Author Archives: Jay Butchko
3 Ways to Divide Marital Business in a Florida Divorce
If you and your spouse co-own or operate a business together, dividing what could be your most valuable asset can be a complicated, time-consuming, and costly experience during a divorce in Florida. When a marital business is involved in a divorce, the divorcing couples must not only properly evaluate the business but also agree… Read More »
Florida Divorce: What if You Cannot Find Your Spouse to Serve the Divorce Papers?
When beginning any legal process, including a divorce case, one party must file a petition, and then the other party must be served with the papers. But what happens if the responding party cannot be found or located? Does your inability to locate your spouse, let alone serve the legal documents, prevent you from… Read More »
Things to Consider When Creating a Long-Distance Parenting Plan
Most parents create a parenting plan after getting divorced or ending a relationship involving children. However, when one parent relocates to a different state or country for work-related or other reasons, adhering to a standard parenting plan or timesharing can be problematic. For this reason, parents who have a significant distance between them opt… Read More »
Does It Matter Who Files for Florida Divorce First?
Sometimes, when both spouses are considering initiating a divorce, it may seem as if they are competing in who files for divorce first. But does it even matter who files first in Florida? Can you get the upper hand by being the “petitioner,” also known as the first party to initiate the process? Why… Read More »
Can You Lower Child Support if the Coronavirus Crisis Affected Your Ability to Pay?
Many individuals and families are already experiencing the economic burden caused by the coronavirus crisis. For divorced persons, the obligations to pay child support and/or alimony may be unbearable, especially for those who were furloughed or laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. Naturally, the parent who was obliged to pay child support but is… Read More »
5 Ways COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts Divorce Cases in Florida
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on Floridians and other people across the nation. Business closures left many people with no means to earn a living, while court closures affected Floridians’ ability to start the divorce process during the coronavirus crisis. If you are one of those with a pending divorce case… Read More »
Can Adultery Impact Your Alimony Award in Florida?
From the emotional standpoint, adultery – or engaging in extramarital affairs during a marriage – can have a significant impact on a divorce case. But what about the legal effect of adultery? Will infidelity impact your divorce case or your alimony award in Florida? Ever since Florida’s family law put an end to fault-based… Read More »
Is There Any Recourse for Domestic Violence Victims in Florida During the Coronavirus Outbreak?
There is no question that the coronavirus outbreak continues to affect more and more family law issues here in Florida every week, from divorced parents concerned about having to potentially send their child to the other parent’s household even though they could be exposed to the virus there, to couples that feel constrained by… Read More »
Divorce Inquiries Soar with The Coronavirus—Here’s What You Can Do Now to Protect Yourself
There is no question that the coronavirus has brought a number of challenges into everyone’s lives, especially when it comes to family law issues. People have already experienced a significant amount of stress related to how the virus affects parenting plans and time sharing arrangements, especially if one parent has taken drastic measures, such… Read More »
If I Am a First Responder Helping Sick Patients, Could I Have My Children Taken Away?
The initial first few weeks of school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic created significant confusion for divorced parents trying to figure out how their parenting plans and time-sharing schedules worked in the face of a pandemic. While some states like Florida stayed quiet in terms of providing guidance, other states such as Texas… Read More »