Why Florida Custody Cases Start at 50/50, and How to Actually Document Your Life For Future Custody Cases Most parents walk into a Florida custody mediation expecting the day they finally get to explain what has been happening. That is not what mediation is, and learning that in the room is a painful way to …
Greyson’s Law in Brevard County: When Threats Against a Parent Become Evidence About the Child Before July 2023, a Florida judge weighing a custody dispute often couldn’t act on a parent’s threats unless those threats had produced a criminal conviction — and unless they were aimed squarely at the child. A parent could terrorize the …
Preparing for Your Marital Settlement Agreement and Parenting Plan: A Client’s Checklist What to gather, what to think about, and what to leave to your attorney before drafting begins. If you are heading into a divorce in Florida, two documents will define your future: the Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) and, if you have minor children, …
Attorney Fees in family court Rhoden Law Group, the firm handling All Things Family Attorney’s Fees in Florida Family and Paternity Cases Three pathways to a fee award, the reason requests rarely succeed at early hearings, and why evidence of bad conduct usually does its real work elsewhere. “Can I get the other parent to …
Co-Parenting in Florida: What the Law Requires and What Your Children Actually Need When a relationship ends and children are involved, the legal process is only one part of what lies ahead. The other part — the longer, harder, more personal part — is learning to co-parent. In Florida, co-parenting is not simply a preference …
Challenging a GAL Report vs. a Social Investigation: What Florida Law Actually Allows Bonnie Klein Rhoden, Esquire, Candidate MS Forensic Psychology This page is a companion to our overview of the difference between a Guardian ad Litem and a Social Investigator in Florida family law. If you have not read that page yet, it provides …
Guardian ad Litem vs. Social Investigator in Florida Family Law Two distinct court-appointed roles — different statutory foundations, different duties, different protections. Here’s what the law actually says. Bonnie Klein Rhoden, Esquire, Candidate MS Forensic Psychology These two roles are frequently confused — and sometimes conflated — in Florida family court proceedings. They have different …
Florida law provides specific grounds under Florida Statute 61.079 for challenging the enforceability of a premarital agreement. Courts apply these statutory standards alongside traditional contract principles. Understanding how these challenges arise is essential in evaluating both the strength and vulnerability of a marital agreement. Lack of Voluntariness A marital agreement may be unenforceable if a …
Contract Law Rules That Control Marital Agreements in Florida Marital agreements—including prenuptial and postnuptial agreements—are governed not only by statute, including Florida Statute 61.079, but also by longstanding principles of contract law. Florida courts consistently evaluate these agreements through the lens of traditional contract formation and enforcement doctrines. Understanding these contract principles is essential to …
Florida’s Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (UPAA) Florida’s Uniform Premarital Agreement Act, or UPAA, sets the statewide standard for how courts evaluate prenuptial agreements. Adopted in 2007 and codified at Florida Statute § 61.079, the UPAA replaced older case law with clear rules governing voluntariness, disclosure, and fairness. For couples in Brevard County—from Melbourne and Viera …
