Florida Family Law Basics

By Cheryl Bowman

Florida Family Law Basics is for someone going through a divorce or contemplating going through a divorce. It explains the divorce process from start to finish, and gives an example of a child support guidelines worksheet. The book is 8,276 words. It also explains how Florida courts look at alimony and gives you the list of documents required for mandatory disclosure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cheryl Bowman
• Release date: Jul 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465834003

Cheryl Bowman

Cheryl Bowman was born in Connecticut and moved to Florida in the 1990s. She has worked as a paralegal since 2003. While her work encompasses most areas of civil law and some criminal law, she prefers family law. She was involved in drafting the initial brief for an appeal that eventually went to the Supreme Court and changed how Hillsborough County treats passive income. Bowman and her husband live outside of Tampa, Florida with Rambo, their German Shepherd Dog and Chynah, her Umbrella Cockatoo.

Book preview

Florida Family Law Basics

By Cheryl Bowman

Florida Family Law Basics

Copyright 2011 by Cheryl Bowman.

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

Preface

Prologue

Locating and Retaining an Attorney

Working with an Attorney

Representing Yourself — The Basics

Types of Divorce Actions

Required Documents

Filing Requirements — Uncontested Divorce

Filing Requirements — Contested Divorce

The Discovery Process

Mediation

Florida Family Law Financial Affidavit

Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

Final Judgment and Final Hearing

Indigency

Domestic Violence

Temporary Support

Income Deduction Order

Child Custody and Visitation

Alimony

Court-Ordered Life Insurance Policies

Appendix A

Appendix B

Florida Family Law Basics

Preface

Cheryl Bowman has been working in the family law arena since 2003, and has worked on everything from the simplest divorce to extensive custody battles. She started working part time for an attorney, doing simple office tasks, such as filing and light typing. She quickly graduated to a full-time position with another attorney and before the end of her first year, was researching issues and drafting complicated pleadings. She worked on a case that changed how Hillsborough County rules on the division of passive income, helping to research and draft the memorandum of law for the appeal.

Prologue

Many people entering the divorce arena are unsure of the process, and in addition to the stress of worrying about how to do it on their own, also have the stress of worrying about the unknown process of divorce. Divorce can be as simple or as complicated as the parties involved make it. Even with property and custody issues, if the parties can agree on the issues, divorce doesn’t have to be complicated.

While Bowman recommends hiring an attorney if you have children and property, especially if your spouse retains an attorney, most anyone can fight their own divorce case. If you start out pro se — representing yourself — and change your mind later, you can still retain an attorney.

Locating and Retaining an Attorney

Before you retain an attorney, check his or her reputation and whether he or she has a discipline history and if he or she is admitted to the Florida Bar. You can check any attorney on the Florida Bar’s web site (flabar.org) by clicking the Find a Lawyer link.

Always contact and set up a consultation with at least three attorneys, even if an attorney charges you a fee for the consultation. Find out what the attorney’s retainer is, what the