HOW IS PATERNITY DETERMINED IN FLORIDA? If a mother is married, the mother's husband at birth is the legal father of the child. If the mother is unmarried when the child is born, but later marries the child's father, the husband becomes the legal father. But if the child is...
WHAT CAN YOU DO WHEN A CO-PARENT BREAKS THE PARENTING AGREEMENT?
Both parties are legally obligated to follow the executed parenting agreement as written. If one party wants to make changes, they need to get the court to issue a Modification Order. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for one parent to choose to ignore what they don't like. If one parent...
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FAMILY PET IN A DIVORCE?
UPDATE 1/18/22: Starting January 2022, Spain will legally recognize all animals as “sentient beings” with emotions rather than “property”, making sure that, in legal fights, the wellbeing of pets is considered above all else. Read more here 1/10/22: For many families, a pet is...
10 DIVORCE MISTAKES TO AVOID
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE. Divorce is hard on everyone involved. Spouses or partners often experience feelings of anger, guilt, sadness, and loneliness. Although these emotions are common and are to be expected, they may lead to mistakes that can have potentially long-lasting effects on their...
GETTING DIVORCED? THE 7 GOLDEN RULES ABOUT POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
8.16.22 Update: This post focused on the soon-be-divorced. But these tips are just as relevant for the already divorced, especially when there are children involved. People have a false sense of security thinking that what they post, tweet, pin or tok is really private. It's not. One family found their...
PLANNING FOR HOLIDAY TRAVEL IN A PARENTAL TIME-SHARING PLAN
In today's world, traveling during the holidays is challenging for everyone. But emotions tend to run higher when both parents and their families want to spend as much quality time as possible with their child. The best way to minimize this stress is to create a parenting time-sharing plan...
“ALIMONY” – DOES IT REALLY MEAN “ALL THE MONEY?”
Alimony isn't automatic and it isn't ordered in every divorce. Florida law provides that in order to award alimony, there must be a determination that one spouse/partner has a need for maintenance and the other has the ability to pay. The...
CHILD SUPPORT IN FLORIDA – WHAT, WHEN AND HOW MUCH
Every parent has a fundamental obligation to support his or her minor or legally dependent child. BUT WHO GETS TO DECIDE WHAT, WHEN AND HOW MUCH? Florida has created a process that simplifies the process of determining child support so that parents can avoid the need for litigation. This system...
HOW MUCH TIME WILL I GET WITH MY CHILDREN AFTER DIVORCE OR SEPARATION*
(*IT IS NO LONGER CALLED “CUSTODY” IN FLORIDA) When minor children are involved, whether in a dissolution of marriage (divorce) case or in a paternity case, decisions must be made for how the parents will share time with them. The term “custody” is no longer used in Florida law; the...
PATERNITY IN A NUTSHELL
Paternity laws vary from state to state making it difficult for parents to know what to expect. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions regarding Florida paternity laws. I CHILDREN BORN OUTSIDE MARRIAGE The Mother is the natural guardian of a child born out of wedlock and is...