Divorce / Dissolution of Marriage

February 16, 2011

In a Florida Divorce, Is Counseling Required?

Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Filing for divorce in Florida does not require a period of time for martial or individual counseling. If you are filing for divorce, then the only requirements before filing are that at least one party must be a resident of Florida for at least six (6) months prior to filing a petition and that the marriage is irretrievably broken.

If the marriage is not irretrievably broken, meaning that there is a chance you may get back together, then the Court may require you attend counseling and postpone the divorce proceedings for a reasonable period of time, often three (3) months.
If the Court orders marital counseling or counseling for one of the parties, then the petition is not thrown out, but is put on hold for the time established by the Court.

If you go to counseling for less than the time ordered by the Court and know that you would like to proceed with the divorce, then you may speak with your lawyer about filing a Motion with the Court to allow the divorce to continue.

If you are able to amicably resolve the divorce issues and reach an agreement prior to the trial, then you or your spouse will have to testify that the marriage is irretrievably broken. If that fact is denied to the Judge, then you may be ordered back to marital counseling. However, if the testimony to the court is that the marriage is broken irretrievably, then the Court will most likely enter the agreement as an order of divorce.

February 14, 2011

Florida Child Support Cases Require Filing a Financial Affidavit and Complying with Mandatory Disclosure Documents

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Florida paternity and divorce cases involving children require child support to be calculated. Child support is based on the income of both parties and in order to establish that the Court does not simply accept testimony. So, how do parties actually provide proof of their individual incomes?

Florida divorces are ruled by Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, which requires that both parties file a financial affidavit. A financial affidavit details the monthly expenses of the individuals including their income and expenses. In addition to personal expenses, the financial affidavit requires the children’s expenses be calculated as well. That way the court knows which parent is paying for childcare and the child’s health insurance, which all goes into the child support calculation. Since it is an affidavit, the parties must sign and have the affidavit notarized.

In addition to the financial affidavit, the parties are required to provide documentation outlined in Mandatory Disclosure, also detailed in the Florida Rules of Family Procedure. Some of the documents required are the following:

a) At least three (3) months of bank statements for all accounts held individually and jointly. Joint accounts are any accounts with the party’s name on them, including those held for elderly family members.
b) At least three (3) months of paycheck stubs. If you are paid hourly and work overtime, it is a good idea to provide as many months as possible.
c) Any and all loan applications filled out by the individual or done as a cosigner. This documentation often has questions related to your income and allows the Court to see what type of loans you may have outstanding.

All of these items help establish the actual income of each party and what the children’s needs are. Child support is based on the combined income of the parties and what each individual’s percentage of contribution is to that combined amount.

February 11, 2011

Florida Allows Income Deduction for Child Support and Alimony Obligations from Paternity and Divorce Actions

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

As a Jacksonville, Florida family law attorney, I represent clients in paternity, child support and divorce cases. Payment of obligations for child support and alimony seem to weigh on both parties because one needs the support and the other wants to make certain payments are made on time so there are no future actions for lack of payment. The answer is that Florida does allow income deduction orders to be entered against the party responsible for payment, which means that wages can be garnished for the support. Income deduction is an easy way for the obligor to pay the money owed and it allows the money to be direct deposited into the proper account. In addition, it allows for proper accounting of all monies paid so that accusations of nonpayment can be properly defended.
According to Florida Statute 61.103, an income deduction order can be entered in connection with an order that establishes the support obligation for child support or alimony. The income deduction order must state that an order for the obligation has been entered by the court and it must include the date the order was entered, the court that entered the order (i.e.

Jacksonville is the Fourth Judicial Circuit) and it must provide the court number associated with the original order.
Once the income deduction order is entered, the court must furnish the obligor with a statement rights and remedies associated therewith and provide details of the fees associated with the deduction, the amount to be deducted, that notice will be given to the obligor’s employer and that subsequent employers must be notified by the obligor, and other factors related to Title IV-D cases.
Income deduction orders can be a good tool used by both parties in a divorce, paternity or child support case because it helps protect the interests of both parties. and

February 10, 2011

Florida Divorce: Who Gets The House?

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Who gets the home in a Florida Divorce? This a common question in most of my clients’ cases. The answer is not that simple. The Court usually begins with the premise that the division of the home should be equal. Understandably, this raises a number of additional questions: How do we divide the house?; Do we sell it?; Who gets to live in the home if we can’t sell it or do not want to sell it?; and What if we can’t afford two separate households?

If there are minor children of the marriage the Court has to take into consideration who the children will be living with. The Court must consider whether it is in the best interests of the minor child for the parent with majority timesharing to remain in the marital home. Generally, absent compelling financial circumstances, the parent with the majority timesharing will retain the use and possession of the marital home until the minor child or children reaches majority or the parent remarries.

February 9, 2011

Requirements for Filing for Divorce in Florida

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Filing for divorce in Florida? Florida Statute 61.052 lays the ground work for filing for divorce in Florida. First, you must qualify by being a resident of Florida for at least six (6) months before filing a petition, then you must meet the requirements for a divorce to be granted.

In order to start a divorce, one party must file a petition for dissolution of marriage, which should allege the following: that the marriage is irretrievably broken or one spouse was adjudged mentally incapacitated at least three (3) years preceding the petition; whether there were children born, adopted or expected from the marriage; request for alimony; request child support; request for timesharing/parent plan; equitable distribution of marital assets and debts or unequal if there is a legitimate basis for the request (depletion of marital assets by one party); and any additional requests that may be sought.

The party that is served with the petition must file an answer to the petition within 20 days of the date of service. That party may also file a counter-petition requesting the same or similar things as those pled in the initial petition. If a counter-petition is filed, then an answer must also be filed to that petition within 20 days. Once everything is filed, then you can move on with the divorce by asking for a trial date.

During the time between filing a petition and before trial, there is a period of discovery, where both sides must provide documentation of their assets and debts along with a financial affidavit. There is a timeframe for all of the proper documentation to be provided to the other side.

Prior to attending a final hearing, the judge will require that you attend mediation to possibly settle the case before trial. Mediation is a chance for a neutral third party to assist both sides in working through some of the issues and hopefully settle their case without a trial.

February 8, 2011

Florida Residency Requirement for Filing Divorce

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

In Florida, to file for divorce, you must reside in the State for at least six (6) months prior to filing a petition with the court. The Florida residency requirement only requires one of the parties to have residence in Florida, to file here and actions can be brought against a party that resides outside of Florida.
An example would be if you and your spouse live in New York and decide to separate and during the separation you move to Florida for at least six (6) months, then you can file for divorce in Florida though your spouse still resides in New York. Typically, if there is an issue with children, the matters involving the children will be in the court where the children physically reside. However, the actual divorce, equitable distribution of assets, etc. can be decided by a Florida court.
The easiest method of proving your residence is by showing the Court a Florida drivers license. If you do not have one or it was not issued six months prior to your filing for divorce, then you can use the following: lease agreement that signed and dated; utility bill, in your name; or anything that may show the court that you have actually resided in Florida for six (6) months. If you do not have one of those available, then you may have a signed affidavit by someone that can attest that you have lived in Florida for the required time.

February 7, 2011

Do I Need A Prenuptial Agreement In A Florida Divorce?

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Florida Statute 61.079 governs premarital agreements in Florida.The definition of a premarital agreement per the statute is “an agreement between prospective spouses made in contemplation of marriage and to be effective upon marriage”. The agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties and is enforceable with no other consideration than the marriage itself.

The parties to a premarital agreement can contract with respect to property and its disposition, spousal support, the making of a will or trust to carry out the agreement, benefits from life insurance policies, the choice of law governing the agreement, and any other rights not in violation of law or public policy. Premarital agreements can be amended after the marriage with the consent of both parties.

Whether you need a premarital agreement in Florida is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer to the question posed in this article. However, you should take a careful look at your particular situation to decide if you need one. Some factors to consider are:
1) Disparity in income between the parties,
2) Whether one spouse has a number of family heirlooms that are valuable or a prior inheritance,
3) Prior marriages and debts,
4) Whether you are getting married for love or necessity (ie. unplanned pregnancy or immigration issue),
5) Extensive premarital assets including retirement benefits, or
6) One spouse owns a business and doesn’t want to risk the other spouse getting an interest in a divorce.

Failing to plan in any of the above scenarios could cost you a bundle should you go your separate ways.

February 4, 2011

A Social Investigation for a Parenting and Time-Sharing Plan is a Helpful Tool in Florida Divorce, Paternity and Modification Cases

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney

In Florida divorce, paternity, modification or other family law cases involving children, if the parents cannot agree on a parenting and time-sharing plan, then the Court may order a social investigation per Florida Statute 61.20.

A social investigation can be a helpful tool in deciding where the children will reside the majority of the time. When the court orders a social investigation, then the court may appoint the individual handling the investigation by the court’s own preference or by agreement of the parties. When the investigation is ordered by the court, the investigator is required to be a qualified staff of the court; an agency that works in child placement and licensed under Florida Statute 409.175; a licensed psychologist; or a licensed clinical social worker, marriage and family counselor, or mental health therapist.

Once the investigator is appointed, the parties and children will attend sessions with the individual and a final report with recommendations for a parenting and time-sharing plan will be provided to the parties and to the court. While the investigation is helpful and often relied upon, it is not a final statement of what will be ordered by the court. The parties can still discuss the parenting and time-sharing plan and may agree on terms that were not necessarily recommended in the report. The court may also review the report and deviate from the recommendations if the parties are still not able to reach an agreement. What the report does provide is a detailed analysis of the situation so that the court can ultimately rule in the best interest of the children, which is the standard in Florida for determining issues involving children.

February 2, 2011

Florida Visitation Guidelines and Time-Sharing Plan

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Jacksonville, Florida is in the Fourth Judicial Circuit of courts, prior to the 2007 legislative change from visitation to time-sharing, there was a standard visitation guidelines established by the court. Since time-sharing is a new concept for many people in Florida, the idea of the old “standard visitation schedule” seems to be used frequently in establishing a time-sharing plan. Because such schedules were developed by the court, each circuit court of Florida that used one had something different than the other. The difficulty I see with this issue is that often one parent will do research, find a schedule for visitation and try to apply it without court action. I often have clients call and ask me what “standard visitation,” is because the other parent told them that is what they have to do. Since there are different versions out there, often times my client does not know which one the other parent is even using. The legislative change to establish a time-sharing plan is designed to assist in this issue.

First, the Fourth Judicial Circuit visitation guidelines basically provided the minimum amount of visitation for the non-residential parent. According to this circuit, again each had their own standard; the non-residential parent received the following:
One day per week from after school got out until 8 p.m. one night per week, typically Wednesday; alternating weekends; alternating Thanksgiving from the day school got out until the day before returning to school; alternating Christmas break with one year from the day school got out until Christmas day at 3:00 p.m. and the next from 3:00 p.m. Christmas day through the day before school started; one-half summer and the other parent received alternating weekends; Mother’s Day with mom and Father’s day with dad; alternating birthdays; and other provisions.

If the standard visitation schedule was not working, often parents did not know what else to do because this was the court order and that is what they were going to follow. A time-sharing plan can still use these same ideas; however, it is designed to think through matters more intently so that parents can actually have time with the children greater than a minimum amount. Furthermore, some families celebrate different holidays than those accounted for in the above schedule, so the time-sharing plan takes those factors into consideration. The other thing that a time-sharing plan can assist with is developing a schedule that accommodates the parents and children since they often have more activities the older they get.

In dealing with any matter regarding children, the first step is to determine what the children’s needs are and go from there. Establishing a plan that makes sense on paper does not mean that it is going to be the right schedule in practice. Life is filled with the unexpected and having two households means that the unexpected can happen twice as often. Working through a time-sharing plan allows the parties to think through real issues before going in front of a judge and the plan can often be tweaked by agreement of the parties. In addition, it is an option to place in the plan that if the parties cannot agree on changes, then they will first go to mediation before filing for a modification of time-sharing with the court. This gives an opportunity for the parents to work through their disagreement with a neutral third party and hopefully, ultimately agree on a plan that will work.

It is not a good idea to inform the other party that you are making them go to guideline visitation because they will not understand and will not know to which set of guidelines you are referring. If you provide the parent with the guidelines that you wish to use, then allow him or her time to look over them and decide if they are agreeable. If you both have lawyers, then have yours provide your proposal to the other attorney. This can help in reaching the right time-sharing plan for both parties.

January 31, 2011

Benefits of a Florida Time-Sharing Plan in a Divorce or Paternity Case

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Written by: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney

Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

In Florida, Time-Sharing Plans have replaced the normal visitation schedules previously enforced by the courts. A Time-Sharing Plan is used in Florida divorce and paternity cases in order to assist the parents in scheduling visitation with their children. Visitation schedules, in the past, often provided for visits at times that were not practical for the children or parents. The idea of a Time-Sharing plan assists the parties in keeping the children first in developing the schedule.