PHILADELPHIA – Cordell & Cordell, the nation’s largest family law firm with offices throughout the U.S*., including the Philadelphia area, is honored to announce that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, in a March 20, 2025 opinion, formally adopted the doctrine of intent-based parentage into its common law.
This significant high court ruling comes after years of involvement and diligent representation by dedicated attorneys. Attorneys in Cordell & Cordell’s Appellate Practice Division also participated at the Supreme Court level via amicus.
In the case of Glover v. Junior, 9 EAP 2024 (Pa., Mar. 20, 2025), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rendered a decision that parental rights can now be established when considering the intent of parties who jointly undertake assisted reproductive technology (ART) and considering whether they intended to conceive and co-parent the child together. Previously, the state of Pennsylvania had no statutes defining parentage. Rulings were left to the courts. This landmark custody decision firmly eliminates the legal gaps previously established in paths to parentage—by protecting the rights of all parents, including LGBTQ families that choose to utilize ART.
At her prior firm Philadelphia Litigation Attorney Jacqueline DiColo represented the appellee, Nicole Junior, at the time the matter was first brought before the trial court and through the en banc review of the intermediate appellate court. Upon joining Cordell & Cordell’s Philadelphia office, Ms. DiColo collaborated with Litigation Partner William J. Phelan, IV, in filing an Amicus Curiae (or “Friend of the Court”) Brief.
Cordell’s Amicus Brief was repeatedly cited in the Supreme Court’s opinion, including a verbatim quotation of its proposed standard for intent-based parentage.
“The decision of how to conceive a child is more complex and nuanced than it was years ago,” Phelan stated about the ruling, “this decision confirms that when it comes to the desire to mutually conceive and raise a child—with the use of ART–a willing and loving parent should not lose a child that they worked so hard to bring into the world. Not only do I believe that our appellate advocacy helped Junior in this case, but it assisted in creating new case law that will aid many other Pennsylvanians who want to take advantage of ART.”
Cordell & Cordell’s Philadelphia offices are located at 1601 Market Street, Suite 2230, Philadelphia, PA 19103, and can be contacted by phone, 8:30 am-5:30 pm at 215-490-9999.
Written by Joseph E. Cordell
Joseph E. Cordell is the Principal Partner at Cordell and Cordell, P.C., which he founded in 1990 with his wife, Yvonne. Over the past 25 years, the firm has grown to include more than 100 offices in 30 states, as well as internationally in the United Kingdom. Mr. Cordell is licensed to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri and received his LL.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Joseph E. Cordell was named one of the Top 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Missouri.
