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Why did I create My Florida Child Support Calculator? I often hear from potential clients after they have appeared in court and had their child support calculated. After doing some online research and reviewing the child support guidelines, they went to the hearing without a lawyer. They thought they had a rough estimate of the child support they would be ordered to…
Does divorce hurt your credit score? The quick answer is “yes.” But only in some situations. Your credit score is not automatically affected by your divorce. The Clerk of Court does not notify the credit bureaus that you are no longer married. Your credit score is hurt when your debts are not paid in a timely manner. At the end…
Florida law has long required divorcing couples with children to attend a “Parent Education and Family Stabilization” class aimed at educating the parents about the special challenges that await children of those divorcing couples. Parents involved in a paternity case are also required to take the class. In Duval County, this class, Children First in Divorce, has been offered by…
Over the last few years, there have been various attempts to “reform” Florida alimony laws. In April 2016, Governor Scott vetoed a bill due to a provision that had to do with a presumption that 50/50 time-sharing schedule was in the best interest of children. With the beginning of a new legislative session, a version of a new alimony reform…
I get a lot of phone calls from people who recently attended a hearing where their child support obligation was calculated. The number one complaint is that they are not sure that the calculation is correct. They tell me that they were presented with a piece of paper with a lot of numbers on it – but no explanation about…
If you are thinking about an international trip with your child and you are not married to the child’s other parent, there are a few steps you need to take to obtain the necessary permission of the child’s other parent. In fact, each country has its own requirements for children traveling with only one parent – even if the parents…
Transcript of video: First off, you don’t need to mediate your case if you already have an agreement. In that case, you should hire an attorney to make sure the papers are prepared correctly and to quickly guide your case through the court system. If you don’t already have an agreement, you can benefit from mediation in three ways. The…
Question: What happens to an IRA or 401k in a divorce in Florida? An IRA or 401(k) are retirement accounts that offer the benefit of deferring income tax to the future. Typically, these accounts are marital assets to the extent they were created or contributed to during the marriage. Generally, three situations arise involving these types of retirement accounts. The…
Usually once each month, I get a call from a potential client who basically asks me if they should get divorced. My general rule is that I will not encourage people to get divorced. If you want to get divorced, I’m here to help. But I don’t want to be the reason that couples divorce. The exception to that rule…
A High Conflict Divorce is a divorce where the parties are essentially at war and use their lawyers and the court system as their weapons. The parties typically recognize (or are told) very early in the process that waging this type of “war” will be very expensive. They don’t care. A recent article discusses some of the traits common to…