South Florida Family Law Blog

What is a loyalty conflict?

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, July 24, 2019.

Loyalty, particularly to one's parents and family, is usually a valuable quality for a child in Florida to have. However, if you are divorcing your child's other parent and the split is particularly contentious, your child could experience a psychological phenomenon called loyalty conflict. According to Psychiatric Times, some children end up resolving their inner conflict in a way that is unhealthy, both to themselves and their relationships with parents.

Loyalty conflict stems from a phenomenon called cognitive dissonance. This occurs because of the existence of two thoughts that seem to be contradictory or incompatible with each other in a person's mind at the same time. Despite the fact that they seem to contradict one another, both thoughts have the appearance of truth, at least in your child's mind.

How joint custody can help a family

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Custody on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

Divorcing Florida parents will have to figure out what kind of custody arrangements work best for them. While sole custody was a popular choice in the past, these days joint custody is considered to be the better option for all parties involved.

FindLaw states that new scientific studies have shown children of joint custody tend to have fewer behavioral problems when growing up. They tend to adopt better social behaviors and habits, get in less trouble in school, and have higher self-esteem. Studies suggest that both parents playing active roles in the child's life provides them with security and balance.

Who gets the retirement accounts when you divorce?

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in High Asset Divorce on Friday, July 12, 2019.

In all likelihood, you and your spouse have accumulated a significant amount of money in your respective retirement accounts and/or pension plans during the course of your marriage. If you now seek a Florida divorce, which of you gets which portion of these accounts, and in what manner, becomes a major consideration.

Reuters reports that dividing up retirement accounts during a divorce can easily become a hugely complicated process. Unfortunately, the older your age when you divorce, the more important these accounts become since they may well represent not only a significant portion of your marital assets, but also the main source of income both you and your spouse will have once you retire.

Can custody be impacted by contested divorce?

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Custody on Friday, July 5, 2019.

Florida parents like you have something crucially important to keep in mind when handling your divorce: your child. We at the Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A., are here to help you as you deal with matters like child custody, visitation schedules, and more.

How you handle child custody and visitation schedules will depend first on whether your divorce is contested or uncontested. Uncontested divorces are much rarer, as they require you and your spouse to agree on all basic matters of divorce, including custody arrangements. People with successful uncontested divorces often employ third party mediators to help them reach a final decision, allowing them to bypass the costly and time-consuming court battles.

Preparing for divorce as the stay-at-home mom

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in High Asset Divorce on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

Being a stay-at-home mom is no cake walk. But it can be even harder when you're worried about a divorce.

Though you add a lot of value to your household, you may not have as much financial stability to show for your efforts. While Florida's family law considers childcare and spousal support during a divorce case, a divorce settlement can still be unfavorable for stay-at-home parents. Here are a few steps that you can take to be better prepared for your divorce and independent financial future.

What is a parenting plan?

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Custody on Friday, June 28, 2019.

As a Florida couple who is divorcing with children, you will have more to deal with than childless couples do. It's therefor important for you and your attorney to understand the changes in child custody laws and how it is handled in the state. We at the Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A., can do just that.

The first thing to understand about child custody in Florida is that it's referred to as a parenting plan and has an accompanied time-sharing schedule. This is due to studies over recent years proving that most children do better if both parents have a hand in raising them. While shared parenting doesn't always work in every situation, such as if one parent is abusive, it can largely help children cope with the split and grow up in a healthier way.

How to stay on the same financial page as your co-parent

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Support on Friday, June 21, 2019.

Financial stress can be one of the most intimidating aspects of co-parenting in Florida. At the Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, we know that a lot of emotions can arise from a discussion of finances with your ex-spouse.

CNBC offers tips to minimize the financial stress you may experience after your divorce. This can help you to co-parent more effectively.

Checklist for dividing marital property

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in High Asset Divorce on Sunday, June 16, 2019.

At the Law Office of Cheryl Bucker PA in Pennsylvania, we spend a lot of time helping our divorce clients devise fair and equitable property settlement agreements with their respective about-to-be ex-spouses.

If you face an impending divorce, the first thing you need to know is that Pennsylvania is one of the equitable distribution states, meaning that when you and your spouse divide up your marital property, you need not do it in a precise 50/50 manner. Your own specific situation, including the incomes that you and your spouse currently make, will determine what is fair and equitable in your case. The second thing you need to know is that you and your spouse need divide only your marital property during your divorce, not the separate property that each of you owns.

What happens in a child support dispute?

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Support on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.

Facing a divorce can be extremely complicated in some circumstances, especially if there are children involved. You may be contemplating parenting plans, child custody and determining what would be in the best interest of your children. As part of the divorce process, child support is set by the court. The noncustodial parent is ordered to pay child support to help bridge the financial gap children often experience when they are forced to transition to a one-parent household. Although the child support amount is set using set standards based on both parents’ income and expenses, you may not agree on the final amount. Whether there are extenuating circumstances that may keep you from paying the amount ordered by the court, or there has been a recent change in your finances, you may have a child support dispute.

When a child support dispute occurs, you can petition the court to look over the amount and consider potential changes. There are several reasons why you may petition the court for a change in the child support amount. You may have recently lost your job or had a dramatic change in your monthly expenses. These factors can complicate your ability to make your child support payments. Other financial events may have come up in your life that affect your income as well. It is important to keep in mind that factors in your child’s life may constitute a child support dispute, which may cause an increase or decrease in your child support payments.

What is the income shares model of child support?

On behalf of Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A. posted in Child Support on Thursday, June 6, 2019.

Children are often unwilling participants of divorce. While you may have decided to separate or terminate your marriage, your children are forced to go through the divorce as well and must adapt to a new lifestyle as a result. Children may have to move from a traditional family lifestyle to living in a single-parent household. They may switch split custody with both parents or spend the majority of their time with one parent. Child support is designed to bridge the financial gap that children may experience when going through a divorce and help to maintain the child’s quality of life.

In Florida, and in many other states in the nation, child support is based off the income shares model of child support. This means that both parents financial contribution to the child is considered. The income shares model attempts to keep the child’s lifestyle similar to what it would have been if the parents would have stayed together.