Recent Blog Posts
Special Procedural Issues in a Gray Divorce Case
Most over-55 divorce cases end the same way. Over 90 percent of civil cases settle out of court. But the road to a settlement in a gray divorce case is much different than the road to a settlement in other divorce matters. These matters involve unique financial and emotional matters. Financially, many older couples… Read More »
Florida Alimony Reform in 2023, Part II
In part one of this riveting series, we examined reforms to the types of alimony in Florida. In this post, we’ll look at changes to the factors that determine the amount and duration of payments. The end of permanent alimony, which we discussed in Part I, was the most contentious part of the alimony… Read More »
Florida Alimony Reform in 2023, Part I
In June 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a measure that limits judicial discretion in alimony cases. SB 1416 was Senator Joe Gruters’ (R-Sarasota) third attempt at passing alimony reform. In 2021, he unexpectedly withdrew his measure 10 days prior to the end of session following a fierce debate on the child-sharing provision in… Read More »
Dividing Marital Property In A Florida Divorce
Like most other jurisdictions, the Sunshine State is an equitable division state. When a couple divorces, the court must equitably divide marital property, including both debts and assets. In this context, equitably isn’t always the same thing as equally. The court must divide marital assets so the divorce isn’t an unfair financial burden on… Read More »
Non-Guideline Child Support In Florida
The Sunshine State, like most other jurisdictions, is an income share child support state. In most cases, a complex formula determines the monthly child support obligation. The major factors in this formula are the combined income of the parents, the timeshare arrangement, specifically the number of overnight visitations, and the number of children before… Read More »
Resolving Divorce Matters In Palm Beach County
Out-of-court settlements are the best way to resolve divorce cases in Palm Beach County. the main reason fewer than 10 percent of divorce cases go to trial. These resolutions reduce legal fees, give the litigants more control over the outcome, and set the table for a successful co-parenting relationship. The major out-of-court resolutions are… Read More »
Enforcing Alimony Orders In Palm Beach County
A few hundred dollars of spousal support could be the difference between weathering a financial storm and going under the waves. A third of the families in the Sunshine State don’t have enough cash to pay a $400 emergency expense. Unfortunately, many obligors (persons paying support) don’t see things that way. They often view… Read More »
Top Five Signs Of PAS
Divorce strains a parent-child emotional connection. Alienation Syndrome is unnatural and permanent. If an alienating parent drives an emotional wedge between the targeted parent and a child, the emotional damage seldom goes away, at least as long as the child lives with the alienating parent. Because so much is at stake, if you see… Read More »
Emotional Issues In A Palm Beach County Divorce Matter
For many years, like most other states, Florida had a joint custody law. The “joint” usually only referred to legal custody, or who makes important decisions for the children. In terms of physical custody, children lived with one parent and visited the other one. Today, Florida has a co-parenting law. This law presumes that… Read More »
How Does PAS Affect My Relationship With My Kids?
Divorce and separation is hard on everyone, especially children. Children naturally feel closer to one parent or the other one. Strong feelings usually subside. If they don’t, or if there’s evidence the other parent encourages such feelings, even indirectly, parental alienation syndrome may be an issue. Left unchecked, PAS quickly erodes the emotional bond… Read More »
