Family Law Attorney St Augustine
Put our experience to work for you. Call now, 904-794-7898.
It's Over.
These two seemingly harmless words can change your life forever.
Who knew a marriage, your marriage could end like this? The best of intentions, hopes and dreams now seem like a nightmare. A million thoughts race through your mind. You know it’s time to move on, but what’s the first step? Who should you turn to? Do you need a lawyer?
In times like these, we advise you turn to a seasoned, compassionate Attorney like Michael Hines. Someone who will first listen to your needs with discretion and without judgement...an Attorney who will fiercely defend your interests and assets.
Put our experience as a Family Law Lawyer to work for you. Call now, 904-794-7898.
Passionately and proudly serving our clients in: Divorce, Spousal Support/Alimony, Child Support, Parenting Plans, Visitation, Time Sharing, Custody, and Paternity. Criminal Trials, DUI, Felony, Misdemeanor, Drug, Traffic Crimes, Probation Violation, and more - in the Northeast Florida counties of St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler; and the communities of Saint Augustine, Palatka, Hastings, Bunnell, Crescent Beach, Saint Augustine Beach, Fruit Cove, World Golf Village, Ponte Vedra Beach, Palencia, St. Augustine Shores, Welaka, Moultrie Creek, Davis Shores, Anastasia Island, Moultrie Junction, St. Augustine South, Vilano Beach, Palm Valley, Nocatee, Palm Coast, Crescent City, East Palatka, Florahome, Satsuma, Interlachen, Flagler Beach, Pomona Park and surrounding areas.
When choosing an attorney,
consider the following:
• Does your Attorney have trial experience?
• Does your Attorney understand the financial issues?
• Does your Attorney have a comprehensive knowledge of paternity issues?
• Any more considerations?
Types of Divorce
Divorce, especially a first-time divorce can be confusing. Here is a summary of the types of divorce:
• A no-fault divorce is a divorce where neither party wishes to place blame on either one for the divorce; on the other hand, a fault divorce is one where one or both parties with to place blame on either on party or both.
• Another division amongst divorce cases is the case of contested and non-contested cases. A non-contested divorce case is where neither party disagrees with the stipulations of the divorce (e.g. parenting plan, child support, alimony, etc.)
A contested divorce, however, is one where details are not agreed upon and can be broken down further into two categories:
1. A simple divorce implies little or no assets in dispute and children are usually not in contention.
2. A complex divorce is described as one that has many items up for dispute, usually house(s), car(s), property(-ies) worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. The final outcome of the children could also be a major disagreement.
So Now What? As an experienced Family Law Attorney Michael Hines believes everyone deserves the right to fair representation, regardless of wealth or public status. Call Michael Hines today. It’s the first step to getting your life back.
Divorce Do’s and Don't's
We’ve handled hundreds of divorce cases and no matter how amicable you expect the divorce to be,
here are fifteen (15) things you must do as soon as possible:
1. If any domestic violence occurs, call the police immediately and go somewhere safe.
2. Except in the case of domestic violence, if you have children, it is best not to move out of the family residence. If you have already moved out, ask yourself, "Can I move back in?" Domestic violence situations require special advice, if you or your children are being abused, call the police and an attorney immediately.
3. If you have children, get a temporary injunction against taking the children out of the state. A temporary injunction can be easily obtained by going to the Courthouse filing a Petition for Temporary Injunction. The Courthouse has staff dedicated to assisting you with drawing up the Petition.
4. Do not allow your spouse to take the children and leave.
5. Engage an attorney immediately.
6. Insist on 50% legal custody and parenting time.
7. Move your personal papers and records to a safe location, away from the family home.
8. Cancel all jointly-owned credit cards.
9. Safeguard all jointly-owned bank accounts.
10. Make a record of all marital property, use a video camera or take pictures where possible and store in a safe location away from the family residence.
11. Secure your more valuable personal property; inventory and safeguard all
stored property.
12. Reduce unnecessary expenses immediately.
13. Start keeping a daily journal.
14. Do not sign anything.
15. Prepare yourself for false allegations and distortion of facts.
Our Commitment to You
The Law Office of Michael Hines, P.A. has an outstanding team that is dedicated to providing you with the kind of legal representation you deserve. We have successfully resolved issues and situations from amicable and fairly simple, to logistically complex, to the seemingly impossible. We are ready and prepared to assist you in your case. We offer a free initial telephone consultation.
