Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Living Together Outside of Marriage: Legal Pitfalls That You May Face When You Separate
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there has been a 30 percent increase over the last decade in the number of couples who choose to simply live together rather than getting married. A recent Forbes article reports that 8.3 million unmarried couples lived together in 2015. While it doesn’t sound very romantic to prepare… Read More »
Financial Disclosure Forms and Your Florida Divorce
Like many other states, Florida court requires both spouses in most divorce proceedings to complete a Family Law Financial Affidavit. The point of this form is to make the divorce process as transparent as possible. This step ensures that both spouses know about all property and debts that exist, which may be subject to… Read More »
Completing the Florida Parenting Plan: What You Need to Know
Florida divorce laws require that when you are getting divorced and have minor children, you must complete a parenting plan that sets forth your intentions about timesharing, child-related responsibilities, and child support. The point of a Florida parenting plan is to help you and your spouse work out arrangements for your child following your… Read More »
Dividing Retirement Plans and Pensions in Your Florida Divorce
One essential part of getting divorced is dividing the marital assets or property between the two spouses. Marital property generally is any sort of property – bank accounts, real estate, retirement plans – that either party accrued during the marriage. A retirement plan may be one of the couple’s most valuable marital assets, so… Read More »
Parental Alienation Syndrome in Family Law Cases
A recent news article highlights parental alienation syndrome (PAS) and its increased frequency in divorce cases in the UK, as well as in the U.S. and Canada. PAS has become a regular characteristic of the most acrimonious of divorce cases, and, as a result, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass)… Read More »
Insurance Issues to Be Aware of Following Divorce
Insurance is an important part of life, and your needs with respect to insurance may change dramatically after your divorce becomes final. While insurance issues are unlikely to be at the forefront of your mind during your divorce, they are something that you need to consider how you will handle in your post-divorce life…. Read More »
Divorce and Your Credit
Divorce is often a devastating blow not only to an individual’s credit score, but also to his or her financial situation in general. Disputes between spouses as to who should pay debts, a loss of household income due to a spouse moving out, and an inability to afford to pay bills that formerly were… Read More »
Discovery in Your Florida Divorce: Disclosing Information to Your Spouse
When you go through a divorce in the state of Florida, you must disclose certain types of information to your spouse, and vice versa. The process of gathering this information and providing it to your spouse is called discovery. The purpose of discovery is to ensure that there are no surprises in your divorce… Read More »
How Can I Get Divorced if I Can’t Afford to Pay an Attorney?
One major fear that many people have when facing divorce proceedings is the costs of retaining and paying a divorce attorney, which can ultimately result in thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees. Especially for a spouse who traditionally has not worked during the marriage or who makes a much lower income than the other… Read More »
Which Parent Has the Right to Make Major Decisions About Your Child?
No matter what the timesharing arrangement may be, there comes a point at which certain decisions about a child’s welfare are necessary. These decisions may involve crucial medical care for a child, educational options, or childrearing choices. Regardless of the subject, any parenting plan for divorced or separated parents specifically should allocate responsibility for… Read More »