Skilled Florida Attorney Handling Divorce, Child Custody, and Other Important Family Law Matters
No other legal matters affect clients as personally and profoundly as family law matters. The emotions you feel as you’re going through a divorce, battling for access to your children in a time-sharing (custody) hearing, or attempting to enforce a family law court order are unlike anything else.
At the same time, it helps to have an experienced attorney who is able to soberly and deliberately apply your situation to Florida law so she can effectively advocate for your interests. Candice Dixon Law, P.A. has helped countless Floridians efficiently resolve stressful family law matters so they can retain bonds with their cherished family members.
Divorce
Having to even contemplate divorce can make you feel quite lonely. However, there are tens of millions of Americans who know how you feel. Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. Divorcing your spouse does not mean you have failed. Divorce is the right thing to do for so many spouses.
Divorce can take as little as a few weeks or multiple years. The two factors that most affect the length of any given divorce are:
- The level of cooperation between the spouses; and
- The number of issues that need to be resolved in the divorce.
Time-Sharing (Child Custody)
Without a doubt, the question of child custody is the most significant issue to be resolved in a divorce. However, what people think of as child custody in Florida is referred to as “time-sharing.” The time-sharing agreement between two co-parents is compiled into a parenting plan. Parenting plans contain instructions for time-sharing—where minor children will be for the school year, summer, and holidays.
A co-parent in Florida may have shared or sole time-sharing. Shared time-sharing means both co-parents have roughly the same amount of time with their minor children. Sole time-sharing means that one co-parent has the kids the majority of the time or all the time. While it’s not unusual for one co-parent to have his or her minor children the majority of the time, such as during the school year, it’s unusual for a co-parent to have no physical contact with his or her kids.
Parental Responsibility
Parental responsibility is actually the second type of child custody in Florida. Having parental responsibility means you have the authority to make certain decisions for your minor child regarding health care, educational, and religious matters. Most often, co-parents have shared parental responsibility. This means both co-parents have at least some say in their children’s upbringing.
Rarely, though, one parent will have sole parental responsibility. If this is the case, the other co-parent is often unfit due to mental health issues, substance abuse, or a criminal record. Whatever the time-sharing or parental responsibility arrangement, it must be in the child’s best interests.
Modification and Enforcement
After the divorce, it’s quite common for a family law court order to need a modification. Ex-partners who agree to the modification of a parenting plan, child support, or alimony order must get the approval of a judge. Most of the time, judges approve modifications proposed and agreed to by co-parents.
If one co-parent wants to modify a court order and the other disagrees, the co-parent seeking the modification must file a petition in court. If the petitioner shows a substantial change in circumstances and the proposed modification is in the best interests of the child. This is not easily done, though, and requires the help of an experienced attorney.
Enforcement comes into play when a co-parent or ex-spouse doesn’t follow a court order. There are a variety of ways someone could be encouraged to comply with an order. For instance, the state could revoke a co-parent’s driver’s license, garnish his wages, or even jail him for refusing to pay child support.
Talk to an Attorney Today
Experience counts when resolving family law matters. You deserve caring and empathetic legal representation while you’re going through a divorce or child custody battle. To discuss your needs with our team today, contact us here
