Entries by Adam

Governor Scott Signs Florida Collaborative Divorce Bill Into Law

On March 24, 2016, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed HB 967, the “Collaborative Law Process Act,” making Florida the 14th state to have Collaborative Divorce codified in its laws. Collaborative Divorce is a private form of dispute resolution where the parties agree from the outset to settle all matters outside of court.  Each party has […]

Biblical Name Changes

Floridians seeking to change their legal name can take comfort in the fact that changing one’s name has a long history rooted in the Hebrew Bible.  A great article in the Jewish Encyclopedia titled “Shinnuy Ha-Shem”  (which translates roughly as “Changing the Name”) discusses biblical name changes. In the book of Genesis we learn that forefather […]

Are Florida Divorce Courts Anti-Dad?

Over the past few years, there has been a movement to overhaul the alimony and child custody laws of Florida and other states.  This is because husbands and fathers have felt like they are under siege in the family law court system.  They have a glimmer of hope that, if only the laws were changed, […]

Collaborative Law Process Act Protects Families’ Privacy

Last Friday, the Florida Senate passed its version of HB-967, the Collaborative Law Process Act, priming Florida to become the 14th state to pass a version of the Uniform Collaborative Law Act. The bill, which was voted on in the Florida Senate by 39-0 after passing the Florida House last month by 117-0, is now enrolled […]

Collaborative Divorce Books

I recently wrote a blog post for the new website of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals on books about collaborative divorce books.  There are a lot of great books out there, including books geared towards people going through or thinking about divorce.  Below are the books I discussed: Stuart G. Webb & Ronald D. […]

Pee-Wee Herman’s Name Change

Many of us remember Pee-Wee Herman from the Groundlings and children’s programming and movies in the 1980’s.  More recently, you may have seen Paul Reubens, the man who plays Pee-Wee, appear on various TV shows, including the Blacklist, Portlandia, and Reno 911. But, what you may not know is before Paul Reubens was Pee-Wee Herman, he was […]

Divorce Lawyer Client Review: A Complicated Divorce Goes Collaborative

Recently, I came across a very complicated divorce matter where two women had been battling in the court system for six years, even before the State of Florida recognized their marriage.  One of the women ended up firing her aggressive trial attorney and hiring me because I offered an alternative: collaborative divorce.  Once everyone agreed to […]

Video: FACP Collaborative Divorce Roundtable

I recently got together with Dr. Jim Morris, a psychologist from Clearwater, and Ed Sachs, a certified public accountant based out of Miami, for a roundtable discussion on collaborative divorce.  Dr. Morris is co-author of Mindful Co-Parenting: A Child-Friendly Path Through Divorce, and Mr. Sachs is Vice President of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“FACP”). […]

Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals

Collaborative practice is a form of private dispute resolution where parties and their attorneys agree that they will focus all of their time, energy, and money on reaching an agreement.  Oftentimes, experts in the realm of accounting, finances, and relationships are brought in to help the parties. Collaborative practice has mainly been used in the […]