26 July

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How Are Marital Homes Handled in Divorce

in Alimony, Board Certified Lawyer, Board Certified Lawyer, Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice

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 rather than equal, so Florida Family Court has a variety of options. Before any option handling a marital home is presented, the true ownership of the home must be established. If the home belonged entirely to a party before marriage, he or she would continue to own...

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15 July

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How Can a Forensic Accountant Assist in a Dissolution of Marriage?

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Board Certified Lawyer, Board Certified Lawyer, Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice

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, and issues involving the financial status of an individual or a business. A forensic account is considered by the court an expert witness, which, according to Legal Dictionary.com is “a person who is a specialist in a subject, often technical who may present his/her expert opinion without...

07 July

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How to Effectively Coparent DURING a Dissolution

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Board Certified Lawyer, Board Certified Lawyer, Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice, Parenting, Time Sharing

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-parenting. Minor children are children from birth to eighteen years or longer if a child is unable to support themselves independently for physical or mental reasons. When a dissolution, divorce, is final, there will be a shared parenting plan and parental timesharing schedule legally in...

28 June

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Florida Bars Board Certification Part 2

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Board Certified Lawyer, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice, Mediation

How does the Board Certification of a lawyer help the client? As mentioned in part one of the blog Florida's Bar Board Certification, in l982, a voluntary program to help the public select lawyers distinguished in their special area of law was organized to be officiated by the Florida Supreme Court and administered by the Florida Bar. The certification has become the gold standard for lawyers. It gives prospective clients the assurance a board-certified lawyer has gained expertise in their chosen area of law and a high-performance rating in ethical practice and professionalism. All this sounds impressive, but how does board...

21 June

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Florida Bars Board Certification Part 1

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Board Certified Lawyer, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice, Mediation

Description of the program and what it means to be Board Certified. 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 lawyer must be in active practice for at least five years, be in good standing of the Florida Bar, and meet the standards subscribed by the Florida Supreme Court before he or she can begin the process of becoming board-certified in their area of practice....

15 June

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Florida is an Equitable Distribution State. What Does That Mean?

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice, Mediation

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 Louisianna, all assets and liabilities coming under the heading of “marital” that are obtained since the marriage will be divided evenly or, as often termed, equally. These states are sometimes referred to as common property states. All the rest of the states (except Alaska, where a couple can...

07 June

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The Importance of a Guardian Ad Litem in a Dissolution Case

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice

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 the child,” which basically means, after determining the needs of the minor child, to put the needs of the minor child first before the needs of the parents. To quote from Google: “ Best interest determinations are generally made by...

25 May

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Calculating the Marital Portion of Nonmarital Property When Marital Money Was Used to Pay Down the Principal Note and Mortgage

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Alimony, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice, Necessary Forms, property

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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 was purchased before the marriage. However, following the marriage, both parties pay toward the mortgage and principal. Monies gained following the marriage are considered marital funds, and in a divorce, the settlement will be calculated as such. In Florida, Family Law Statute...

17 February

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Florida Procedures For Custody of a Minor Child by an Extended Family Member

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice

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 grandparents, is in the millions. Studies showed in 2018, there were 2,733 000 minor children living with family members other than their parents. Each state has its own set of guidelines and requirements for the legal ordering of custody for minor children, which can be found in...

Child custody lawyer in palm beach county

04 February

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How to Live with Your Spouse While Going Through a Divorce

Posted by Grant Gisondo

in Child Custody, Divorce Law News, Family Law, Laws and Women, Lawyer’s Advice, Legal Advice, Parenting

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 most instances, each party has his or her own residence while going through a divorce and most certainly after the divorce is finalized. Occasionally, however, some circumstances make it necessary for a couple to continue to...