Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County is the newest of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Created on August 13, 1878 from portions of Luzere County, it lies at the northern edge of the Coal Region, northwest of the Poconos. The county was named after the Lackawanna River and its county seat is Scranton. Lackawanna County is the youngest of Pennsylvania’s 67 Counties, having been formed in 1878 from part of Luzerne County after a long dispute. Despite its relative youth, Lackawanna County has played a large role in not only the development of the State and Country, but also the world.
During the Industrial Revolution, coal, steel, and railroads played huge roles across the burgeoning nation. All three items became in great demand and, fortunately, Lackawanna County produced all three. Lackawanna County enjoyed a period of growth and prosperity that lasted a century. The first electric street car system in the U.S. was developed in Scranton, earning it the nickname “The Electric City”. Many higher education institutions were established during this period also, including Keystone College in La Plume (1869), St. Thomas College (now known as the University of Scranton, 1888), Marywood College (now a university, 1915) and others.
Pennsylvania lawyers practicing law in Lackawanna County specialize in various niches of the law, including areas like bankruptcy law, employment law, personal injury law, immigration, family law, medical malpractice law, workers compensation law, and even criminal law. Criminal law involves, logically enough, crimes committed by one party against another and are broken up into two subsets: felonies and misdemeanors. Felonies are larger offenses that typically result in harsher punishments. Misdemeanors are smaller offenses that yield sentences that are not quite as harsh. It is recommended that defendants retain one of the many experienced Pennsylvania lawyers practicing criminal law to represent them no matter which type of crime they have been accused of committing.
One common area of law for which Pennsylvania residents of Lackawanna County often need the assistance of a good Pennsylvania lawyer is that of divorce law. The end of a marriage is never an easy thing to go through, but sometimes it’s the right choice for a couple to make. For those wishing to file for a divorce in Pennsylvania, they must meet the residency requirements in order for the court to accept the case. Otherwise, the court will decide it does not have jurisdictional rights to hear the case and will most likely not accept the case or, if already accepted, dismiss the case. By consulting Pennsylvania lawyers, couples wishing to start divorce proceedings can find out whether they meet the following requirements or not.
One of the spouses must be a resident of the state of Pennsylvania for at least six months before filing for divorce, and should consult a Pennsylvania lawyer before doing so. They may bring their case before the court in the county: 1.where the defendant resides; 2.if the defendant resides outside of this Commonwealth, where the plaintiff resides; 3.of matrimonial domicile, if the plaintiff has continuously resided in the county; 4.prior to six months after the date of final separation and with agreement of the defendant, where the plaintiff resides or, if neither party continues to reside in the county of matrimonial domicile, where either party resides; or 5.after six months after the date of final separation, where either party resides.
Pennsylvania law provides for four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, rarer cases, towns. Below are listed the cities, boroughs and townships located in Lackawanna County:
Cities
- Carbondale
- Scranton
Boroughs
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Townships
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Census-designated places
Census-designated places are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law, but are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau in order to compile demographic data. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, are sometimes categorized here as well.
- Glenburn
- Mount Cobb