Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Florida child support is determined by the income of both parties. Florida has child support guidelines that provide a calculation to figure out what is owed to a parent.
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Alimony can be used to help finish or get an education after a divorce is final. In Florida, alimony can be used as a rehabilitative form of support to help the needing spouse get a degree or certification to make it easier to qualify for a job.
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Alimony in Florida does not have a calculation that can be used to determine the amount of alimony in a divorce. Florida law has been quiet on a fair amount for alimony, but has provided guidelines for the length of alimony. So, how is alimony calculated in Florida?
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Mental and physical illnesses are often prevalent issues in divorces. A divorce, even for two healthy and fit individuals can be stressful, so the impact is even greater on those that are not.
When divorcing, dividing personal property and assets can be the most challenging part of any case. When going through a divorce it is important to remember not to sweat the small stuff because it can ruin a good agreement.
When going through a divorce it is important to remember that emotional decisions are not always the best or the best use of your time and money. Mediation is required in Florida divorces and you will have ample notice of when mediation will be. Prior to that time, it is a good idea to take stock of your personal items and what is important for you to keep. Try to think in terms of items that are important and hold value to you versus just wanting something to fight over when trying to equally divide the property.
Mediation is an opportunity to work through the issues of your case and hopefully reach an agreement. You don’t want to be at the end of your mediation having resolved the hard issues of visitation/Time-sharing and alimony only to start fitting over a set of plates.
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Divorce papers, in the initial reading, can be scary and frustrating because a petition is designed to ask for everything but the kitchen sink. However, you can also file a petition of your own, asking for similar things, in the form of a counter-petition. In addition to your option of filing a counter-petition you MUST file an answer to the petition either admitting or denying each allegation within 20 days from when you were served.
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Is there such thing as regular visitation in Florida and what does guideline visitation mean? Time-sharing has replaced term visitation in Florida and primary time-sharing parent has taken the place of custodial parent. So, with visitation having changed does that mean that visitation guidelines have disappeared? In some jurisdictions, such as Duval County, Florida, the guidelines exist for purposes of assisting with a time-sharing plan, but are no longer the standard used by the court.
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
Pet visitation is often a request I get as a Jacksonville divorce lawyer. Often, clients come in asking what will happen with their pet in the divorce and whether they can have visitation. While pets do feel like a child to many people and families, the law has not really caught-up. Florida law indicates that property is to be equally divided and that if there are children that there be a parenting and time-sharing plan; however, Florida does not provide a separate law for family pets.
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
What do shared and sole parental responsibility mean when going through a divorce or family law action in Florida? Parental responsibility gives parents the right to make decisions they feel are in the best interest of their children, such as the following: public or private schooling; participating in sports; seeing grandparents; etc. When a family is divided through divorce or circumstance (i.e. a paternity action), then there becomes a question of whether one parent should get to make those decisions or if the responsibility should be shared equally by the parents (e.g. sole parental responsibility or shared parental responsibility).
Written By: Lenorae C. Atter, Attorney
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
When should I fight for custody of my kids in Florida? Florida no longer recognizes custody as an issue in divorces, but has established the term, “time-sharing.” However, the same principals apply as previously, which include determining the parent that should have the majority time-sharing with the children. Often, parents can agree that one parent has been with the children the primary amount of time during the marriage and that things should remain as they have been with other parent receiving alternating weekends and some weeknight visitation (i.e. time-sharing). However, other situations exist where both parents have been around the children an equal amount of time, both feel they participate equally with the children and both feel they should have the children the majority of the time, that is when a custody or time-sharing battle may ensue.
