Recent Blog Posts

Undoing Paternity
Becoming a parent is no small event, and while most couples happily welcome a new child, the same amount of joy may be lacking for men unsure of the child’s paternity. Paternity, from a legal standpoint, typically refers to establishing a legal father for children born out of wedlock. Children born to married couples… Read More »

The Basics of Filing for Divorce in Florida
Taking that final step, and deciding to proceed with divorce, is often difficult and fraught with emotion. But, this moment is just the start of a process that could last for months, and potentially involve a lot of tension and conflict over issues like child custody and property division. Florida, in particular, has one… Read More »

Regrouping if Divorce Mediation Fails
Divorce often leaves both parties with a lot of anger and other negative emotions that can be difficult to overcome during the dissolution process. In order to reduce the amount of conflict, which is important to many spouses with children, the parties enter mediation to settle unresolved issues, such as child custody and property… Read More »

Weighing Annulment vs. Divorce
When couples contemplate ending a marriage, rarely does the thought of asking for annulment, instead of divorce, occur to them. While most people have some vague idea of what annulment means, many associate it with a religious procedure intended to erase the marriage. Religious-based annulments certainly exist, but are wholly separate from the civil… Read More »

Navigating Summer Vacations and Shared Custody of Your Child
Children impatiently wait for summer vacation most the year, as they dream about being free from the strictures of school and schedules. For parents, however, this time of year can bring a lot of stress, especially if they share custody of a child. Planning summer getaways and figuring out child care when school is… Read More »

How Courts Treat Spousal Gifts in Divorce
Exchanging gifts with friends and family is a traditional way to show how much one cares, and even before marriage, exchanging gifts between spouses is common, even expected to some extent. When the relationship is good, the effort and expense of obtaining and sharing gifts between spouses are not given a second thought. However,… Read More »

How Will the New Rules in Family Court Cases Affect You?
Entering the legal process to resolve disputes is a stressful and overwhelming situation for most people. Many of the procedures and terms used by court officials and attorneys sound foreign and intimidating to the participants. Divorce is one of the most common ways people interact with the legal system, and any matter concerning family… Read More »

Does Florida Permit Relatives to Adopt a Child?
The notion of adoption is usually associated with a couple working with an adoption agency to add a baby or young child to their family. Certainly, this type of adoption does happen on a regular basis, but as recently discussed on this blog, there are other kinds of adoption that do not involve strangers… Read More »

How to Petition for a Stepparent Adoption in Florida
Most depictions of stepparents in the media present callous individuals who detest any children from the first marriage. This image of the cruel stepparent diminishes the many caring and healthy relationships shared between stepchildren and their stepparents. In fact, some stepparents become so attached they petition to adopt the stepchild, thereby assuming all rights… Read More »

Child Custody Concerns for Military Personnel Post-Divorce
Having and raising a family while being an active member of the military is no easy task. Being away from one’s children and spouse during the long periods of deployment is hard because this parent misses out on a lot of childhood milestones and daily life experiences. Deployment is known to put strains on… Read More »