Call For Free Consultation
Saturday Appointments Available
Divorce Law News
In a dissolution of marriage (divorce), Florida is an equitable distribution state for dividing marital assets and liabilities, including real estate, which includes marital homes. While a judge will often order a marital home sold and the equity divided 50/50, there are other ways the marital home asset can be handled. Equitable means fair r...
Before looking at how a forensic accountant can assist in a dissolution of marriage (divorce), it is important to understand the job qualifications associated with forensic accounting. A person using this title is someone who is trained and educated, and licensed to investigate and give qualified reports in the areas of accounting, audits, an...
Dissolution refers to the now used term dissolution of marriage that replaces the term divorce. Dissolution comes from the word dissolve, which in effect is what happens to a couple’s relationship. When minor children are involved by virtue of the fact they were born to or adopted by the couple, there are dynamics involved requiring co-pare...
Description of the program and what it means to be Board Certification. For many years there was no way for the public to select lawyers distinguished in their particular area of law. Then, in l982, a voluntary program officiated by the Florida Supreme Court and administered by The Florida Bar was created called Board Certification. A lawy...
One of the most difficult issues to mediate or for a judge to rule on is the division of assets and liabilities. In other words, how will marital monies, properties, businesses, and debts be divided between the two spouses? In some states—Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Louisiana—all assets ...
To start, it is important to understand the terms referenced in the title, “The Importance of a Guardian Ad Litem in a Dissolution Case.” Guardian Ad Litem Is a trained person whom a court may appoint to look into solutions that are in the best interest of the child. In Florida, the motto of Family Court is “in the best interest of t...
One of the confusing issues that sometimes accompanies a divorce proceeding is calculating the marital portion of nonmarital property when marital money was used to pay down the principal note and mortgage. In other words, when one party has been buying a home with their own funds prior to the marriage, the home is considered nonmarital as it...
In Florida, when it is determined that biological or legally adoptive parents are fit physically, mentally, and have not been convicted of child abuse or domestic violence, or are incarcerated, the care and nurturing of minor children (children birth through eighteen or longer if a child cannot support themselves) will be granted by a timesha...
In many states, including Florida, mediation is required for most cases before the case can be scheduled for a court date. This is done for a variety of reasons which, in the end, if mediation is successful, can be a win, win for both parties. Mediation is where both parties and their attorneys try to agree on the outcome of the case in quest...
Attorneys cost money, and rightly so. They have spent years getting a legal education and then passing stiff state exams in order to practice law. And, if that isn't enough, attorneys must continually keep mindful of ever changing laws and regulations. Too, there is the expense of an office, a staff, and the myriad of expectations put on an a...
Going to court is often a scary thought, especially when you really have to go to court. Depending on your personal ability to handle stress can make a difference. There are, however, several tips for even the self-assured person to consider as he or she prepares for their day in court. Probably the most important tip is to make sure you...
Dissolution of marriage, i.e., divorce, is usually the vehicle that a spouse uses to receive child support and or alimony. However, there are instances when financial support is needed and rightfully deserved, but the needful party does not want a divorce. In such an instance, each state has its statutes defining how family law will be carrie...
As with many situations in life, circumstances change as time goes on. This is true of court-ordered spousal support (alimony), child support, and time-sharing. When either party finds him or herself in a position where they think there is a need for modification, Florida Family Courts have very definite standards in place. Obtaining a modifi...
Child support and alimony are two of the most crucial decisions made during a dissolution of marriage (divorce). Child support can also be ordered if parents have never married each other or even lived together. Creating a child is the bottom line for child support. Whatever the circumstance for needing alimony or child support, there are con...
Unfortunately, there are many times when neither parent can care for their minor child. Reasons are numerous and can include death, ill health, mental problems resulting in abuse, drug addiction resulting in abuse and neglect, desertion, and incarnation. Sadly, the numbers of these children being cared for by a family member, most often grand...
Living with a spouse while going through a divorce is rarely an easy thing to do. To begin with, the very fact you and your spouse have deemed your marriage irrevocably broken means you no longer desire to be together permanently. This being said, it would not usually be the desire of a couple to continue to live together in the same home. In...
For many years the courts used the term “divorce” to signify the legal ending of a marriage. In those days, there needed to be reasons a marriage could be terminated, such as adultery, misconduct, and emotional or physical abuse. A reason for divorce had to be proven before a court would end a marriage. As time has gone on, however, there...
Social media, the blessing, and curse of the modern world. YouTube, Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, Snapchat, Instant Messenger, Linkedin, Instagram, and Pinterest are examples of social media options. It is amazing to be able to talk with and see people around the world. You can take videos of activities, people, and just about anything the mind...
A retainer, What is a retainer in the legal sense, is an up-front fee paid by a potential client to ‘’retain” or hold the time and expenses an attorney may need to litigate a case properly. The definition of payment by retainer provided by the Legal Information Institute is “A fee that the client pays up-front to an attorney before th...
To better understand what you should bring to your initial consultation, it Is necessary to understand what an initial consultation with an attorney is designed to accomplish. There are several things to consider: An initial consultation is not a time when an attorney will be giving direct advice involving your potential case. Instead, i...
When considering this question, the first thing to clarify is the difference between legal advice and information. Advice: as defined by online Find Law states, “Legal advice refers to the written or oral counsel about a legal matter that would affect the rights and responsibilities of the person receiving the advice. In addition, actual...
Life must go on even during the current COVID pandemic. This life includes the timesharing orders between parents of minor children. When it is nice if both parents live in the same geographical area, it today’s transient society, it often happens that parents live miles and sometimes states apart. As most parental timesharing plans include...
In Florida, co-parenting is referred to as parental timesharing. A couple who has natural or adopted minor children (children from birth to age l8 or a child who cannot support themselves for mental or physical reasons) and decides to divorce, separate from a cohabitation relationship, or hasn’t lived together, will be required by Family La...
You never know what a judge will rule! This is so true when it comes to the final decision a judge will make concerning a case. Taking a divorce handled in Family Court in Florida, for example, a judge must rule on many issues. While there are guidelines in the Florida Statutes for divorce, it is up to a judge to decide how best to apply the ...
COVID has and is affecting the way we live our everyday lives. It seems there is no area left untouched by one regulation or another, and Family Court in Florida is no exception. For those couples who are seeking dissolution of marriage (divorce), there have been significant changes in the way things are done in order to complete the process ...
First, before answering the question asked in the title, it is important to understand the definition of the word “discovery” as it pertains in the legal sense. While it is true that discovery generally means to find out about, investigate, ask questions about, and explore information relevant to a topic, it carries a deeper meaning when ...
Child support in Florida is mandatory, whether the parents have been married and are getting a divorce, have lived together and are separating, or have never lived together longer than to create a child. Family law in Florida is very conscientious regarding the care and nurturing of minor children and stands by the phrase "in the best interes...
According to Wikipedia, the definition of no-fault divorce is “a divorce in which the dissolution of a marriage does not require a showing of wrongdoing by either party. Laws providing for no-fault divorce allow a family court to grant a divorce in response to a petition by either party of the marriage without requiring the petitioner to pr...
Divorce, or dissolution of marriage as it is termed in modern times, is never an easy or pleasant experience. In most cases, life, as it has been, will be disrupted and changed. Both parties, whether either wants the divorce or not, will be faced with a different way of doing things during the proceedings and even more so once the divorce is ...
In the state of Florida, the awarding of child support is mandatory whether the parents have been married or even have lived together. When paternity is proven, a child is born during a marriage, ora child legally adopted, the issue of calculating child support will become a part of a dissolution of marriage (divorce), separation of parents, ...
