If you face divorce and you, your spouse or both of you jointly own a business, proper valuation of that enterprise is necessary so the court can fairly divide the marital estate. You and your spouse may be able to agree on a number, but if not, the judge will...
High Asset Divorce
Bill and Melinda Gates announce divorce and separation contract
On May 3, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, 65, and his wife Melinda French Gates, 56, announced their divorce on Twitter after almost 30 years of marriage. That same day, Ms. Gates filed a petition for divorce, which Mr. Gates joined. The petition states that the...
This land is your land, this land is my land
Property appraisers and their role as real estate experts in Florida divorce litigation One of the most consequential parts of divorce is the division of real property, meaning land and buildings, between the spouses. Sometimes a couple can negotiate how they will...
Making a list, and checking it twice, part 1
What happens if your spouse is hiding assets from you in your Florida divorce? Unfortunately, not everyone behaves honestly when faced with dividing marital property in a divorce. Soon-to-be exes may try to conceal assets to keep for themselves. Or, they might even...
Supporting adult children during and after a gray divorce
The term “gray divorce” has caught on as a way to refer to the phenomenon of couples deciding to go their separate ways in their senior years. This is something we face in our Florida family law office on a regular basis due to the popularity of the Sunshine State as...
Part 2: What are potential drawbacks of collaborative divorce?
We ended our last post, which introduced collaborative divorce, with a question. Many supporters say that it is often less costly than other divorce methods, especially contested divorce trials. For a couple with few issues to negotiate, who may have discussed...
Part 1: What is collaborative divorce?
You may have heard of collaborative divorce in Florida, a new relatively new process for divorcing that was born in the recent decades as a hoped-for antidote to the negative, adversarial nature of divorce in a big courtroom fight. While for some the process has been...
Can you go to jail for not paying child support in Florida?
The answer is: sometimes. In narrow circumstances, a Florida state court may find that someone who owes child support is in civil contempt of court and order him or her incarcerated. But Florida law governing civil contempt as a legal remedy for failure to pay child...
Important considerations when you choose a Florida family lawyer
At our law firm, we practice exclusively divorce and family law. Our laser focus on clients facing family or relationship conflict or need gives us deep understanding of the personal situations they face, often quite unexpectedly. These insights give us keen...
What does it mean to be the “best” family lawyer?
Historically, it has been unethical for a lawyer to say that he or she is the "best" lawyer in town or in an area of law. And of course, it would be impossible to choose the best one -- a subjective assessment that varies from person to person. So, how can you make a...
The Law Office of Forrest & Forrest, PLLC represents individuals in Fort Lauderdale in high-asset divorce matters. Daniel Forrest is board-certified family lawyer and mediator serving the South Florida area.
