Divorce in Stuart Florida
Martin County Divorce Court
Our Martin County, Florida Family Lawyer, Tim Nies, offers divorce advice for those contemplating divorce in Stuart, Florida. Divorce is never easy and unfortunately, if there is no agreement, may take some time in Stuart, Florida. At the present time, there is one family law judge for all of Martin County. He is a skilled judge known for moving cases along quickly, however, given the fact that he must handle all family law cases in Stuart, Florida, cases may take some time if the matter must be heard at a divorce trial. St. Lucie County only has two family law judges. By comparison, Palm Beach County has at least 9 family law judges. Below you will find advice on how to avoid a trial and speed up the process of divorce, including early mediation, in Martin County, Florida.
Talk with your Spouse Before Filing for Divorce in Stuart Florida, if Possible
If you are thinking about filing for divorce in Stuart, the best advice is to try to work out issues ahead of time. For instance, if you have minor children, talk to your spouse about what the timesharing should be, what school your minor children shall attend, vacation time with the children, extracurricular activities, and all other issues referenced in a Florida Parenting Plan. If you are able to agree on all issues before filing for divorce, you may be able to file for an uncontested divorce, which will save money.
Assets and Liabilities in Divorce in Stuart Florida
As far as assets and liabilities, talk to your spouse if you can if you have a home together. Discuss if one spouse wishes to keep the house, and how to buy out your spouse’s interest in the home. If you want to sell the home and divide up the money from the sale of the home, talk about what realtor should be hired, the listing price, etc. I cannot tell you how many times clients and their spouses fight over what realtor to use. The costs of the divorce attorneys, on both sides, over such an argument are unnecessary. Further, the home may be sold while the divorce is still open. Talk to your lawyer first.
Talk about what car each of you should have and how payments should be made. Oftentimes, cars are in both parties’ names, and these issues will have to be addressed. It does not cause any harm to talk to your spouse about this. Discuss bills that each of you has in your name, or together. Remember, the Martin County Family Law Judge will equitably divorce all debts. Debts in the name of one spouse incurred during the marriage are marital debts. For instance, credit cards, loans, student loans, etc.
Alimony in Divorce in Stuart Florida
There is no harm in discussing alimony with your spouse before filing for divorce in Stuart, Florida. Not every spouse is entitled to alimony. There are numerous factors in an alimony case, however, just having a discussion (not signing any document) about alimony may save some stress during the divorce. Further, your Stuart, FL divorce lawyer will want to know if you had such discussions with your spouse.
Parenting Course
Florida, including Martin County, requires both parties to complete a parenting course. It is advisable that both parties complete this requirement before filing. Further, the parents may benefit from learning about the impact of divorce on minor children.
For free advice, call our family law attorneys, Christian Van Riper (a former DCF investigator and former prosecutor in the 19th Judicial Circuit) and Tim Nies any time. We will speak with you, for free about the divorce process, what to expect and how long the divorce case in Stuart, Florida should take.
Our paralegals at Van Riper and Nies Attorneys are highly skilled at moving cases quickly to resolution by working with our attorneys by making sure discovery is answered quickly and every document that needs to be filed is done so without delay. We understand the stress divorce in Stuart, Florida causes on finances, therefore, we offer a free consultation. We are also a veteran-owned Stuart, Florida divorce law firm and offer military and veteran discounts to servicemembers/veterans and their spouses.
Our Martin County law office serves family law clients in Hobe Sound, Stuart, Jensen Beach, Indiantown, Port Salerno, Palm City, and Port St. Lucie, is located at 900 SE Ocean Boulevard, Suite 140-E, Stuart, Florida 34994. Our telephone number is 772-283-8712.