With one of the highest foreclosure and mortgage delinquency rates in the nation, Florida homes have suffered devastating losses in equity over the past three years. So it’s no surprise that many Florida couples in the midst of a divorce no longer argue about who gets to keep the house…
A new study by Montclair State University researchers says that in marriages with a high degree of conflict, divorce is often better for children than “staying together for the sake of the kids.” The study analyzed the results of a 10-year national survey of 7,000 married Americans and their children.…
Effective January 1, 2011, any and all child support orders entered into on or after October 1, 2010 must provide: 1. The termination of the child support shall end on the child’s eighteenth birthday, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties. 2. A child support schedule. This schedule shall state…
Adoption is a legal procedure where a child becomes, through court action, part of a family that is other than that of his or her biological parents. Adoption is a very serious procedures – all ties are severed with the birth parents and any relatives of the birth parents. The…
This is a question I get on a regular basis from potential clients. The Florida Statutes outline who can and cannot adopt in the state. Fla. Stat. 63.042 states that a husband and wife jointly may adopt, an unmarried adult may adopt, and a married person without the other person…
A former Naples elementary school teacher has been ordered to undergo a psychosexual examination after losing custody of her two children because she posted nude photos of herself and the children on the Internet. Nicole Amanda Newland, who is currently undergoing a divorce in Collier County from her husband Eric…
For the first time in U.S. history, women outnumber men in the workplace. This is bound to have some profound implications for what is already a growing trend in child custody cases: fathers being awarded primary physical custody of their children. Earlier this year, a feature article in Working Mother…
I have clients and potential clients ask me all the time…”What is the cheapest way to get a divorce in Florida?” Before I answer them, I remind myself that this is a loaded question with no correct answer. The reason I hesitate is that there are an endless list of…
According to a number of Internet news reports, TV star and producer Kelsey Grammer has broken the golden rule in Hollywood Marriage 101 by not having a prenuptial agreement in place when he married wife Camille 13 years ago. The Grammers are divorcing and the former “Frasier” and “Cheers” actor…
Under Florida Statute sec. 61.076, any benefits and rights accrued during a marriage from a retirement, pension, profit-sharing, annuity, insurance plans and programs or deferred compensation are considered martial assets and are, therefore, subject to equitable distribution under Florida Law. For military retirement or retainer pay the following criteria must…