For Your Children’s Sake

Divorce is always detrimental in some ways to children. However, as parents, you have considerable power to minimize the impact. It's not your decision to lead separate lives that is most harmful to your kids — it's the bitter legal wrangling during divorce and inability to get along afterward that takes a toll. For your children's sake, we encourage you to put emotions aside to strive for an out-of-court Parenting Plan in mediation.

Parenting Plans are some of the most challenging and difficult aspects of a divorce case. The parents must work through or litigate who the children will live with most of the time; and it can be a terrifying, frustrating and demanding process.

Shared Parental Responsibility is the legal presumption in Florida. The Court feels that both parents should be actively involved in their children's lives, education, religious upbringing, health and welfare. The Court will grant Shared Parental Responsibility unless one parent is truly unfit. Otherwise, both parents will work together jointly raising their children.  To that end, Attorney Michael Hines helps families take the steps required to put forth the most workable Parenting Plan possible.

Some Problems Can Be Resolved Through Mediation

Some areas and issues where Mediation may be beneficial:

• Child Custody/Parenting Plans • Visitation/Time Sharing Plans • Equitable Distribution
• Spousal Support/Alimony • Child Support • Contempt • Enforcement Issues
• Modification of Spousal Support/Alimony and/or Child Support

Do you need knowledgeable counsel and a representative that will thoughtfully and carefully analyze your situation and advise you?
Attorney Michael Hines has successfully mediated and negotiated issues and situations from amicable and fairly simple to logistically complex to the seemingly impossible.