Florida Family Law Firm Blog

Last week we wrote about a significant change taking place in family law over the last few years. A member survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers revealed that 47 percent of family law attorneys have noticed an increase in cases of women paying alimony, and 56 percent have noticed an increase in cases of women paying child support.

More women now work outside the home, and are increasingly landing high-paying jobs. This move toward gender equilibrium in "breadwinner status" may ultimately influence the conversations surrounding alimony reform, both in Florida and across the nation.

We often write about the ongoing debate over Florida's alimony laws, as well as the concerted alimony reform efforts made by grass-roots organizations and state legislators. The issue of alimony has taken center stage nationally, and Florida is playing a leading role.

Critics of current alimony laws say that they are outdated and can present an unreasonable burden to the alimony payer; usually the man. While it is true that more men than women pay court-ordered alimony, the tables appear to be turning.

Late last month, we shared some tips with Florida readers on being smart about social media during divorce. In recent years, it has become clear that our online activity on sites like Facebook is not nearly as private as most of us would like to believe.

During a divorce or child custody battle, information you provided to social media sites can become a great source of damaging personal evidence that a spouse may try to use against you. If you find yourself going through one of these difficult battles, it is in your best interest to suspend all use of social media, or at least be very conscientious about what you share online.

Even when things go smoothly, divorce is often an expensive and lengthy process. This means that in addition to facing the emotional strains of an ending marriage, individuals might also be stressed about making ends meet.

There are ways to save money during divorce, financial professionals say. In a recent Huffington Post article, Brendan Lyle, the founder of a divorce finance company, shared several money-saving tips for individuals to consider during this financially difficult time.

Couples acquire a lot of stuff throughout a marriage. Some is expensive, some is cheap and some has sentimental value to one or both spouses. So what happens to all that stuff when a couple gets a divorce?

Disputes over property division can threaten to unravel an otherwise peaceable divorce settlement. And the fights are sometimes about who has to keep an item rather than who gets to. Ever since the housing bubble burst, that has certainly been the case with many shared marital homes here in Florida

It is now common knowledge that social media sites can be dangerous territory during a divorce or child custody battle. Increasingly, individuals are mining their spouse's Facebook page, Twitter account and other sites for damaging personal information to be used as evidence in court.

Therefore, the less you share the better. But because social media is now so woven into our everyday lives, it may not be possible to go "off the grid" entirely. In a recent Huffington Post article, one family law attorney shared some simple things to keep in mind when posting information online during a divorce or custody battle.

We have previously discussed that as divorce becomes more acceptable and commonplace, Americans are finding new ways to cope with the emotional difficulties and even to celebrate the changes they are experiencing.

To cope with the pain of divorce, many North Florida divorcees are throwing divorce parties. In fact, the phenomenon is so popular that it was recently turned into a musical that premiered here in Florida.

When celebrity couples split, the media pays attention. Yet, the ways in which stars react emotionally and the ways in which they divide their property are often no more than highly-publicized versions of similar experiences that regular Americans go through every day.

Recently, a high-profile split in the blog-celebrity world is serving as a reminder that divorce can be infinitely more complicated when your spouse is also your business partner.