Divorce FAQ's

In accordance with Florida divorce law, a spouse may be granted temporary spousal maintenance while their divorce is pending so that they can continue to support themselves. The court may choose to continue to require temporary spousal maintenance after the divorce as well in some situations. For example, a judge could order one party to pay spousal maintenance to the other while they complete necessary job training or education, so that they may obtain employment that will allow them to support themselves into the future. This type of temporary spousal maintenance is called rehabilitative maintenance. When it comes to spousal maintenance, temporary status does not necessarily mean that maintenance will end. It only means that when the specified maintenance period ends, the party who has been receiving payments must show the judge why spousal maintenance should be extended. If you plan to ask for temporary spousal maintenance or for existing temporary maintenance to be extended, you need to be represented by a qualified family law divorce attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for your best chance at succeeding.

Florida divorce law requires a short 20-day waiting period before a divorce can be finalized. However, in no way does this guarantee that your divorce case will move quickly. If there are any contested issues, such as a child custody dispute, even with an experienced Florida family law divorce lawyer on your side, mediation or a trial may be required. At that point, the divorce process could easily end up taking up to a year or even longer. When it comes to the cost of a divorce, the details depend on whether you and your spouse are able to come to agreements on issues or not, including property division, finances, and the custody of your children. The average total cost of divorce in Florida is about $14,000, including the fees for your Fort Lauderdale family law divorce attorney.

Florida is not what is known as a community property state. This means your assets will not necessarily be split in half. Instead, the judge will aim to make things fair using the method of equitable distribution. All your marital property, including any pensions, retirement accounts, or other employment benefits that have not been maintained separately by one spouse or the other, will be subject to being divided in any equitable manner that the judge sees fit. If you and the other party have very similar retirement accounts or employment benefits, then there is a possibility that the judge will decide to simply award each of you your own retirement or bank accounts. On the other side of the coin, if there is a significant disparity in income or in employment benefits between you and your spouse, it is very much possible that a judge will divide your property in a certain way that is intended to address that income inequality. When you are facing the division of all the assets you’ve accumulated in Florida, it is incredibly important that you put your trust in a skilled Fort Lauderdale divorce family law attorney.

If your car stops running, you take it to a mechanic. If you are sick, you go to a doctor. If you need a divorce, you go to an experienced divorce family law attorney in Fort Lauderdale, FL, who can provide you with the legal representation you need. If you hire an attorney, he or she will help you negotiate with your spouse and handle your divorce on your own terms, instead of having both your futures decided by a judge. You can legally represent yourself in your divorce case but if you do, it is likely you won’t get everything to which you are entitled and you will most definitely leave something very important out. Perhaps you forgot about an old retirement plan from a previous employer. You might have been entitled to that plan but after your divorce is finalized, it is too late. You will surely be glad that you invested in an experienced Fort Lauderdale, FL family law divorce attorney.