Author Archives: Jay Butchko
High Net Worth Divorce Blues
Another Miami power couple has announced their divorce; it seems like a common occurrence here. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and his wife Nikki recently announced that they have filed for divorce after seven years of marriage. Erik Spoelstra has been a coach for the Miami Heat for 16 seasons, contributing to more… Read More »
Procrastination After Divorce Can Lead to Financial Woes in the Future
Getting divorced is a slog, and it is a relief to be legally single again. It is no wonder that some party planners in South Florida dedicate a page of their websites to divorce parties. You deserve to celebrate making it through your divorce and to share a toast to your new life with… Read More »
Don’t Let Your Ego Get in the Way When Making Parenting Plan Decisions
Parenting is not a competition, even though the desire to see other kids’ parents, or even other adults in your own children’s lives, as rivals, is palpable. You passive-aggressively engage other parents at the playground in conversation about your children’s developmental milestones. Sure, that other parent’s kid started walking before her first birthday, but… Read More »
Contempt of Court in Family Law Cases
Your ex-spouse breaks promises, ignores requests, and does whatever he or she feels like doing, no matter how it affects other people. If this were not the case, you would not be getting divorced. Your divorce lawyer reassures you that the family law courts know just how to deal with difficult exes like yours. … Read More »
New Year’s Resolution: Tying Up Loose Ends After Your Divorce
The trending news stories about Divorce Monday hit differently once you are already divorced. Now that your divorce is final or almost final, it is a relief not to scramble to get your divorce started at the beginning of the year. You are free to loaf, procrastinate, and do all the things you have… Read More »
Factors That Affect How Much Marital Property and Alimony You Get in Your Divorce
Florida is an equitable distribution state, which is a nice way of saying that you could be in for a surprise regarding which property you get to keep after your divorce and what the court awards to your ex-spouse. In community property states, of which there are only ten and all of which are… Read More »
If Not Permanent Alimony, Then What?
In recent years, “gray divorce,” in which both spouses are above the age of 50, account for an increasing share of divorce cases. This is partly because, in this generation, young people who feel ambivalent toward marriage no longer feel the pressure to marry someone that they consider an okay but not great match. … Read More »
Now It Is Possible to Get Divorced in Florida Without Filing Financial Affidavits
It has become a cliché by now that, after years of posting pictures on social media of their every date night and their children’s every milestone, post a text-only announcement of their separation and impending divorce, in which they inevitably ask for their privacy. Divorce is painful enough because you must be honest with… Read More »
Florida Alimony in the Age of SB 1416
Divorce makes both parties feel like their ex-spouse has made them financially worse off, but the effect is especially pronounced if one spouse pays alimony. Even though most alimony awards arise from marital settlement agreements (MSAs) drafted during mediation instead of from judges’ decisions, they still often result in hard feelings. The resentment you… Read More »
Are You So Good at Divorce That You Are Ready to Be a Divorce Coach?
Going through a divorce can sap your self-confidence and make you feel like you need to rebuild your sense of identity from scratch. If you are no longer So-and-So’s wife and So-and-So’s daughter-in-law, then who are you? What happens to the friendships with the people with whom you and your spouse have always interacted… Read More »
