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We’re Here for you through COVID-19

March 23, 2020

Make a Virtual Appointment with LaFrance Family Law

In the wake of the current medical and economic hardship our community is facing, we at LaFrance Family Law want to assure all current and future clients that we are dedicated to making all adjustments necessary to continue moving forward. That means that effective immediately, we will be transitioning to an online meeting format for the foreseeable future.

We are still accepting new clients, and we will make all necessary arrangements to continue helping current clients.

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Does Domestic Violence Increase During the Holidays?

December 18, 2019

Understanding how the Holidays Influence Abuse

There is a misconception that domestic violence rates spike during the holiday season – generally from Thanksgiving through the New Year. A rise in stress levels, combined with family spending so much time together, often creates this idea that physical violence rates increase. However, the reality seems to paint a very different picture.

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What to do if your Ex Won’t Follow Custody Plan over the Holidays

November 20, 2019

6 Steps to Take when Your Ex won’t Obey Child Custody Rules over the Holidays

The holidays can be an emotional time for any family, but divorce tends to make things particularly difficult. Even if you and your ex ended on good terms, it’s not uncommon for the holiday season to cause tension where there normally isn’t any.

Otherwise reasonable parents often stray from their agreed upon parenting plans this time of year so they can get more time with their children. It is not okay, but it happens more often than people might expect. If you find that your ex is being unfair with time sharing over the holidays, follow this step-by-step guide on how to handle the situation.

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Do You Really Need to Pay Alimony in Florida?

October 8, 2019

Why do I need to pay alimony?

The main reason someone will need to pay alimony, or spousal support as it’s now often called, is to make sure their spouse will be able to maintain a reasonable standard of living after divorce. For example, if one spouse is the primary source of income in the relationship, that person’s financial capabilities will skyrocket after divorce, and the other person’s will plummet.

Unlike other divorce laws, determining alimony in Florida varies from one situation to the next. While there are some guidelines to help establish how much someone might owe, there are no concrete rules judges need to follow to come up with an exact dollar amount.

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Emergency Child Custody Hearings in Florida

August 13, 2019

How to get Emergency Custody of a Child in Florida

Navigating the Florida legal system can be scary, especially when you’re dealing with a family emergency. The most common form of emergency family court hearing in Florida is over the custody of a child. We’ve laid out a simple guide that will help you navigate the complicated legal process required for acquiring custody of a child in Florida.

According to Florida law, no child custody agreement is ever set in stone. Whether you have majority time-sharing (sole custody) or equal time-sharing (joint custody), custody agreements can always be changed in court. Sometimes, things aren’t as easy as a simple agreement to change the amount of time each parent has with the child. When the safety of the child becomes an issue, an emergency motion to modify child custody is likely the smartest option.

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Why Establishing Paternity Matters

July 30, 2019

Establishing Paternity

Establishing Paternity in Florida

According to the CDC, about 40% of children are born to unmarried women. In Florida, the mother of a child born outside of marriage is the natural guardian with sole legal rights in respect to the child unless you prove paternity.

The definition of paternity according to Merriam-Webster is the “quality or state of being a father.” That can be pretty ambiguous, and what constitutes paternity varies from state to state. In Florida, legal fatherhood is not necessarily the same as biological fatherhood. If a child is born in wedlock, that child is automatically considered the child of the man the mother is married to. Unless the biological father’s paternity is established, he has no rights or obligations to the child.

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Divorce Tips from Tampa Divorce Lawyers

July 17, 2019

Divorce Tips from Tampa Divorce Lawyers

Divorce Tips from Tampa Divorce Lawyers

As Tampa Divorce Lawyers we have handled hundreds of divorce cases. So here’s a unique twist, we are sharing divorce tips from divorce lawyer to the stars Laura Wasser’s new book that is filled with practical tips for people who are trying to disentangle themselves from their spouses.

Wasser — who has represented Kim Kardashian, Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, and Ashton Kutcher — offers her advice in a book called “It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way: How To Divorce Without Destroying Your Family or Bankrupting Yourself.”

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8 Emotional Stages of Divorce

June 18, 2019

Emotional Stages of Divorce

What are the Emotional Stages of a Divorce? 

Divorce is a unique type of loss comparable to a death. Even though both parties are still alive, they will no longer be in your life the way they have been in the past. That’s why the emotional stages of divorce are very similar to the emotional stages of grief that people experience after a death or trauma.

No matter how amicable the separation, a divorce is the end of a significant part of your life and throughout the process, your emotions can and will change during this difficult time. It can help the healing process if you know what emotions you have already gone through and look to see how you are making process moving forward.

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Divorce Advice: Moving Out of Your Shared Home

May 22, 2019

Divorce: Moving Out of a Shared HomeDivorce Advice from Tampa Divorce Lawyer

As Tampa divorce lawyers we have often heard of one’s partner coming home and saying, “I am moving out.” This usually occurs after an often painful period of deliberation, and they are the ones who are ready to dissolve the marriage and want to be out of the home. Sometimes in cases like these, the spouse may not have any interest in keeping the shared home after the marriage ends.

But other times, even if one spouse wants out and the couple discusses dissolving the marriage it still isn’t clear who should be out of the home.

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Alimony Deduction Eliminated by New Alimony Tax Law

April 17, 2019

Alimony Deduction Eliminated by New Tax Law

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in December 2017 affects how taxes will be calculated for the 2018 Fiscal Year. This new tax bill includes many factors on the state of taxes, especially alimony payments. The provisions regarding alimony will only affect alimony agreements made after 2018. If your divorce was not completed with a final judgement, or your alimony agreement was not signed prior to January 1, 2019 then your alimony payments may still be tax deductible.

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