Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution that is mandatory in a Florida divorce, paternity, or modification case, but many people do not see the process as the benefit it is. During mediation, the two parties will meet with a mediator who is an unbiased and uninterested person in the case. …
Jacksonville Adoption Attorney, Neil Weinreb helps clients understand what is an adoption under Florida Law? In Florida an adoption is a process whereby an individual can become the legal parent of a child. It can result in a greater level of fulfillment to the lives of adoptive parents. It can…
Few people want to accept responsibility for a lifelong obligation that they were not responsible for. There is more than one way under Florida law to create a parental relationship with a child. Not all relationships in today’s society follow the model that involved a two parent family whereby the…
Child support is essentially a payment from the higher income parent to the lower income parent. Child support and timesharing have an interesting relationship. The law values the child and parent relationship. A parent’s right to timesharing is not dependent upon being current in child support. It is a frequent…
SHOULD CHILDREN BE PERMITTED TO TESTIFY IN A CUSTODY CASE? One of the most common questions we get is if children can or should be allowed to testify in a divorce or child custody case. Self-represented litigants in Florida occasionally come to court with a child in anticipation that the…
It’s only natural that when a step parent has been a major father or mother figure in a child’s life that the subject of adoption comes up. It makes official what has already been a reality for quite awhile. How complicated is step parent adoption in Florida? The step parent…
In 2009, a 14 year old girl was raped in Massachusetts and became pregnant. Her attacker, Jaime Melendez, pled guilty to rape charges and was sentenced to 16 years probation. He was also brought into family court and ordered to pay $110 per week in child support, according to a…
I live life with the blessing of being fascinated by small, simple things. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about the new seedlings that have sprouted in my garden. It’s a very warm and fuzzy feeling, but It’s not quite like bringing a new child into…
On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6, which prohibits the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens. This law went into effect on January 1, 2013. Prior to traveling to Russia, The United States State Department strongly encourages families, in cooperation with…
In my role as a family law adoption attorney in Jacksonville, Florida, I find that people often think adoption in Florida is only for families seeking an infant or other small child incapable of taking care of him or herself. Adoptions are confidential in many states and as such, hard…