Recent Blog Posts
How Blended Families Should Approach Estate Planning in Florida
Blending two families through marriage brings new traditions, new relationships, and new questions about how your assets should pass when you are gone. If you have children from a previous relationship, a new spouse, or stepchildren you consider your own, your estate plan needs more than a standard will. Without careful planning, Florida law… Read More »
Things That Can Derail a Florida Divorce Settlement at the Last Minute
You have spent months negotiating. The paperwork is nearly finished, and you can finally picture life on the other side of your divorce. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the deal falls apart. Why does this happen so often, and what can you do to protect the progress you have already made? A Late Discovery… Read More »
Can a Florida Criminal Record Be Sealed or Expunged?
If you have an arrest or criminal charge in your past, you may be wondering whether it will follow you forever. The good news is that Florida law gives some people the opportunity to seal or expunge their criminal records, which can make a real difference when it comes to jobs, housing, and professional… Read More »
What Pasco County Families Should Know About Florida Guardianship
Has a parent’s memory started slipping in ways that worry you? Has an adult sibling with a developmental disability reached the age where you are no longer automatically allowed to make decisions on their behalf? Many Pasco County families find themselves asking whether guardianship is the right next step, often during an already stressful… Read More »
How the Florida Do Not Resuscitate Order Differs from an Advance Directive
If you have started planning for your future medical care, you have probably come across two terms that get confused often: the Do Not Resuscitate order and the advance directive. Are they the same thing? Not quite, and the difference matters a great deal if you ever end up in a medical emergency. Understanding… Read More »
How Florida’s Adult Protective Services System Works
Most people have heard of Child Protective Services, but far fewer are familiar with the parallel system that exists to protect vulnerable adults. If you have an elderly parent, a disabled family member, or a loved one who depends on others for their care, understanding how Florida’s Adult Protective Services system works could be… Read More »
How Alimony Reform Changed the Rules for Florida Divorces
If you went through a divorce in Florida before July 2023, or if you are thinking about one now, you may have heard that the alimony rules changed significantly. You heard correctly. Florida’s alimony landscape looks very different today than it did just a few years ago, and if you are navigating a divorce,… Read More »
How Medicaid Planning Works in Florida Before a Nursing Home Stay
If you have a parent or spouse who may need nursing home care someday, or if you are thinking about your own future, you have probably wondered how anyone actually pays for it. Nursing home care in Florida can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 or more per month, and Medicare generally does not… Read More »
How to Prove That a Will Is Not the Result of Undue Influence
Challenges to the decedent’s will are among the most stressful things that can happen during a probate case. These challenges usually arise because they do not want the court to administer a will that gives the claimant less inheritance than he or she was hoping to receive, but the court will not invalidate a… Read More »
Lady Bird Deeds: A Rare but Beautiful Floridian Species
Did you know that you can designate your house as a non-probate asset without all the legal maneuverings of setting up a trust and transferring possession of your house to it? You can keep your house out of probate by executing a life estate deed. It is not quite as simple as designating a… Read More »
