Need Help Filling Out Florida Family Law Forms?

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There are many people facing divorce and other family law issues who have decided that, to the extent possible, they want to represent themselves (in legal parlance, this is known as acting “pro se“).  In recognition of this, the Florida Supreme Court has approved family law forms to streamline the process of representing oneself.

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However, even the most savvy among us, if they have not had legal training, can find the task of facing and filling out 100+ pages in forms to be daunting.  So what do you do if you want to proceed pro se and not have to pay for a full-time attorney, but still need some help and advice filling out the Florida Supreme Court-approved Family Law Forms?

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Tampa Rabbi Appears in John Cena “We Are America” Video

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For this past Independence Day holiday, WWE wrestler John Cena released a public service announcement video celebrating the diversity of the U.S.  In the video, Cena can be seen walking around the Tampa neighborhood of Ybor City as he proclaims that we all are America.

While the video is shooting, Cena passes by people of all races, nationalities, creeds, and orientations.  At the 1:07 mark, Cena walks by Rabbi Mendy Dubrowski of Chabad Chai South Tampa.

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You can find the video after the jump:

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Video: Tampa Real Estate Agent Discusses Collaborative Divorce

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Tampa real estate agent Rande Friedman was recently interviewed on the topic of collaborative divorce.  Rande, of White Glove House, has lived in the Tampa Bay area for the past 30 years, and he has been in the real estate industry for around ten years.

Rande is also a member of Next Generation Divorce, one of the nation’s largest interdisciplinary collaborative practice groups with professionals helping families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, and Manatee Counties.  Rande became involved in Next Generation Divorce after he helped a family who used the collaborative process in their divorce.  Rande found them in a better state of mind to agree upon their real estate needs and move on with their lives compared to clients who had litigated their divorce.

You can find a video and partial transcript of Rande Friedman discussing his experience with families transitioning via collaborative divorce after the jump:

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Protecting Your Small Business - Family Diplomacy | A Collaborative Law Firm

Protecting Your Tampa Bay Business With A Prenuptial Agreement

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Under Florida divorce law, businesses are subject to equitable distribution.  This essentially means that it can be considered a marital asset that is divided as part of the resolution of all divorce-related issues.

Small-business owners, who have shed blood, sweat, and tears for their endeavor, find it surprising and frightening that a business might be divided in divorce.  Further, this can be disruptive to the spouse of the small business owner; if the business begins failing due to protracted fighting or litigation, the spouse’s ability to receive alimony or child support is greatly reduced.

Protecting Your Small Business

One way to protect a business from the fallout of divorce is to enter into a prenuptial agreement or, if you are already married, into a postnuptial agreement.

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Video: Manatee/Sarasota Financial Professional Discusses Collaborative Divorce

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Divorce is not just a legal challenge.  It is also usually a financial challenge.

Unlike the traditional courtroom divorce, interdisciplinary collaborative divorce prepares clients to budget for the future and anticipate post-divorce life so that the challenges can be met.

Brian Pope of Divorce Financial Solutions is one of the premiere neutral financial professionals in the 12th Circuit of Florida (DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties).  Brian has an MBA and is designated as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. In fact, several years ago Brian and I worked together to bring Next Generation Divorce – Florida’s largest practice group of independent collaborative attorneys,  mental health professionals, and financial professionals – into Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

You can find a brief interview of Brian and a discussion of his work in the collaborative process in the following video (after the jump):

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Helping Divorce Lawyers Become Peacemakers

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I am a collaborative family law attorney.  I help families divorce privately and respectfully so that they can end their marriage but also begin their post-marriage life as peacefully as possible.

I am also a trainer.  I train attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial professionals how to offer collaborative services to divorcing couples and others handling family law matters.

This past weekend I was in Chicago at a master class led by Forrest (Woody) Mosten on how to train in a way that lets divorce attorneys and others know that they can do well by doing good.  Woody is a leading collaborative attorney and mediator, as well as a best-selling author out of Beverly Hills, California.  He also happens to be a friend of mine, a mentor, and my co-author for an upcoming American Bar Association book on Building A Successful Collaborative Law Practice.

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The class, which included 15 hand-selected attorneys and mental health professionals from around the U.S. and Canada, was described by Canadian social worker and media personality Gary Direnfeld as follows:

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What Is The Least Expensive Way To Divorce In Tampa Bay?

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PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN IN 2016 AND THE HOURLY RATES BELOW DO NOT REFLECT OUR CURRENT RATES

You have probably heard of divorce horror stories where couples have suffered for years entrenched in court battles and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.  Fortunately, this is more the exception  than the rule, but still, divorce usually is not cheap.  It is a process, and there are raw emotions involved, but there are methods that can cost more or less.

So what is the least expensive way to divorce?

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Tampa Bay Tomorrow Radio: A Client Discusses Collaborative Divorce

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Tampa Bay Tomorrow host Corey Dylan recently welcomed “Clair,” a collaborative divorce client, on her show to talk about his experience.  Clair was joined on air by his collaborative attorney, Julia Best Chase, along with the collaborative attorney who represented his former wife, Adam B. Cordover.

Clair discussed the reasons he and his wife chose the collaborative process, along with the ability of them to maintain a relationship after the collaborative divorce was finalized.

Tampa Bay Tomorrow is a program of the iHeart Media Group.  This episode appeared on several radio stations, including WFLA 970, WFLZ 93.3, WFUS 103.5, WXTB 97.9, WDAE 620, WMTX 100.7, WBTP 95.7, and WHNZ 1250.

You can listen to the radio show after the jump:

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Video: Cordover on Collaborative Divorce

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Tampa Bay collaborative attorney and Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator Adam B. Cordover discusses collaborative divorce in the following short video:

“Most families do not want to be enemies, they do not want to be warring against one another.  And so I have been inspired by these families, and I have found that most want a private option,” says Cordover in the video.

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Top 20 Most Viewed Blog Posts (First Half 2016)

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Ever since our new website, FamilyDiplomacy.com, launched in August of 2015, the readership on our Blog has steadily increased.  Though it is not an exact comparison, in the first 6 months of 2016, we had 2,750 individual visitors and 5,900 views, which is over a 55% increase in individual visitors and 70% increase in views over the last five months of 2015.

At the end of last year, we create a blog listing the top 10 viewed posts so far.  Now, you can find the top 20 viewed blog posts of FamilyDiplomacy.com over the first six months below (click the title to go to the blog post):

1. 2016 Collaborative Law Process Making Progress in Florida Legislature

Senate Bill 972, the “Collaborative Law Process Act,” is making its way through the Florida Senate and will hopefully become law this summer.  The Collaborative Law Process Act creates a legal framework for families to resolve disputes outside of court. The bill specifies that…

2. 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…

3. Collaborative Divorce

Divorce is a trauma. It is tough not only for the spouses who are separating, but also for their children, their friends, their relatives, and their community. If you can avoid divorce, whether by seeking help from a therapist or clergy, you should attempt to do so. However, sometimes a marriage is truly irretrievably broken…

4. Florida to Make Marriage Certificates Gender Neutral.  What About Birth Certificates?

According to a recent report in the Tampa edition of Creative Loafing, in light of the recent Supreme Court decision and issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Florida’s Office of Vital Statistics is making the state’s marriage certificates gender neutral…

5. 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..

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