DadsDivorce.com provides essential information and resources about divorce, alimony, child support and child custody to men and fathers at any stage of divorce.

Question: I need to know when child support officially begins. Is it at the point the divorce is filed, on the date I was served?  How should I begin documenting this even if I don't have any kind of order that says I need to pay this or that amount?

by Dorothy Ripka of Cordell & Cordell, P.C.

How can a woman represent me as a father in family court?

It is a common question- Is it better to have a man or a woman represent me in family court? 

The short answer is- It is better to have a competent attorney who cares about your case and will provide you with the kind of representation that you are paying for. 

by Jill Best of Cordell & Cordell, P.C.

Preparing for your first court appearance can be time consuming and stressful.  By the time your hearing date approaches, you have probably had at least one meeting with your attorney to discuss the order of the day, review your anticipated testimony and familiarize yourself with exhibits.  Up to this point, you may have tossed and turned at night over the unknowns of your case: What questions will I be asked on cross examination?  What if I win?  What if I lose?  If you are like most of my clients, the last thing on your mind is: What will I wear?   

Understanding the Collaborative Approach By: Kim Douglas Sherman, Esq.
I am a dad, and I am an attorney practicing family law in Florida for over thirty years.  In those years I have seen some colossal battles over children.  Most of the time, when emotions are running high, one of the parents decides that the best way to inflict pain on their soon-to-be ex-spouse is through the children.  That decision is one of the WORST that a divorcing parent can make.  This article contains some effective strategies, and couple of reasons to avoid the urge to use the kids as a weapon.

Sure, you have heard of “what goes around comes around.” I tell my clients that it is truer than you can imagine. It is not just that the mother will have a chance at some time later to take her shot back—but in the many years following the divorce, while the children grow into adulthood, then parenthood– their mother will have many chances to get even.  Children want to love their parents and respect them.  It seems that as the children grow, they figure out what really motivates their parents’ actions, and then they take the hostility personally.