the rules that govern its field.

Tax and real estate

Tax work at the firm covers both planning and litigation. Planning tends to happen before a filing, when choices about entity type or timing shape the bill. Tax litigation comes later, when a client challenges a return or an assessment before an agency or a court. Real estate fills out this group, and the firm handles property transactions, leases and disputes over land or buildings.

Estate planning and other services

Estate work at the firm includes wills, living wills, living trusts and probate. A will directs how property passes after death. A living will records medical wishes for a time when a person cannot speak for themselves. A trust can hold and manage assets under set terms, and probate is the court process that settles an estate. The firm handles each of these steps.

The firm's list names more areas beyond planning. Bankruptcy work deals with debt relief and the federal process that governs it. A filing can reorganize debt or clear it. Personal injury covers claims for harm caused by another party, and such cases can settle or reach a jury.

Employment law rounds out the individual side of the practice, and Lori K. Serratelli handles it alongside family work. These matters cover the terms of a job, disputes over pay or treatment, and the agreements that set the rules between worker and employer. The firm also lists mediation and arbitration, which give clients paths to resolve disputes through settlement or a neutral third party.

Service area and what the record shows

Harrisburg is the firm's base, and its reach runs into the surrounding counties of Central Pennsylvania. That footprint fits a general practice, because the needs of a regional client base tend to span many areas of law at once. The attorney page and the practice list work together, and a client can see the area of law and the lawyer attached to it on the same site.

As a reviewer, I find the clearest strengths in the range and the structure. The firm covers business, family, tax, real estate, estate planning, employment, bankruptcy and personal injury. For someone in the Harrisburg area choosing where to place a first call, the named roles carry weight. Steven J. Schiffman and John D. Sheridan hold the business and tax focus, Lori K. Serratelli holds family and employment, and Bret P. Shaffer has practiced in Pennsylvania since 2010.