Category Archives: Family Law
Establishing a Trust for Child Support
In most cases, when a couple with children obtain a divorce, the non-custodial parent is required to make monthly child support payments to the other. These payments, whether made directly by a parent or garnished from his or her wages, are almost always deposited directly into the recipient’s bank account. However, in some special… Read More »
How Imputed Income Could Affect Your Child Support Award
When determining how much a party owes in child support, Florida courts are required to take a series of factors into account, including each party’s income, whether either party is employed, and each spouse’s capacity to earn a living. However, these are not the only elements that play an important role in deciding how… Read More »
How Medical Expenses Can Affect Child Support
Determining how much a parent must pay in child support can be a complicated process, as it requires an analysis of both parties’ incomes, properties, and expenses, as well as consideration of the family’s time sharing schedule. In most cases, courts adhere to a strict formula when taking these factors into account and determining… Read More »
Do Gestational Surrogates Have Parental Rights?
Since the first reported child conceived from a cryopreserved embryo was born in 1984, courts have been grappling with how to define paternity and parental rights in light of scientific innovation. Fortunately, a few years ago, the Florida Legislature enacted provisions that specifically apply to paternity-related issues in situations that involve in vitro fertilization…. Read More »
Rights of Biological Fathers Reassessed in Groundbreaking Case
Florida law has long held that a child born into an intact marriage is presumed to be the biological child of the mother’s husband. However, a recently issued ruling from the Florida Supreme Court struck down this decades-old rule, which could mean that biological fathers of children born to women who are married to… Read More »
Financial Disclosures in Family Law Matters
When couples file for divorce or are involved in a dispute regarding their children, the parties are required to exchange certain financial information. Knowing which documentation must be submitted can be difficult, so if you want to ensure that you comply with all court rules regarding financial disclosures, you should consider retaining an experienced… Read More »
Legal Separation in Florida
In most states, when a couple wants to end a marriage, they have three options, namely: divorce, annulment, and separation. Unfortunately, Florida law doesn’t actually recognize legal separation, which can prove troublesome for couples who don’t qualify for annulment and don’t want to get divorced for religious, financial, or personal reasons. There are, however,… Read More »
When do Courts Award Parental Rights to One Party?
In Florida, it is generally presumed that divorced parents will share parenting time, as it is thought that encouraging relationships with both parents is in a child’s best interests. Ideally, this would mean that a child would be able to spend roughly equal amounts of time with both parents. For this reason, granting sole… Read More »
How to Successfully Co-Parent
While ex-spouses may harbor resentment towards each other, it’s usually in a family’s best interests for the parties to put these personal feelings aside and instead focus on the needs of their children. Although co-parenting can be challenging, it is well worth the trouble, as it is one of the best ways to ensure… Read More »
Developing a Parenting Plan
One of the most difficult aspects of many divorces is determining how parenting time and decision making responsibility will be divided. In fact, coming up with a time sharing schedule is not optional in Florida, but is required by law and is referred to as a parenting plan. Parenting plans are binding contracts that… Read More »
