Social Media and Divorce

Facebook was intended to bring people together, old friends and new. However, social media such as Facebook and Twitter can be a nuisance, a hinderance, or downright destructive during divorce proceedings.

 

When someone is going through a difficult time such as a divorce they may be tempted to vent their feelings on social media outlets, but even innocent posts can harm your case. Indeed, 81% of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers members have used or discovered evidence on social media websites. It is important to be careful. What you say on that Facebook post can be used against you. Be aware that untruthful comments can result in libel action against you. Call up a good friend or meet with a therapist or your attorney instead. These people are in a better position to help you. If you think this isn’t serious business, one recent study says that 66% of online divorce evidence comes from Facebook!

Another interesting statistic says that one in five US marriages end in divorce at least partially due to Facebook. Perhaps accepting a friend request from your former flame isn’t such a great idea. Often times the past is better left in the past.

 

It may also be necessary to avoid social media sites to protect your safety. Avoid “checking in” to locations. This could allow a violent spouse to know exactly where you are. Don’t post photos of yourself at social gatherings. Don’t allow other friends to tag you in photos or check you in at locations. Additionally, you and your soon-to-be-ex-spouse probably have many mutual friends on Facebook. You may want to consider limiting who can see certain posts or shutting down your social media accounts entirely until legal proceedings are settled.

During this phase of your life it is best to rely on in-person communications. Stay off the social media and deal with the situation in front of you. There are many people who can support you during this time. Feel free to call my office if you have questions about this topic or about divorce proceedings- 904-241-0012 or online at

http://www.jacksonvillebeachlawyer.com/lawyer-in-jacksonville-beach-florida.html

 

What Does the Recent Veto of Senate Bill 718 Mean for You?

On May 1st, Governor Scott vetoed Senate Bill 718, bringing relief to most family law lawyers and recipients of alimony. The bill as proposed would have made major cuts to the alimony laws and would have limited the Courts ability to make sure that women (usually recipients of alimony) were adequately able to provide for themselves and their children. The fact that the law would have applied retroactively is what was most concerning, putting all women who currently receive permanent alimony at risk.

At this point we can see where the legislature intends to go on the issue of alimony and time sharing, and it is a fair prediction that the laws in Florida will be changing. The biggest impact will be on families, particularly families with young children. Married couples make decisions everyday for one spouse, usually the wife, to stay home with the children rather than go back to work. When this decision is made, it is usually a joint decision based on the current financial situation of the family, and the welfare of the children. What it does for women and men is halt their careers and creates a lapse in their career development that typically cannot be regained or takes years to do so. But most families would agree these decisions are made with the best interest of their children in mind, and the children certainly benefit.

So, moving forward, is Florida's position that the spouse staying home with their children should be punished in a divorce by strictly limiting their ability to collect alimony and child support? Only time will tell during next year's legislative session, but it is clear that stay-at-home moms and dads will no longer have the financial protections the current alimony statutes provide if the Alimony Reform movement succeeds. We’ll keep you posted on these developments here on the blog. Learn more about alimony and it’s possible issues here: http://www.jacksonvillebeachlawyer.com/jacksonville-beach-family-law-attorney/florida-alimony-lawyer.html

Making Custody Situations as Easy as Possible

 

If you are in a divorce situation and you have children. I strongly encourage the both of you to form a “parenting plan”. This will allow you to decide together what the best time split for your child(ren) is and is a customized plan for your circumstances. If the two of your work out your own plan that best suits your needs and the needs of the child, the judges don’t have to guess. Your plan can be presented to the court and the court will approve it as long as the custody and visitation rights are understandable.

This customized plan needs to be specific on the times in which the child will be spending time at each household. It also states who will be responsible for making large scale decisions about the child such as which school to attend, or which religion to teach the child. Find out more about this important topic in this article:  http://bit.ly/ZIwE6K

A Bit About Your Attorney, Heather B. Quick

-Graduated Summa Cum Laude from University of North Florida in 1998

-Juris Doctorate from Stetson University in 2000

-Assistant State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit

-Opened law office of Heather B. Quick in 2010

-Third generation to open a law firm in Jacksonville Beach.

What Heather believes in:

- Relationships based on trust is what make her successful

- Helping you move through divorce to create a brighter future

- Preserving healthy family relationships and guarding the children’s best interest

- Re-instilling hope in your life and helping you get to the next chapter without fear or hesitation.

Call the office of Heather B. Quick : 904-241-0012. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/VpYaG6

Florida Alimony Law: It’s Time for a Change, but Is This the Right Change?

Florida’s alimony laws were created back in a time when women had little to no economic power, when divorce was uncommon and when family values were honored above all else – even in times of unhappiness. Back then, the man was the breadwinner, and the woman the homemaker. Because of this, in Florida, permanent alimony is granted to the under-earning half of a divorcing couple (traditionally the woman), and will continue to be granted until death. There are many people who argue that this is unfair, and that a lifetime is plenty of time for the under-earning spouse to become self-sufficient. These people are pushing for a reform of the existing alimony laws, and an end to permanent alimony.

But these people aren’t taking into account the kinds of problems that this reform could present – to the providers and the receivers alike. There are some situations, yes, where permanent alimony is not appropriate—but then there are just as many, or more, where it is. There are thousands of women who got divorced during a time when women couldn’t easily get jobs – when their job was to stay at home and take care of the children – and if the alimony reform were to pass, those women—women who don’t have any job experience—would be left without any income or any sense of security whatsoever.

Another thing to think about is standard of living: While married, two people share the same standard of living. If you’re married to somebody for a length of time, you become used to the life you and your spouse shared together, but, if the new alimony reform were to pass, a divorce would mean that only one person would get to keep living that lifestyle, while the other would be forced to live far below the standards they had been used to. This not only affects you and your ex, but, if you have children, it drastically affects them as well.

I am not saying that permanent alimony is right for everyone – there are definitely situations in which the under-earning spouse is perfectly capable of going out and getting a good job themselves. But it is not these people I am worried about – it is the current recipients of permanent alimony – women (typically), who were married to their husbands for 20+ years – who took care of their children and the home in lieu of getting a job because they wanted a good home life – who are in jeopardy of losing everything they may or may not have deserved to lose.

Hopefully people will give this reform more thought before it passes and they realize they’ve made a huge mistake. Learn more at: http://bit.ly/ZPukf4

Relocation: How it Might Affect Your Custody Agreement

Once a divorce is finalized and a custody arrangement is agreed upon, many parents think that they are free to do anything and go anywhere they like – so long as they have their children to the other parent at the agreed upon place and time. This is especially true when a move is involved.

Oftentimes, when a parent decides to relocate, they don’t feel a need to talk with their ex about it, and more often than not, they don’t even mention the move until after it is finalized. Not discussing a move with your child’s other parent though can be detrimental to your parental status, and can cause a major disruption in the custody agreement.

If you are moving within a few miles of your current location, you should still discuss it with your child’s other parent, but it should not be a big deal. However, if you are considering a move farther than 50 miles, the situation can become complex. Changes to almost all of the original agreement will have to implemented – everything from visitation, to time sharing and child support—even if you weren’t paying child support before. If you are considering moving out of Florida, matters can grow even stickier.

People move for various reasons: They don’t like the neighborhood they’re in; they get a new job; the schools are better in the new area; housing is cheaper; it’s just time. When you’re single, and you don’t have kids, your reasons for relocation are no one’s business but your own. However, you do have children, and this move will affect them, which is why it is best to speak to a Jacksonville Beach lawyer before anything is set in stone. A lawyer can help you follow the law and protect your rights to move – in the best interests of your child – and to avoid all the hassle and legal problems that are bound to arise if you move on the sly.

If you are considering moving, get the advice of an experienced, knowledgeable lawyer first, or check out our page, Child Custody and Relocation Cases – What You Should Know, at http://www.jacksonvillebeachlawyer.com/jacksonville-beach-family-law-attorney/child-custody-relocation.html