Tag Archive for: collaborative divorce

Free Florida CLE for Lawyers: Learn When to Refer Clients to Collaborative Divorce

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Collaborative Divorce offers Florida lawyers, regardless of practice area or professional setting, a private and discreet referral option for clients facing divorce, and you can earn free Florida Bar CLE credit while learning how to determine when that referral makes sense.

As a lawyer, you are often the first professional a client turns to when divorce becomes unavoidable. When that client is a lawyer, physician, executive, business owner, LGBTQ+ professional, public figure, the stakes are higher. Courtroom exposure, public filings, and escalated conflict can affect careers, reputations, businesses, and families in lasting ways.

Many lawyers want a referral option that aligns with those realities but understandably want to learn more before recommending a process they do not practice themselves. This free, on-demand Florida CLE (approved by the Florida Bar through July 31, 2027) was created specifically for lawyers who want to understand Collaborative Divorce well enough to confidently discuss it with the right clients, while earning CLE credit at the same time.

Quick Answer

You can earn 1.0 hour of Florida Bar–approved CLE credit for free by watching an on-demand program that explains how Collaborative Divorce works in Florida and when it may be an appropriate referral option for your clients.  Instantly access the CLE by filling out the form below.

Key Takeaways

  • Free registration and on-demand access
  • Florida Bar–approved CLE credit (1.0 hour)
  • Designed for lawyers considering referral options
  • Focused on privacy, confidentiality, and dignified resolution

Why This CLE Matters for Your Clients

Litigation is not wrong, but it is not right for every family. For clients whose lives or livelihoods could be impacted by public divorce proceedings, the process itself can be as damaging as the outcome.

Collaborative Divorce offers a way to resolve divorce privately, outside of court, with a structured team approach focused on resolution rather than escalation. This CLE gives you a clear framework for understanding when Collaborative Divorce may be a good fit and when it may not, so your referral decisions are informed rather than theoretical.

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Collaborative Divorce: What is “Material Information?”

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“Material information” sits at the heart of Collaborative Divorce because the entire process depends on both spouses having the facts they reasonably need to make informed decisions without a judge controlling the outcome. If you value privacy, dignity, and shared control with your spouse of outcome (rather than leaving your life in the hands of a judge), understanding what material information is and why it is important will help you decide whether Collaborative Divorce is right for you.

This issue matters most for professionals, executives, business owners, and others with complex finances or sensitive personal concerns and facing divorce. You want clarity about what must be shared, what can stay private, and how your lawyer protects you while honoring the ethical rules of the Collaborative Process.

Quick Answer: What Is Material Information in Collaborative Divorce?

Material information is information reasonably required for you and your spouse to make informed decisions about resolving your divorce.  In Collaborative Divorce, both spouses commit to sharing that information with each other and the professional team.

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Divorce Without Destroying Your Business: A Tampa Bay Guide for Owners

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Protecting Your Small Business in a Tampa Bay Divorce

If you built a business in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, or elsewhere in Florida, it likely represents more than income. It reflects years of effort, risk, and identity. When divorce enters the picture, the fear of losing control of that business can feel overwhelming. You may worry about public court filings, forced valuations, or a judge who does not understand how your company actually works.

You are not wrong to worry. Traditional divorce litigation often puts small businesses at risk. Fortunately, there is a better way.

Quick Answer

You can protect your small business in a Tampa Bay divorce by using Collaborative Divorce, which keeps negotiations private, avoids court-imposed decisions, and allows tailored solutions that preserve business operations and long-term value.

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Tampa Family Diplomacy Collaborative Divorce Review: “Couldn’t Be Happier!”

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Grateful for a Five-Star Client Review from Our Tampa Office

When you are going through divorce, especially one that involves emotional stress, finances, or the future of your family, the office and team you choose matters. We are honored to share a recent five-star review that a client who entrusted us with their Collaborative Divorce left on the Google Page for our Tampa Collaborative Family Law Office.

Their words reflect what we aim to provide every client: clarity, compassion, and a process that puts you back in control rather than placing your future in the hands of a judge.

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Does Florida’s Collaborative Divorce Statute Protect Confidentiality?

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When you face divorce in Florida, you may worry that your financial information, business details, or parenting struggles could become part of a public court file. If you or your spouse are a doctor, lawyer, executive, business owner, or anyone who values privacy, the idea of those details becoming public can feel overwhelming. You want a process that keeps your information protected and puts you, not a judge, in control.

Collaborative Divorce offers that protection. One of the most common questions clients ask is whether Florida’s Collaborative Law statute truly protects confidentiality.

Quick Answer

Yes. Florida’s Collaborative Divorce Statute (specifically, Fla. Stat. §61.58) protects confidentiality by, with narrow exceptions, keeping Collaborative communications private and preventing them from being used in court. The statute also protects nonparty participants (for example, a Neutral Financial Professional or Neutral Facilitator) so the professional team can help you make informed decisions without fear that exploratory discussions meant for informal discussions will later become evidence in a trial.

Key Takeaways

  • Collaborative communications are confidential and generally cannot be used against you in court.
  • The confidentiality and privilege belongs to the spouses and, in certain instances, nonparty participants.
  • Neutral Financial Professionals and Neutral Facilitators are nonparty participants who receive protections so they can work freely and creatively.
  • Fla. Stat. §61.58 has narrow exceptions, such as threats of harm or information that must be reported under other laws.
  • The process supports open problem-solving and protects privacy, which can be especially helpful for high-asset families.

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Florida’s Save Our Homes Portability Benefit and Divorce: Is it a Marital Asset?

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If you are going through a Florida divorce, you may worry about how to protect your home, your long-term tax burdens, and your financial stability. Many high-income professionals focus on dividing the home itself, but Florida’s Save Our Homes Portability Benefit also carries real value. If you have established a homestead in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, or elsewhere in Florida, this benefit can reduce your future property taxes, yet it is often overlooked during divorce. When you understand how it works, you can make better decisions and avoid losing tax advantages that could protect your financial future.

Quick Answer: Is Florida’s Save Our Homes Portability Benefit a Marital Asset?

Yes. Florida’s Save Our Homes Portability Benefit is usually treated as a marital asset because it grows during the marriage and can reduce future property taxes for one or both spouses. It has a value that can be taken into consideration when reaching a divorce agreement.

Key Takeaways

What the Save Our Homes Portability Benefit Actually Is

Florida’s Save Our Homes law limits how fast your homestead’s assessed value can rise. Even when the market value increases sharply, the assessed value can only increase by 3% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. This creates a gap between market value and assessed value, known as the assessment difference. Over time, this difference becomes meaningful because it reduces your property taxes year after year.

Portability allows you to take up to $500,000 of that assessment difference with you when you establish a new Florida homestead. This lower starting assessment can reduce your taxes for many years, especially if you plan to stay in your new home long-term.

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How Lawyers Can Make Divorce Less Traumatic

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If you are facing the prospect of divorce, there is a little discussed truth that you should know: The lawyer each of you choose will have a dramatic effect on whether your divorce becomes (i) a traumatic, drawn-out battle for the next several years or (ii) a thoughtful plan developed over several months that sets you and your family up for the next chapter of your lives.

Quick Answer: Yes, Your Choice of Lawyer Has a Major Impact on Your Divorce Experience

Different lawyers follow different philosophies. Traditional divorce lawyers often follow a system built for conflict (even if the lawyer genuinely is trying to help settle disputes), while Collaborative Divorce Attorneys focus on privacy, transparency, respect, and the family’s wellbeing.

Why Traditional Lawyers Often Turn Divorce Into a Battle

It is important to understand this from the start: traditional divorce lawyers are not trying to create trauma. They are not acting out of malice. They are doing exactly what they were trained to do. For generations, lawyers have been taught that the first step in a divorce is to draft a petition that asks for every possible form of relief. The logic is simple. In law school and in practice, attorneys learn that if they do not ask for something in the petition, a judge may refuse to award it later at trial.

But here is the problem: Very few families ever actually go to trial. More than 80 to 90 percent or more of Florida divorces end through settlement. And even if a case does go to trial, Florida law makes it clear that petitions can almost always be amended ahead of time. So the fearful approach of “ask for everything now or risk losing it forever” does far more harm than good.

The result is a petition that looks extreme and feels personal. You may see allegations you disagree with, requests for every type of alimony, demands for more than half the marital estate, and even demands that you pay all attorney’s fees. None of this sets a healthy tone.

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Do My Business Bank Accounts Get Divided In A Florida Divorce?

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If you own a business and are facing divorce, you may be wondering whether your business bank accounts—the checking, savings, operating, or money market accounts tied to your company—could be considered “marital assets” and divided.

For many professionals, these accounts represent far more than just money. They reflect years of effort, payroll obligations, and the foundation of your financial life. Understanding how Florida law treats business bank accounts can help you protect what you’ve built and choose the right path forward.

Quick Answer: Can Business Bank Accounts Be Divided in a Florida Divorce?

Yes. Business bank accounts can be divided in a Florida divorce depending on when and how the business was created, how the accounts were funded, and whether marital income or marital efforts contributed to their growth. Under Florida’s equitable distribution law, the court can treat those funds as marital property even if the accounts are in only one spouse’s name or owned by the business.

How Florida Law Treats Business Bank Accounts in Divorce

Under Section 61.075, Florida Statutes, courts must divide marital assets and debts fairly, though not necessarily equally. Marital assets generally include property or income acquired during the marriage—regardless of whose name is on the account.

That means if your business was formed or operated during the marriage, the funds in its business bank accounts could be considered marital.

If your business predated the marriage, those accounts might begin as nonmarital. Still, any increase in their balance or new deposits during the marriage can be at least partly marital—especially if marital income was added or your marital efforts contributed to the business’ success and growth.

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First Step To An Amicable Divorce: Joint Divorce Process Options Meeting

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If you and your spouse are considering divorce in Florida, you may be worried about where to begin. Most separating families aren’t looking for a court battle; they just want to move forward, protect their privacy, and make sure they (and their kids, if any), are okay.

That’s exactly why Family Diplomacy offers a Joint Divorce Process Options Meeting, sometimes called a joint divorce consultation or amicable divorce options meeting. It’s a calm, informative way for both spouses to learn about their main divorce options – litigation, mediation, and Collaborative Divorce – before making any major decisions.

How the Joint Divorce Process Options Meeting Works

This meeting is a one-time, educational conversation with both spouses together. We meet on Zoom to discuss the main process options for divorce in Florida. It just costs our normal hourly rate, and you’ll learn what each option looks like, the pros and cons, and what level of privacy, cooperation, and support each allows.  By the end of the meeting, you likely will be able to make a decision about which option your family wishes to pursue.

Before the meeting, we send out a Joint Process Options Meeting waiver for both spouses to sign confirming three important things:

  1. We will not give legal advice or represent either spouse during this meeting; we are only discussing process options.
  2. The discussion is not confidential since both spouses are present and a process option is not yet chosen.
  3. If one spouse chooses to hire Family Diplomacy to represent them, it will only be the spouse who first contacted our office; we cannot represent both spouses.

This clear structure eliminates confusion and maintains fairness. You’ll leave with reliable information, not pressure or legal posturing.

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Professional Athletes and Seasonal Custody Schedules

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For professional athletes, your life does not follow a standard calendar. Half the year may be spent training, traveling for games, or living in another city during the season. The other half may finally bring you back home with more flexible time. That rhythm is part of your career, but it also brings unique challenges when it comes to raising children. If you are going through a divorce, paternity matter, or otherwise establishing parenting rights or a time-sharing schedule, you need a process that respects your schedule, your privacy, and your children’s well-being.

Why Florida’s Standard Parenting Plans Often Fail for Professional Athletes

Typical custody schedules assume both parents live in the same area with relatively predictable routines. They rarely account for long stretches where one parent is away for work. For athletes, sticking to a week-on, week-off plan is impossible when games, travel, and training dominate half the year. Further, generic parenting plans don’t take into account what happens if you are traded or when you retire from professional sports.  Without flexibility and anticipation of future changes, you risk missing meaningful parenting time and leaving your children caught in the middle of scheduling conflicts.

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