Families come in many forms today, including those in a home where a married couple lives with a child of one of the spouses – in other words, a stepfamily. Especially when the other biological parent is not involved with the child, it is not unusual for the...
Family Law
New automatic time-sharing schedule for parents in 2018
A major goal for Florida lawmakers with Senate Bill 590 was to "encourage frequent contact between a child and each parent" and to "optimize the development of a close and continuing relationship" with the children after divorce or separation. Gov. Rick Scott signed...
Long-term relationship, short-term marriage: In same-sex divorce, who gets what?
On Jun. 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the country. The case of Obergefell v. Hodges - now considered a landmark case in civil rights - gave same-sex couples the right to marry and to enjoy the state-bestowed benefits of joint...
Terrified to testify? Don’t worry – your lawyer will prepare you
To testify means to bear witness.When you testify, you are a witness to the facts and circumstances of the matter at hand, and you answer questions put to you by your lawyer and your spouse's lawyer. And when you testify, you are asked to speak the truth, under oath,...
The pitfalls of going ‘pro se’ as your own attorney
First the obvious points: Law school is three years of post-graduate education after the four-year college degree. Then there's the bar exam. And there's the matter of experience. This comes only by working "in the trenches," so to speak, representing real people...
How and why to leave your home during divorce
Your home is your anchor, the place you return after work to be with your family, to unwind, and to rest. Or maybe it's not that at all. If your relationship with your spouse has gone cold - worse, if home is a hostile and toxic environment - home is the last place...
Cut the cost of divorce with a bit of preparation and organization
Preparing for divorce ahead of time sounds a lot like preparing a will - no one wants to do it. But speaking from experience as a divorce lawyer, a little bit of preparation can go a long way.Here's the major benefit: You will save time and money.How much does divorce...
You’ve been served: What’s next?
You've been served with papers.This might cause a range of emotions, from fear to anxiety to outright anger - perhaps all of the above, especially if you're a first-timer. It's understandable. Once the initial shock wears off, though, hit the pause button.We realize...
‘Men’s rights’ in family law means more than gender
The concept of "men's rights" in marital law stems from the apparent historical preference of family courts to grant mothers custody rights over the children, relegating fathers to holidays and weekends. But this is not an ironclad rule. Simply being male does not...