09 July

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Why You Need a Prenuptial Agreement

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Prenuptial Agreements, Uncategorized

Before looking at why a prenuptial agreement is needed, it is a good idea to look at what a prenuptial agreement is. A prenuptial agreement is a written document drawn up by both parties who are intending to be married. The document is written and properly signed, witnessed and notarized before the marriage takes place, It remains in effect the entire marriage unless both parties agree to change the document in a postnuptial agreement or cancel the agreement. In all cases, both parties must be in complete agreement, without coercion or force, to the contents of the prenuptial agreement. If...

18 June

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Managing Stress and Anxiety During a Family Law Case

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Paternity, Uncategorized

Managing stress and anxiety during a family law case can become a serious issue. Depending on the type of case will, to a certain extent, determine the level of stress and anxiety and the manner in which they are handled. If minor children are involved the level of concern is higher and the need for careful planning for managing stress and anxiety increases. Looking at some of the most frequent family law cases can help with managing techniques. Divorce or as it is now called, Dissolution of Marriage: In most cases the emotional involvement of both parties is high. This is...

04 June

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Forensic Accountants and How They Can Help

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Paternity, Uncategorized

Divorce, for many, is a financially devasting experience. All financial information from past to present including bank statements, credit card charges, business dealings, property ownership, asset, and debt accumulation, trip and vacation expenses, incomes, and expenses must be out in the open for both sides to see. Ideally, a couple will be open and honest and take charge of their outcomes by compromising and agreeing to a marital settlement during mediation. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, either the open and honesty or the marital settlement. If there is no marital settlement, the case will then be scheduled for Family...

24 May

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Divorce Milestones

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Paternity, Uncategorized

Filing, answer, discovery, mediation, depositions, trial, and more. It is strange to think of divorce as having milestones as these are usually associated with the life of a marriage or the growth of a child. A comprehensive definition of a milestone as it refers to divorce is provided by the Cambridge English Dictionary which defines “milestone” as “an important event in the development or history of something in someone’s life.” As with other of life’s milestones, divorce has its own set of milestones as the case moves from selecting one’s attorney to the final judgment signed by a judge. Even in...

14 May

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What not to do on social media during a divorce

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Paternity, Uncategorized

The use of social media, which includes texting, e-mails, YouTube, Facebook, Craigslist, Twitter, Tumbler, comments, Snapchat, Instant Messenger, flicks, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn, has become almost the main way people communicate not only information but often explicit pictures and videos of how they live their lives. While this can be interesting and often entertaining, it can also provide a “not so private’ inside look at a person’s lifestyle, viewpoints, and even their physical appearance. While there is a sense of privacy for most of the social media in that you must be “invited” to view another person’s postings, that person...

03 May

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Who gets the dog?

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Paternity, Uncategorized

Who gets the dog, or any other treasured pet, when there is to be a divorce? One would think that, since most pets are treated as a part of the family, the courts would also consider them as such. This would mean that visitation rights or timesharing rights, as time spent with minor children is now referred to, would be granted by the courts at the time of the final dissolution of the marriage. Unfortunately, in only four states is the possibility of court-ordered timesharing still a reality. Florida is not one of these states. In Florida, pets are considered marital...

22 April

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Preserving Electronic evidence

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Paternity, Uncategorized

With more and more states allowing evidence found on electronic devices such as computers and iPhones it is essential that persons needing such evidence to support their claims learn how to preserve evidence stored on their electronic devices. Of course, there is the other side of the coin where when someone does not want evidence found on their electronic devices to be used, they too need to be careful. For, if it can be shown that evidence was intentionally deleted to the point where even a computer forensic specialist could not retrieve it, the court will not be pleased and...

11 April

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Divorces on the Rise?

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Parenting, Paternity

Divorce, or dissolution of marriage as it is termed in most states, has, with little exception, been on the rise since the early 1900s when the divorce rate was around 5%. Back then, women had few rights and were usually not in a position to support themselves should they seek a divorce. Men were even allowed to abuse their wives as in the eyes of most people; the woman was the property of her husband. Slowly, as woman gained the right to vote, to own property, to get a university education, to work outside the home, and to have the...

01 April

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In What Order Does the Court Handle Issues?

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Parenting, Paternity

PEACE (parenting plan, equitable distribution, alimony, child support, everything else like attorney fees) As with most official situations involving a series of issues, when it comes to dissolution of marriage (divorce) the court will have an order to determine the outcome of resolutions in question. In Florida, there is an acronym, PEACE, which represents the order the court will use to handled is solution of marriage once the case is heard in a courtroom before a judge. Here is what each letter of PEACE stands for: P—parenting plan: In Florida, all couples who are parents of a minor child, either by...

22 March

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Attorney Fees-In Florida, Which Party Has to Pay Them?

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Legal Advice, Parenting, Paternity

Attorney Fees-In Florida, Which Party Has to Pay Them?

Sometimes, when a couple agrees on all issues and has no children or jointly owned real property, they can handle getting a divorce without the help of an attorney. There will still be court costs but no attorney fees. For couples who must use an attorney to obtain a divorce successfully, the cost is significant and can become a hardship and bone of contention. This is especially true if one or the other party does not want the divorce, if such reasons as adultery or abandonment are the cause, or if one party is better able to afford attorney fees. While...