How long does mediation take?
It can vary depending on the number of issues that need to be discussed and the complexity of each one of those individual issues. At the very least, it could take an hour, but it can last an entire day, it just depends on how much needs to be discussed, how much back and forth […]
How much does a private adoption cost in a dependency case?
That can very greatly on the amount, depending on the amount of work or time that’s required to get to finalization. However, in most cases it’s not necessarily outside the realm of possibility for the average person going trying to a dependency case. Even an indigent client who’s maybe got a court appointed attorney in […]
Do the wishes of a child have any influence in custody or timesharing decisions in Florida?
The court can sometimes entertain the wishes of the child. The court’s going to have to basically take a look at the age of the child and the emotional and intellectual maturity of the child, and then make a determination as to whether or not it’s going to be able to consider that opinion or […]
How is the amount of child support determined in Florida?
In Florida, child support is determined according to what it costs the guidelines. The guidelines are set forth in the statutes that basically set up a math problem for the courts to follow when they’re awarding the amounts of child support. Part of the things that are important in this math problem are basically the […]
If child support is not paid must visitation be allowed in Florida?
In Florida, visitation, or time sharing, as we call it in child support payments, are two entirely separate issues. They’re ordered for separate reasons. So if one spouse doesn’t pay child support, it does not entitle the other spouse at that point to withhold time sharing or visitation with their children. The failure to pay […]
What is the first thing that I should do if I am served with a summons and complaint in Florida?
When you’re served with a summons in a complaint in the state of Florida, basically the clock starts running at that point. You have 20 days to respond to it. The first thing you should do is take note of what the date was that you were served, because 20 calendar days past that is […]
Can grandparents open a child support case to establish support for their grandchildren?
Under Florida law, grandparents have no custodial rights or right to have child support awarded. However, in certain circumstances if they’ve been appointed as guardians for their grandchildren or if the custody has been voluntarily relinquished by both parents to the grandparents, at that point, they will be placed in the position of the parents […]
Can grandparents be awarded custody or timesharing of their grandchildren in Florida?
The short answer is no. Grandparents in the state of Florida do not enjoy any sort of custodial or time sharing rights with their grandchildren. Up until about 2009 there was a Cause of Action in place in the statutes for grandparents to pursue this, but after 2009 it was changed to eliminate any sort […]
Can a Florida court order drug testing of the parents when determining custody or time sharing?
A Florida court can indeed order testing of one spouse or the other, or the one parent or the other, at the conclusion of the case prior to exercising time sharing with the minor child. But it’s going to require a very strict showing of the need for this to happen. That’s an invasion into […]
Are Florida courts more likely to award custody or time sharing to mothers than to fathers?
The short answer is no. Florida courts in times past sometimes provided a presumption of correctness to the mother, being the best person to take care of the minor children for the majority of the time. At the end of the day now, with the statutory scheme that’s in place there is no presumption for […]