Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, a child and adolescent psychologist, provides the following tips for co-parenting after divorce (from CBS News):
1. Be respectful: Don’t disparage one another: treat one another with respect and demonstrate positive conflict resolution. Don’t act out your hurt and anger on your children, or talk about your negative feelings toward the other parent around your children. It could promote resentment within your child.
If you are in a family law matter involving a servicemember, you will encounter some unique issues to which you must pay special attention.
Generally, one party to a divorce must have been a resident of Florida for at least six months prior to filing. However, there is an exception for servicemembers. A servicemember (or his or her spouse) who is not currently in Florida may petition for divorce in Florida if he or she (i) was a Florida resident prior to entering the military and (ii) never established a permanent residence elsewhere. Even if the military member had not lived in Florida prior to entering the service, he or she may still be able to file for divorce in Florida if he or she is deployed but has an intent to remain a permanent Florida resident. Such intent may be evidenced by the following: (i) Florida voter registration; (ii) ownership of a Florida home; or (iii) registration of a vehicle in Florida.
Many of the military issues in a divorce stem from the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (the “SCRA”). The SCRA was signed into law in 2003 and updated and replaced the Soldiers and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940. Most provisions of the SCRA apply to the following people on active duty: (i) members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guards; (ii) members of the National Guard; and (iii) commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Barbara Atwood of the University of Arizona discusses how family law has changed in this video from Divorce TV:
Barbara Atwood of the University of Arizona discusses how family law has changed in this video from Divorce TV:
The Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida (DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties) provides the following FAQs for family mediation:
What is Family Mediation?
Family Mediation is an informal meeting where the parties work out mutually agreeable settlements in Family Court cases. Parties have the opportunity to explore options and negotiate voluntary agreements that may be submitted to the Court for approval.
Who participates?
Family Mediation provides an opportunity for parties involved in family litigation to engage in a facilitated discussion about the specific issues in their case. Counsel for each party may attend the conference. Other third parties may only participate if both sides agree.
What issues can be discussed?
A quirky article by Rob Hahn in the Huffington Post compares time-sharing to the Super Bowl. Below is an excerpt:
Thousands of fans crowded into Cowboys Stadium, and millions more watched it on television. They’re the most important part of this entire equation. Without fans, the NFL would not be such a huge success. And I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that if one team played only one quarter of Sunday’s game, the fans would feel cheated. They want to see both teams equally involved. Children are no different. Studies indicate the large majority of children want to spend and benefit from time with both parents, not just 20- or 25-percent but an equal amount of participation.
The following video from eHow describes how spouses may reduce the costs of their divorce:
Parties should utilize alternative dispute resolution techniques such as mediation to help them reach agreements and reduce time and expense.
Sometimes–such as when there is a history of domestic violence–courts order restrictions on time-sharing. A video from GetLegal describes options that are available for restricted time-sharing.
GetLegal offers a helpful video on preparing for an evidentiary hearing in a child custody matter:
The following video from Fox 25 out of Boston warns family law litigants of the dangers of posting information on social networking sites such as Facebook:
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