Supreme Court Conflicted in Baby Veronica Case

Adoption gets complicated when birth parents live in two different states and one is of Native American descent.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-16/politics/38582893_1_adoption-agency-melanie-capobianco-dusten-brown

Florida Legislature Considers Alimony Reform

Bill to eliminate permanent alimony moves through Florida's legislature.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2013/03/18/bills-that-would-kill-permanent.html

Orlando Weighs in on Domestic Partners

The City of Orlando grants some rights to domestic partners. http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/01/13/orlando-passes-domestic-partnership-affidavit

Courts Contend with Child Support Obligations for Duped Dads

State courts deal with a father's rights and responsibilities after negative paternity tests.

http://www.totaldivorce.com/news/articles/children/time-magazine-duped-dads.aspx

Florida Child Custody Laws

The following article outlines what single parents should know about child custody laws in the state of Florida:

http://singleparents.about.com/od/childcustodylaws/a/florida_child_custody_laws.htm

What is a Parenting Plan?

Orlando family law attorney Jennifer Dane answers the question: "What is a parenting plan?"

A parenting plan is a relatively new tool that’s been laid out by the legislature. It’s replaced what we used to call custody and visitation. Instead now, we have a parenting plan, which lays out timesharing.

Any time parents are divorced, or are not married, and are going to be living separately and raising a child together, they’re going to be co-parenting that child. Because the child is going to be living in a different place with mom or with dad, back and forth, we have to have, essentially, the rules by which the parties are going to agree to co-parent that child.

A parenting plan will lay out, specifically, what everyone’s rights and responsibilities are for the child until the child is 18 or until the child emancipates. Included in that would be a timesharing arrangement. The timesharing arrangement is going to speak specifically with regard to who has the child on what days and for what holidays, when the exchanges will be, what the telephone contact with the other parent will be on the times when the child is with the opposite parent… It’s basically going to lay out everything for the child going forward.  It will talk about health insurance. Who’s going to pay the health insurance? Who’s going to cover the uncovered medical expenses? Are we going to split that 50/50?

A parenting plan will also talk about extracurricular activities. Do the parties have to mutually agree on the extracurricular activities? Who’s going to be responsible for transporting the child to the extracurricular activities?

It’s all things that, if you were living together and raising the child, you would have to talk about anyway, but you would be living together and doing it. Instead, you’re living separately and doing the same things, and we like to have everything written down, so there’s no question about what everybody’s going to be doing going forward.

The great thing about a parenting plan is it gives parents the ability to work together and to change it and to modify it as they need to. However, if for some reason the parties can’t agree on a change, then we have a default document that you’re going to go back to, and that’s the parenting plan with the timesharing arrangement.

So, that basically is the parenting plan. It covers custody and visitation, or what we used to call custody and visitation, of the minor children, and it gives everyone their rights and responsibilities to the child going forward.   

Seminole County Legal Advice re: School Re-Zoning

Seminole County schools started today and Orange County start on Monday August 20th. This is such an exciting time of year as the kids prepare to go back to school or start school for the first time. To make sure they are prepared make sure you and your spouse or former spouse have a game plan for getting them to and from school on time, they have the right school supplies, they are getting enough sleep and enough to eat, these will all make for a happier and more productive school year. Additionally, if you are getting ready to divorce or are divorced, be aware that there are major changes coming down the pipeline for Seminole County schools next year and choosing a school district for the kids will be a part of your settlement agreement. If your address may be part of the rezoning effort in Seminole County make sure you know where you will be rezoned to and how that school ranks. It is almost always in the children’s best interest to go to the higher ranking school.  If you have any questions about how to handle back-to-school situations as they pertain to divorce, please contact an Orlando lawyer today...we are happy to clarify!

Here is some information on the potential re-zoning efforts in Seminole County:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-05/news/os-seminole-schools-rezoning-closing-20120804_1_karen-almond-switch-campuses-school-board