Category Archives: Divorce & Family
South Florida Family Law Blog: Senior Divorce – No Minor Kids, No Problems? Boomers Facing Divorce Still Must Navigate Issues
At The Law Offices of B. Finkel P.A., we’re not just family law attorneys and divorce lawyers. We’re long-time residents of the South Florida community. We’ve watched our friends and their families grow older. One of the pleasures of a married couple growing older is growing old together. The kids grow up and the couple [...]
South Florida Grandparents and Divorce: Rights Are Few, Roles Can be Great
Any South Florida divorce lawyer or family law attorney knows that for families in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami and Palm Beach facing divorce, grandparents can play important roles. They can help maintain normalcy in the children’s lives – even as the parents endure the difficult trials of divorce. Children of a family torn apart [...]
Fort Lauderdale Divorce Attorney: Cheating Spouse Can Affect Alimony or Financial Settlements
You catch your spouse in an affair. The marriage is irreconcilably broken. Divorce is imminent. But can infidelity or the presence of an affair lead to more alimony or a larger financial award when the case is settled? That depends. The short answer is, No. As a No Fault state, Florida courts generally do not consider [...]
With South Florida Spring Break and Summer Vacation Approaching, Divorced Parents Must Make Travel Plans Soon, Fort Lauderdale Family Law Attorney Advises
Spring break and summer vacation are big holiday travel times for South Florida families – including those facing or with settled divorces. Depending on what parenting plan and a time-sharing schedule for minor children stipulate as far as each parent’s travel schedules, it’s never too soon to approach the other parent to plan a vacation [...]
Why Timesharing / Custody Agreements Are Vital to Successful Post-Divorce Parenting
Any South Florida family law attorney or couples seeking separation or divorce who read a recent article in the Huffington Post would have been aghast at the tale. A divorced couple who shared custody of their son did so without any formal timesharing agreement. They agreed the son would live with his Mom, and spend [...]
South Florida Family Law Attorney Quoted on ‘Holidays, Divorce & Managing It All’
“As a child of divorced parents, I remember my mom and dad arguing every holiday season over how they will make their work schedules fit in with who gets us kids on which holidays,” a Miami Herald columnist wrote recently. Her comments introduced those of guest blogger, Barry Finkel, who shared his wisdom on how [...]
Post-Divorce: Newly Single Dads Navigate the Dating Scene
Whether divorced, separated or alone with their children through tragic circumstances, single dads with kids face a brave new world. Like many single fathers, they still desire companionship. Yet, for many, kids come first. Balancing the needs of the family unit with the expectations of potential companions is, indeed, a balancing act. As the Miami [...]
South Florida Family Law Attorney: Couples Seeking Divorce Must Work Together to Protect the Children
We see it all the time in our Fort Lauderdale divorce and family law practice. A couple seeking divorce is more worried about how the assets will be divided than how the children will be protected during their parents’ separation and settlement. Plainly put: This is wrong, horribly wrong. The money will get split – [...]
South Florida Family Law Blog: Divorce and Time Sharing Balance for the Summer Season
Summer is coming. Kids will be home from school. Can divorced parents find time with the kids and agree on summer plans – without interfering with the other’s time? For families of divorce, there can be balance in time sharing or custody during any holiday season, including summer break. Family law attorneys say the answer [...]
Passwords and Shared Accounts: Make the First Move Key to Preserve Financial Protection
Several years ago, a woman came into our Fort Lauderdale family law practice for an initial visit to discuss her failing marriage. For two hours, we discussed her marriage and its apparent impending divorce. During that time – and unbeknownst to us all – her husband logged into their online bank accounts. He changed the [...]
Protecting Your Credit, No. 3: Pay Your Child Support – or Face Legal and Financial Fallout, Says Family Law Attorney
This is the third of an ongoing series from the Broward County / Fort Lauderdale divorce law firm of Barry I. Finkel P.A., on why couples and individuals must their credit when facing divorce or separation. Just because a couple has divorced doesn’t mean the acrimony or hostilities have ended – or paying monthly alimony [...]
Step Family Day: South Florida Divorce Lawyer Tips on Building Healthy Step Family
As tough as divorce can be on parents, the chance to build a new life with a new spouse can be exciting. That is, unless the children reject the new “family.” Divorce lawyers in South Florida see such issues all the time. Adults on the path to personal recovery try hard to encourage acceptance of the [...]
Generation X, Joint Custody, Family Law and “The Divorce Generation”
Like the habits, practices and attitudes of the generations who came before us, children of divorce are shaped by their own life experiences. Even in South Florida, Nowhere is this truer than with children of 1970s and ’80s divorces – and how they handle issues of timesharing, joint custody and parental involvement. Now that they’re [...]
Divorce, Custody, Parental Illness and Children’s Need for ‘Normal’ Lives
Whether you’re a divorced parent in Fort Lauderdale facing custody issues, a South Florida family law attorney, or a casual observer, a recent article raised significant questions about custody, timesharing and illness. In a bitter custody battle, a Chicago father convinced the court to grant him full custody of his two children because his wife, [...]
South Florida Single Dads Exerting Their Rights for Custody, Timesharing
Across Weston, Fort Lauderdale and all of South Florida, dads of divorce, separation or other situations often find themselves fighting an uphill battle to gain time sharing or custody rights with their children. It’s a battle that’s well worth it, as Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade said, “You need to fight to be in [...]
South Florida Family Law Realities: One Take on Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Child of an Affair, and the Duty to Support
News of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and Maria Shriver’s divorce caught many off guard. They seemed like a storybook couple. When word broke of his extra-marital affair, connecting the dots was much simpler. Then, the potential complexities grew much deeper. Putting aside the implications for Arnold’s and Maria’s young children (coping and recovery certainly will be tough [...]
South Florida Divorce: Divorcees Left to Struggle With Change, ‘Humiliation’ and Recovery
South Florida Parenting recently ran an article by Melissa L. Tichauer, who was coming to grips with her separation and divorce. Her feelings — of humiliation, of being an outcast in a community known for its “family lifestyle — left Tichauer wondering if she was unique or different. As divorce and family law attorneys, we [...]
Charlie Sheen’s Lost Child Custody No Surprise to South Florida Family Law Attorneys
Charlie Sheen, the “Two and a Half Men” star who had made news lately with reports of drug and alcohol use, a short stint in rehab, a spate of television and radio interviews where he attacked the CBS show’s creator – Chuck Lorre – and Sheen’s possible replacement – John Stamos – has surprised many [...]
New York Times: Divorced Couples Co-Parenting at One Home for the Holidays
The New York Times had an article on divorced couples who get together as a family unit – with their children – for the holidays. This is exactly what family law judges and conscientious divorce attorneys are looking for during the holidays among divorced, divorcing or separated parents. It’s called “co-parenting,” and occurs among parents [...]
Family Law & Life Lessons From the Tiger Woods / Elin Nordegren Divorce
News that a divorce decree was signed in a North Florida courtroom, ending the high-profile marriage of Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, provides many lessons to many couples – regardless of their celebrity. The key message, one that most family law attorneys try to tell their clients, is that both parties continue to work very [...]
Late-Stage Divorce: Florida Attorneys & National Experts Advise on Coming to Terms
As experienced family law attorneys and South Florida divorce attorneys, we’ve counseled many couples facing late-stage divorce. So news of Al and Tipper Gore’s split wasn’t so surprising. Click here to read our insights. Yet, experts continue to offer advice and counsel. The Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio yesterday devoted an hour to [...]
Divorce and College: Who Has Custody of the College Savings Plan?
Conventional wisdom tells us and our clients that parents should begin saving money for college soon after the birth of a child. There are many options when it comes to saving for the expense of college, including prepaid college programs, 529 plans, other qualified tuition plans, or other investment or savings vehicles such as custodial [...]
