Jacksonville Divorce Attorney BlogIn my practice as a Jacksonville family law attorney, and especially as a Jacksonville child custody lawyer, I turn to facebook to find out information on the opposing spouse in child custody cases in Florida. For example, if a spouse is seeking to gain custody in Florida and posts on Facebook or match.com that he/she is single with no children then that information significantly helps my client’s child custody in Jacksonville. Facebook and other online social media sites turn the email world into real-life court-room divorce in Florida drama. If you need assistance with a divorce or child custody in Florida, please contact a Florida Divorce Attorney or ,Jacksonville divorce lawyer to help you. I am available at 904-685-1200 to answer any of your questions about divorce in Florida.
Articles Posted in Divorce
Child Custody in Florida: Visitation
Every Jacksonville Child Custody Attorney and every Florida Divorce Lawyer can tell you that child custody and visitation are big battles. The amount of time a parent spends with the children can effect the child support obligation so custody and visitation are important to child support. Please contact a Jacksonville Child Support Lawyer or Jacksonville Child Custody Attorney to discuss how child support can be effected by how much time you get to spend with your children. Call me at 904-685-1200.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…
As a practicing Florida Family Law Lawyer in Jacksonville, Florida, I deal in divorce law issues on a daily basis. When the client who has never been through a divorce in Florida comes into my office, one of the first things I notice throughout my dealings with the client is that they ALWAYS tend to sweat the small stuff that comes with divorce. Often, when one is entrenched in custody issues and child support issues or relocation issues, people tend to get caught up in the little battles that ultimately mean nothing. A Florida Child Custody Attorney or Jacksonville Divorce Lawyer can help you navigate the legal issues and help you to prepare for the legal aspects of your case rather than sweating the small stuff. Please contact a Jacksonville Family Law Lawyer to help you or call me directly at 904-685-1200.
Can I discharge my support obligation in Bankruptcy?
As a Jacksonville Divorce Lawyer I am hearing the question more and more if a child support or an alimony obligation is dischargeable in bankruptcy. When couples divorce, many times, one party files for bankruptcy believing that any financial obligation to the other party will be dischargeable in the bankruptcy. NOT SO! Intrigued? Read on…
A Jacksonville Child Support Lawyer or a Jacksonville Divorce Lawyer can explain that the support obligation can come in many forms such as alimony, child support, money owed to a spouse, or a money obligation incurred during a divorce agreement. A Florida Family Law Lawyer should explain that in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the spouse will still have to pay and will not be able to discharge the debt. When the bankruptcy is over, the spouse will still owe the debt to the other spouse.
If you or your spouse are having to file for bankruptcy, I encourage you to explore the idea of filing a joint case. This may be more beneficial to both of you in the end. If you are considering bankruptcy, you should check with a Florida Bankruptcy Attorney for more information. Please call our firm at 904-685-1200 for more information.
How do I win custody in Florida?
Ask any Jacksonville Family Law Lawyer or Jacksonville Custody Lawyer how to win custody of your children and you could get a different answer with each divorce/family lawyer. One thing is for certain. If you are in the midst of a custody battle, no matter what your religious affiliation, you must live as though you are at the foot of the cross. Anything and everything is fair game when your soon to be ex is fighting you for your kids. Watch what you post on facebook, twitter, and myspace. This gives Jacksonville custody attorneys a lot of information on your real activities. Of course everyone acts like an angel in front of a Florida family court judge, but the evidence can sometimes be the proof in the pudding. If you have a custody or divorce case, please call a Florida family lawyer for expert help. Our firm has almost 20 years experience in handling divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, adoption, modification and visitation among other areas of practice. Please contact us at 904-685-1200 to arrange a consultation to help you.
The Devil’s Playground
Could it be that the devil’s playground is the house next door? In April 2008, a Jacksonville man was arrested on charges of child pornography and the government seized his $280,000.00 home as it was determined to have been used in the commission of the crime. The police and the state can seize a person’s property such as a home, vehicle, money, etc. if it can be determined that the property was used in the commission of the crime for which the defendant was arrested. It appears that the Jacksonville man had almost 20,000 photographs and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit acts. Since the man viewed these pictures and videos in his home, and the crime was furthered in his home, the state had the right to seize the entire home. Now he is living in an even bigger house as he was sentenced to four years in Florida State Prison.
Marijuana Drug Arrests Are “High” in Jacksonville
There is no doubt about it. We are losing the “war” on drugs. Last year, 2007, almost 2 million people were arrested on drug charges according to the FBI. Almost 1 million of those arrested were arrested for offenses involving marijuana. Of those nearly 1 million arrested for marijuana related offenses, 89% were arrested for mere possession of marijuana. There are severe consequences for an arrest for possession of marijuana including drivers license revocation, job loss, professional licensing revocations, governmental aid revocations and more. Additionally, an arrest requires a defense in court. In the United States, the government has spent billions on the war on drugs which has created the additional expense of prosecuting all of the increased arrests. According to the FBI, 20% of the inmates in State prisons are there for drug related offenses. Jacksonville has seen a dramatic increase in drug related arrests for 2008 due to increases in police presence in high drug areas. The drugs business is a big business for all involved including the government. As a matter of fact, First Coast News 12 has just reported that a Jacksonville man entered a McDonald’s and attempted to pay for his meal with marijuana! The McDonald’s employee called 911 and the man was arrested. Just add him to the 89% statistic…and its going up by the hour.
Broken Engagements and The Ring
In my Jacksonville, Florida divorce practice, many people going through a divorce ask me if they are entitled to get the ring back. Normally, Florida divorce courts view engagement rings in a contractual sense. The ring is given in contemplation of marriage and if the marriage does not occur then the ring should be returned. However, as a Jacksonville divorce lawyer, I have researched many articles regarding the moral vs. legal obligation in reference to engagement rings. If you have a question about divorce and/or the engagement ring, please call a Florida divorce attorney or call me at 904-685-1200 for expert advice on what you should do.
Divorce in Florida: What Do We Do With The Marital Home?
In a divorce in Jacksonville, Florida, Florida divorce attorneys used to treat the marital home as an asset but are now having to treat the marital home as a huge debt.If the marital home does not sell in a timely manner, the result has a direct impact on Florida child support, spousal support, debt division, living arrangements and tax consequences of the parties.
The slow market has created difficulties for the parties because most of the time, the marital home has not sold by the time the divorce is being finalized. This creates questions regarding who is going to be responsible for the mortgage? Who gets to live in the home while it is on the market? Which party gets the mortgage interest deduction? This scenario needs creative solutions and practitioners are now being called on to help divorcing parties navigate through the muddy waters of the present market. Please call a Jacksonville Florida Divorce Attorney to help you navigate these waters. I am available to speak with you at 904-685-1200.
Between Divorce in Florida and a Hard Place? Temporary Needs is the answer!
If you’re going through a Florida divorce and need a Florida divorce attorney and have already filed the initial pleadings yourself, how do you know which party is supposed to pay for what? What can you do when you’re waiting for the Florida divorce to be finalized? A TEMPORARY NEEDS HEARING is the answer! In a temporary needs hearing, a judge will look at each party’s income to debt ratio and order a temporary spousal support, child support and marital debt payments. The temporary needs hearing is probably the most important hearing during the dissolution process before finalization occurs. It helps to set the tone for the rest of the Jacksonville, Florida divorce process and it also identifies the responsibilities of each party regarding the marital debts. If you are suffering financially pending finalization of your divorce, please contact our office at 904-685-1200 to talk to a divorce lawyer about helping you through this process.