Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Florida’s New Paternity Law
In most states, when two people share a child, but aren’t married, the father must typically file a paternity action followed by separate custody proceedings in order to obtain parental rights. Until a recent change in the law, Florida numbered itself among these states. Since July, however, Florida residents have been governed by a… Read More »
Alimony Can Give a Person Enough Time to Become Self-Supporting
Financial issues often end up being the most complicated issues faced by divorcing couples. This is especially true for those who earn significantly less than a soon-to-be former spouse. Fortunately, there are certain types of alimony, including bridge-the-gap and rehabilitative alimony, that were specifically designed to help a lesser earning spouse become self-supporting. Read… Read More »
What Will Your Holiday Time-Sharing Schedule Look Like?
While many people look forward to the latter end of the year as a time to celebrate together with family members and engage in holiday traditions, this time of year can become a bit more difficult to navigate when two parents are divorced or separated. The best way to avoid disagreements over who gets… Read More »
Tips for Co-Parenting During the Holidays
The holidays can become a flashpoint for conflict when two co-parents are trying to grapple with a time-sharing schedule and also contend with the emotional upheavals that can accompany spending a holiday apart from their child. We know how stressful this time of year can be and so have included a few tips that… Read More »
Drafting a Florida Parenting Plan
In Florida, couples with children can’t officially get divorced until they come up with a parenting plan that outlines how they will share custody. These agreements must contain certain information, including not only a visitation schedule, but also a description of how the parents will share parental responsibilities. A failure to include any of… Read More »
Calculating Durational Alimony Under the New Florida Alimony Law
This year, Florida lawmakers passed a sweeping alimony reform law that officially went into effect in July. Besides abolishing permanent alimony, the new law also modified the formula used for calculating durational alimony and placed significant limits on the duration and amounts of those awards. Read on to learn more about the ins and… Read More »
Extending a Domestic Violence Injunction in Florida
When a Florida judge enters a domestic violence injunction, the protections offered by that order don’t remain in place indefinitely, but will expire on a certain date. Many victims of domestic violence, rightfully fearing the loss of those protections, wish to extend those deadlines. Fortunately, in certain cases, courts are willing to extend domestic… Read More »
What Kinds of Temporary Financial Relief Can be Awarded During a Florida Divorce?
In Florida, a divorce can’t be finalized until certain issues have been addressed, like alimony, property division, and child custody. While some of those resolutions will be permanent (e.g. property settlement agreements), courts are also willing to issue temporary awards. As their name implies, these kinds of awards are designed to remain in effect… Read More »
Commingling Marital and Separate Assets
During a divorce, a couple’s assets are typically divided into two categories: marital property and separate property. Marital property is made up of those assets that a couple acquired during the course of a marriage, while separate property is composed of assets acquired before the marriage actually took place. In most cases, an asset… Read More »
The Tax Repercussions of Divorce
While taxes may be the last thing on a divorcing couple’s mind, the reality is that ending a marriage does come with significant and far-reaching tax-related repercussions. Alimony and a name or filing status change, for instance, are only a few things that divorcing parties should be sure to consider. Read on to learn… Read More »
