Family Law Attorney

Among the most difficult of situations to grapple with in the context of divorce or a parental breakup of any kind involve children and their needs. Resolution of these matters requires not only legal expertise, but also a deep understanding of the emotional complexity surrounding the issues. Seldom do people’s passions run higher than when the well-being of their children is implicated. In order to ensure that you have the full benefit of the law on your side and completely understand your options and the consequences of your decisions, it is imperative that you retain competent legal counsel to guide you.

The Gainesville family law attorneys at the Law Office of Silverman, Mack & Associates have the understanding, legal acumen, negotiation skills, and courtroom expertise to skillfully manage any child custody, support or other legal issues affecting your child in the family law context.

Gainesville Lawyers Experienced in Family Law Issues

Our firm is experienced in every aspect of family law, including matters involving children of all ages and can assist you in crafting comprehensive parenting plan schedules for your child. Florida law no longer employs the traditional terms of “custody” and “visitation”, so generally a court will not award one parent “sole legal” or “sole physical custody.” Only in cases where it would be damaging to a child to be raised by one of the parents will a court award sole parental responsibility to the other parent.

Rather, the law requires parents to come up with a plan which includes:

• A time-sharing schedule for how the child’s time will be spent with both parents;
• Details about how daily tasks relating to the child’s upbringing will be managed;
• A description of each parent’s responsibilities regarding school, health, and other matters; and
• The methods of each parent’s communication with the child.  

Even if you and your child’s other parent agree generally on how you want to handle your child’s upbringing, Florida law is very specific about the topics that must be covered in a plan before a court will approve it. Our child custody attorneys are fully knowledgeable of the complexities of the Florida law, and we can assist you in preparing and submitting a legally sufficient plan to the court. Our attorneys can assist in the drafting or modification of a parenting plan that will provide for an optimal amount of contact with your child.

Time-Sharing, Relocation & Child Support Issues

If you have an existing parenting plan in place, and you need to relocate with your children, our attorneys can help as well. Court approval must be obtained even if all parties with visitation rights agree to the plan. If the parties do not agree on the plan, then the party seeking to relocate must file a petition with the court making a strong case for allowing the relocation to occur. Omission of sufficient details can render a petition legally insufficient. A family lawyer with our law firm can assist in making sure that you make the most persuasive case possible for relocating with your children and can zealously advocate in court for your position if necessary.

The family law attorneys at our firm also have extensive experience in determining how much child support you may have to pay or may be entitled to receive. Divorce can be a very complicated matter from a financial perspective as it involves the breaking up of one household into two. All financial sources and needs must be considered, and it is very important that you have proper legal advice so that you do not find yourself unduly harmed financially as a result of an inequitable support plan. Should you need to modify an existing order, you will have to establish a change in circumstances substantial enough to warrant the modification. The determination of a support order hinges on precise legal standards and financial computations. Therefore, it would be unwise to venture into these waters without able and qualified legal assistance. The child support lawyers at our firm are thoroughly versed in the support laws and will ensure that neither you nor your children are harmed by an unfair arrangement.

Florida Department of Revenue Cases

Our family law attorneys are experienced in support cases handled by the Florida Department of Revenue (DRE), the state agency that administers the Child Support Enforcement Program (CSE). The CSE’s services include proving paternity and obtaining, enforcing, and changing support orders. If you are working with a CSE representative, you may be able to obtain a support order without going through the judicial system.

A family lawyer from the Law Offices of Silverman, Mack & Associates can help you in preparing the documentation necessary to obtain or modify an order with the DRE. In the event the DRE determines that a judicial hearing is necessary, we will be there to assist you as your case goes through the courts.

Contact a Florida Family Law Attorney

The decisions made regarding parenting plans, time-sharing schedules, and support orders will have tremendous impact on you and on your children for years to come. Given the legal and procedural complexities surrounding these issues, it is inadvisable for a layperson to attempt to resolve them alone. This is especially true if you are in the midst of emotional turmoil regarding a marital or relationship breakup. It will be necessary for you to receive calm, objective, and sound advice on the legal as well as the practical implications of your decisions.  

A family law attorney not only helps Florida families with divorces, children's issues such as support and time-sharing, and paternity issues but also filing and responding to injunctions. If you, a loved one or your children are in danger or fear for your safety, contact a family lawyer today.

Our attorneys will seek to work with your child’s other parent and his or her counsel in order to bring about an agreement acceptable for you and your child. We do not believe our clients are necessarily best served by litigation, as this option can be time-consuming and expensive. However, should it be necessary, we are well able to litigate on your behalf. The Gainesville family law attorneys at the Law Office of Silverman, Mack & Associates serve clients in North Central Florida and are equipped to advise you in every step of the process towards achieving your goals for your family. Contact our office for a consultation.