Contested Divorce in Jacksonville Florida

Jacksonville FL Contested Divorce Lawyer – Family Law Attorney

Florida state law now uses the term “dissolution of marriage” to describe the proceeding that was referred to as divorce in the past, and they are one a growing number of states that have done so. Along with this, Florida no longer allows for a dissolution of marriage based on fault. The only acceptable ground other than mental incapacity is that of an “irretrievably broken” union. The purpose of these changes is to keep contested divorce cases to a minimum and remove the incentive that exists to allege blame when fault-based divorce proceedings are allowable. The state of Florida does not take the actions of the parties into account when deciding on the terms of a dissolution of marriage if a contested divorce does go before a court, so the question of fault is mute.

The issues that may be hard for some former couples to come to an agreement about could typically include: a schedule of residential child care and decision making power on behalf of the child or children; child support arrangements; division of shared property and debt; and in some cases, spousal support payments. Anyone who is involved in a dissolution of marriage proceeding in Florida should remain pragmatic and try their best to look at the facts of the case objectively, which is what a judge would do. 95% of divorce or dissolution of marriage cases in the United States are uncontested, so the odds are good that you too can come to an agreement. One solution that you can tap into if you simply can’t come to terms is to bring in a third party mediator to help guild you through the negotiations. Many counties in the state of Florida will actually order mediation before they will schedule a case to be heard.

The longer a contested dissolution of marriage case is drawn out, the more costly it becomes for all concerned, and as it drags on, it is likely that hard feelings will continually build as well. Former couples with children together are always going to have that connection, so it is really imperative that they do everything possible to avoid a contested situation and take advantage of resources like mediation to come to a voluntarily agreement.

If you are involved in a contested divorce or dissolution of marriage proceeding, the only responsible way to proceed is with the representation of an experienced Jacksonville FL divorce attorney.