Category Archives: Family Law / Divorce
Imputed Income in Florida: Friend or Foe?
Florida is an equitable distribution state, which means that, in the event of a divorce, the judge can award alimony to one spouse based on what the judge determines to be fair. The emphasis on fairness is more important than dividing things equally or focusing on which assets belong to the couple and which… Read More »
Who Needs to Take Parenting Classes in Florida?
It might sound like a cliché, but the purpose of Florida’s family courts is not to punish anyone. The goal has always been to put the best interests of the child first, but in the past, many child custody and support decisions left one or both parents feeling shortchanged and bitter. The parent who… Read More »
When Florida Law Does Not Allow a Biological Father to Establish Parental Rights
Ask any lawyer what got him or her interested in the legal profession, and the lawyer will probably tell you that one of the most enjoyable aspects of studying the law is that it approaches philosophical questions in a rational way. Another thing that attracts students to the legal profession is that it allows… Read More »
How Florida Law Approaches Paternity Fraud
Paternity fraud is a nightmare for all parties involved. Can you imagine how disruptive it would be to find out that your biological father was someone other than who you thought he was? Can you imagine how distressing it is to find out that the children you raised from birth are not genetically related… Read More »
Collaborative Divorce in Florida: Is It the Right Choice for You?
The phrase “amicable divorce” has become a cliché, but it still remains an elusive ideal. It can be hard not to regard your ex-spouse as an enemy when the pain of the breakup of your marriage is still fresh. Nonetheless, Florida’s family law system has quite a few safeguards in place to make sure… Read More »
How Does Adultery Affect Divorce in Florida?
Until recent decades, courts in the United States would not grant a couple a divorce except in the case of some truly catastrophic breach of the marriage contract. Adultery, abandonment, and severe mistreatment such as physical abuse were about the only reasons couples could divorce. Simply not being able to get along with your… Read More »
Establishing Paternity in Florida: Beyond DNA Tests
In the 1990s, DNA tests made it possible to prove with near complete certainty that two people were or were not close genetic relatives. Courts across the United States began to rely on DNA paternity tests as evidence that a certain man was or was not the biological father of a certain child. According… Read More »
What Florida Couples Need to Know About Prenuptial Agreements
Prenuptial agreements have an unfairly negative image in the popular imagination. It makes many people think of marriages built entirely on the desire for status and appearances and not at all on trust. Perhaps the worst misconception that people have about prenuptial agreements is that people who sign them expect, from before they even… Read More »
What Florida’s Equitable Distribution Laws Mean for Your Divorce Case
In a successful marriage, you usually do not think very much about what belongs to you as an individual and what belongs to you and your spouse as a family. When it comes to property division in a divorce, though, you and your spouse have to decide what belongs exclusively to one of you… Read More »
The Basics of Florida Alimony
Alimony goes by many names, such as spousal support and spousal maintenance. There are many different types of alimony, but at their core they remain the same. All of them include money paid by one ex-spouse to the other after a divorce. Florida recognizes six types of alimony, and it is one of only… Read More »