Some of the major decisions to be made by a divorce court:

Parenting

This category covers everything about the kids. In Florida a document known as a parenting plan must exist by the time final judgment rolls around. It could be created by agreement or imposed by a decision of the court. A parenting plan is a long, comprehensive plan that lays out where the kids sleep, where they eat, where they go to school, holidays, travel, religion, medical, etc, etc. Florida divorce law has a special place for children and judges always consider the best interests of the kids. If you have an active divorce case with children – you can be sure a large portion of the case will be devoted to deciding what is best for the children.

Division of Assets and Debts:

The second biggest issue is how to divide assets and debts. The starting point for assets and debts: anything created during the marriage is divided and anything created before the marriage is not divided. But then we tinker with that basic starting point to try to bring “fairness” to the end result. Florida divorce law uses a system call equitable distribution. That system incorporates may different exceptions to the basic starting point. For example, if a spouse used a large amount of money that existed before the marriage to buy a house during the marriage – that spouse can possibly claim a larger share of the marital home. Division of debts is tricky and must incorporate creativity. And a universal rule is that larger amounts of money create more fighting.

Alimony

Alimony is a very emotional subject because it creates obligations and privileges that last far beyond the end of the marriage. We have situations where the alimony fight overshadows all other issues. Alimony is not just a male to female issue anymore. Now, more than every, men are seeking alimony. And to make it even more complex, there is an alimony reform law hanging in the air. If the marriage is fairly long term, and the spouses earn dramatically different incomes then alimony will be a big issue.

Child Support

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All Other Issues

All other issues is a mouthful in a Florida divorce. because that one phrase encompasses hundreds of issues. A sample of “all other issues” :

• Who gets the vehicles?
• Which spouse lives in the house during the case?
• How will we operate the family business?
• Who gets the animals?
• How will we protect a spouse from domestic violence?
• Can the children be relocated?
• What medical procedure will the children receive?
• Which church will we use?
• Who pays the bills during the case?

This list can go on and on. In a marriage that has lasted a dozen years or more there is an impossible entanglement of personal issues. The court must sort through those issues and decide how each spouse will live as a single adult. Kids add even more complication.

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Your Game Plan for a Florida Divorce

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