Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Recognizing and Responding to PAS
The emotional relationships between parents and children are always in a state of flux. That’s particularly true among divorced families, and even more so if one parent participates, either directly or indirectly, in this emotional process. This intervention is often called Parental Alienation Syndrome. This controversial diagnosis is rather common among divorced families. Essentially,… Read More »
Seven Child Custody Factors in Florida
Mutual agreements resolve almost all the child custody disputes in Orange County. Agreed settlements give the parties more control over the outcome. They also avoid litigation, which is costly both financially and emotionally. However, the parenting time division must take all the factors in Section 61.13 of the Florida Statutes into account. Otherwise, a… Read More »
Selecting the Right Fathers’ Rights Attorney in Orange County
Many of today’s family law judges began their careers in the 1980s or 1990s. Back then, the tender years doctrine still dominated Florida family law, at least as a practical matter. This informal rule stated that mothers should always have superior custody rights to men. Fathers, according to the tender years doctrine, did not… Read More »
Five Ways to Enforce Past-Due Child Support Obligations
Child support enforcement is one of the most common post-divorce issues. Less than half of residential parents receive the full amount of child support. The attorney general technically has jurisdiction over child support enforcement matters. But public enforcement of a private obligation may be a bad idea, for several reasons. The attorney general does… Read More »
How Important is the Initial Hearing in a Florida Divorce?
In many court cases, initial hearings do not mean very much. They are just procedural hearings that have little bearing on the ultimate outcome of the case. But that’s not always true. Divorce temporary hearings are a good example. At these preliminary hearings, Orange County family law judges make important decisions regarding things like… Read More »