Clearwater Divorce Attorney > Clearwater Divorce

Clearwater Divorce Attorney

Confusion. Hurt. Anger. Many emotions can accompany a divorce and dealing with those emotions while trying to navigate the legal process of divorce can be difficult without help from an experienced Clearwater divorce attorney. At the Law Offices of Gale H. Moore, P.A., we can help you accomplish your goals and protect your rights, while attempting to resolve any disputes in a productive and peaceful manner.

If you need assistance with a divorce matter, contact our Florida law office. We will guide you through the divorce process.

Compassionate Service for the Florida Divorce Process

As a family law attorney with more than 30 years of legal experience, Gale Moore has handled many contested and uncontested divorces in Largo and Pinellas County. She has also handled many high net worth divorces involving the division of complex assets and property.

Our firm recognizes that many other issues can arise during a divorce, including:

Child support payments
Time sharing, child custody and shared parental responsibility
Alimony or spousal support
Equitable division of assets and debts
Allocation and payment of attorney’s fees and costs
Temporary housing issues

These issues are not always easy to resolve or understand. It is our job to provide honest answers and advice, while guiding clients through the process with compassion.

Florida Divorce Process

When you are contemplating divorce, you need to understand the divorce process, your rights and obligations, and the potential outcomes of the proceedings. At the Law Offices of Gale H. Moore, we emphasize the importance of communicating openly with our clients and helping you recognize the issues that will guide the course of your case.

Below, you will find information about proceeding through the divorce process in Florida. As you will see, the divorce process (even at its most simple) is complex enough to warrant legal representation. If your divorce is contested or may become contested, it is especially important to retain a lawyer to protect your rights and interests.

Step 1: File a divorce petition. To start the divorce process, typically one or both parties must file a “Petition for Dissolution of Marriage” in the county circuit court where one party resides. The parties must also file additional paperwork at this time, such as a financial affidavit or a marital settlement agreement, depending on the circumstances of the marriage. If financial statements are not filed with the petition, generally each party must submit a financial affidavit within 45 days of the service of the petition or several days before any temporary hearing. There are exceptions to these steps in certain circumstances so please discuss your unique facts with a trained expert attorney.

Step 2: Answer the divorce petition. If one spouse filed the divorce petition, the other spouse has 20 days from the date of being served to file an answer to the divorce petition. The answer should address the issues in the initial petition. Additional issues should be addressed in a counter-petition.

Step 3: Prepare for a divorce hearing. After the initial pleadings are filed, the parties should follow through on preparing any discovery needed to adequately prepare the case.

Step 4: Attend required mediation. Mediation is a procedure to assist divorcing couples in working out an arrangement for reaching a divorce settlement. Its purpose is not to save a marriage, but to help parties reach solutions and arrive at agreeable terms for handling child custody, child support, property division, and other divorce issues. Pinellas County has court-provided mediation services in some cases, but in all cases at least one mediation session is required before the date for a divorce trial can be set.

Simplified Dissolution of Marriage

Some couples are eligible to end their marriages through a simplified procedure. You can use the simplified process if you and your spouse both agree to the use the simplified proceeding, you have no minor or dependent children, you are not pregnant, at least one of you has lived in Florida for the past six months, you agree on the division of property, neither party is seeking spousal support, and you both agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken.

There are substantial differences between a simplified and a regular dissolution of marriage. With a simplified dissolution, financial information may be requested by either party but disclosing, substantial financial information referred to as mandatory disclosure is not required.

Skilled Representation for Marital Law in High-Asset Divorce Matters

When clients come into our office, they frequently have many questions about the process of divorce and what they can expect to see or deal with during the process. These questions include:

How long will the process take?
How much is the process going to cost?
What property will I lose and what could I have to pay in support?

The answers to these questions will vary, depending on the circumstances of the divorce and how willing the parties are to cooperate. Our firm will be clear about what our clients’ expectations should be and will try to take the uncertainty out of the process.

Avoid Disputes Over Issues in Your Divorce

Clearwater divorce attorney Gale Moore is also experienced at mediation a form of alternative dispute resolution that can help those who wish to avoid the courtroom come to amicable resolutions. By resolving a divorce prior to trial, parties can save a great deal of time, money and stress.

Gale Moore is also a seasoned litigator, having tried many family law matters and numerous criminal jury trials. Contact our firm to schedule an initial consultation and get honest answers about your situation. Call for an appointment at our Largo office at 727-584-2528.

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