Written by: Lenorae Atter, Attorney
Divorce with children can be complicated, and in Florida, may require a parenting class to help deal with it. Florida divorces involving children have a requirement that the parents attend a parenting class previously approved by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). In some paternity cases in Florida, the parents are required to attend the same class that divorced parents attend given that the issues are similar in dealing with the children having, in essence, two homes.
There are online classes available, but they may not be permitted or used in the courts where you reside. For example, an online course is allowed for those who have a divorce case in St. Augustine, but not in Jacksonville. Unless a parent resides out-of-town, the parents in a Jacksonville divorce are required to physically attend the class.
Alimony is not guaranteed in a Florida divorce. Though there are certain people that believe that simply because they are married that 
Florida has been known as a great place to retire. In a Florida divorce, however, there is also laws that indicate that anything accumulated during the marriage (with some exceptions) is marital and each spouse should get half of the marital property, assets and debts. Recently, Bowling Green State University conducted a 
As a Jacksonville Family Law attorney, often I am asked whether Florida allows homosexual couples to adopt children. In the recent years, Florida has been in the spotlight for the gay adoption ban that exists here in the state. With celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell publicly adopting and living in Florida, many think that it is now a non-issue. The fact is that Florida remains semi-silent on the issue of homosexual adoption in that there are presently cases that provide law showing that the ban is unconstitutional. The decision was reached in a South Florida case and was later the topic of another adoption. After the cases were heard, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the original party to the suit, decided not to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court and thus, the ban has been lifted, in theory at least. 
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional on Thursday, October 18, 2012. The Defense of Marriage Act is basically the proposition that marriage is only legal between a man and a woman. This is the second opinion to be state, for different reasons, that DOMA is unconstitutional, the first was by the First Circuit Court of Appeals. This time, however, the court seems to have laid greater groundwork for establishing a basis for the unconstitutionality and threshold that must be met to rule the Act constitutional. 
When divorcing in Florida, there can be an issue regarding the 
What are things that need to be considered when trying to reach a Florida divorce agreement? Many people think that a divorce is going to be ugly, no matter what they may do. However, as a divorce lawyer in Florida, I am often surprised by how many people come into my office with most everything agreed upon and just need the divorce papers formalized. However, often these people have discussed the main issues, like the marital home, but have forgotten other details, like retirement division. So, when you are trying to reach a divorce agreement, what are the things that you should both consider when separating your property, debts, and the like?
In Florida, alimony is based on a number of factors, including length of the marriage, contribution to the marriage, a party’s ability to pay alimony and the other party’s need for support. Over the years, the court has found that if the spouse receiving alimony begins to cohabit with someone, in a supportive relationship, then that could be grounds for modifying alimony. However, what happens if the ex-spouse that receives alimony is living with someone else, but that person is not assisting with the bills, can alimony be reduced because of the actual cohabitation with another?