Divorce can be a difficult and emotionally charged experience for everyone involved, especially children. One of the most crucial aspects to navigate during this process is determining parenting time, formerly known as visitation. In Florida, courts prioritize the child’s best interests above all else when establishing parenting plans. This means a judge will meticulously examine various factors to ensure a…
Child custody and visitation arrangements are ordered in a divorce based on the principle that a child benefits from having continued relationships with both parents. However, with time, there can be changes of circumstances, including a desire by one parent to relocate a considerable distance away from the other. Sometimes the planned move is to another state or across the…
Effective July 1, 2023, a new Florida law creates a revised procedure for unmarried fathers to establish paternity, child support and visitation. The result is that many unwed fathers can now receive parental rights that were previously exclusive to the mother of a newborn child. Under prior law, without a court order establishing a timesharing schedule and parental responsibility, an…
Family court judges face difficult decisions regarding parenting plans and time-sharing when a parent has allegedly engaged in threatening behavior against their former partner. Florida law calls for minor children to have frequent and meaningful contact with both parents. In some cases, courts have discounted claims of intimidation during disputes over time-sharing. Determining whether such a claim has merit or…
As international marriages have become more common, so has the incidence of international child abduction. This occurs when a parent, or sometimes another relative or acquaintance, takes a child from their country of habitual residence without authority to do so. If your child has been illegally taken, you may have remedies available under the Hague Abduction Convention and/or federal law.…
Child custody and visitation issues can be difficult and emotional under the best of circumstances. When one or both parties have moved to another country, the situation becomes much more complicated. There are two circumstances in which foreign nations may be involved in child custody and visitation disputes. The first is when a parent takes the child out of the…
There is currently no presumption in favor of equal physical custody, or time sharing, between divorced parents in Florida. Under state law, all parenting and time-sharing issues are based on what the court believes to be in the best interests of the child. While a judge will assess every situation individually, Florida courts favor frequent and continuing contact with both…
Under Florida law, all parenting and time-sharing decisions are based on what courts believe to be in the best interest of the child. While Florida courts favor parents sharing responsibilities for their children as much as possible following divorce, those decisions must take the child’s welfare and parents’ fitness into account. Child custody is divided into two categories: time-sharing and…