Orlando FL Divorce Law Blog

Study shows that military service has impact on families

On behalf of Christian D. Smed, Esq. posted in Military Divorce on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Florida military families deal with a lot of stress and hardship when a loved one is deployed. Sometimes, families face even more trouble when a service member comes back from battle suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A recently released study suggests that military service, even without deployment, can place a strain on military families.

When a soldier returns from battle with PTSD-related symptoms, it is not uncommon for their personal relationships to suffer. This highlights an important issue of military family law. With an inability to maintain relationships with spouses and children, it's not surprising that this debilitating psychological condition puts a tremendous strain on military marriages. This is why it is not uncommon for divorce to occur in light of a PTSD diagnosis.

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Tags: Divorce, military families

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Finding common ground in divorce

On behalf of Christian D. Smed, Esq. posted in Uncontested Divorce on Monday, February 13, 2012

There is no getting around the fact that divorce involves a lot of emotion. After all, divorce is much more than just a simple parting of ways, especially when there is anger between the spouses. Yet divorce proceedings do not need to be an emotionally draining legal clash, which is why some Florida couples are choosing uncontested divorce. Seeking a collaborative divorce and going through mediation are good options for many considering divorce.

Divorce requires "financial separation, emotional separation, physical separation, and an understanding on how the future of the relationship will continue." So, it's much more complicated than signing a few papers. When children are involved, a couple's relationship, though fundamentally different, will likely continue after they are divorced. This knowledge has led couples to decide on a collaborative divorce process, which can bring a more amicable settlement.

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Tags: collaborative divorce, mediation

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Former NFL star Owens receives change to child support payments

On behalf of Christian D. Smed, Esq. posted in Child Support on Thursday, February 9, 2012

Unfortunately, many of the Orlando child support stories that make the news involve a "deadbeat" parent, unwilling to pay the money they owe to help support their children. However, recent news about former football player Terrell Owens' child support settlement takes a bit of a different twist. After reportedly being unable to maintain the current level of payments for his children, Owens was able to reduce his monthly payments. What's more is that he was also awarded visitation time.

Owens claims that he was unable to keep up with the $20,000 monthly payments for each of his four children, largely due to the fact that he was not signed by a team for this past season. A court determined that $5,000 per month was a more manageable level of child support based on his current income.

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Tags: child support, visitation

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Welfare of children is key factor in custody arrangements

On behalf of Christian D. Smed, Esq. posted in Child Custody on Monday, January 30, 2012

Divorce places a tremendous strain on everyone involved. In far too many cases, however, children are the ones that suffer most in the dispute between their parents. Determining child custody arrangements is the source of a lot of emotion and anger for divorcing parents. Florida couples in the process of divorce must consider the well-being of their children in the midst of any disputes.

One of the biggest problems in child custody disputes is that couples have difficulty finding personal resolution for the issues in their marriage. When parents hold onto their grievances, it almost always affects their children.

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Tags: Divorce, child custody dispute

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Alimony reform moving through Florida Legislature

On behalf of Christian D. Smed, Esq. posted in Alimony on Monday, January 23, 2012

Ever since Massachusetts updated their state laws governing alimony in 2011, a number of other states have considered similar maneuvers. Among them, Florida is the closest to reforming alimony laws. Proponents of this effort indicate that the current system for determining alimony payments is outdated and unnecessarily punitive for those who make the payments to their ex-spouse.

Alimony reform bills have been introduced in both the Florida Senate and House of Representatives. These proposals intend to update current alimony practices and place limitations on the number of years someone is required to pay alimony.

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Tags: Alimony, Divorce

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Military divorce rate is highest since 1999

On behalf of Christian D. Smed, Esq. posted in Military Divorce on Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Over the last decade, military families have been asked to sacrifice a lot. Fighting wars on two fronts, in Iraq and Afghanistan, have had major effects on the home front. Often the headlines do not mention the toll war takes on those left back home. Statistics show that military divorce rates are at their highest levels since 1999, and Florida military families are not immune from this startling figure.

On average, military personnel have been deployed between 24 and 36 months over the last nine years. That's an enormous burden for any family to handle. As major military operations in Iraq are coming to a close, many more families may face difficulty as personnel return to their homes.

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Tags: military divorce, military families

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