Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution that is mandatory in a Florida divorce, paternity, or modification case, but many people do not see the process as the benefit it is. During mediation, the two parties will meet with a mediator who is an unbiased and uninterested person in the case. …
It’s only natural that when a step parent has been a major father or mother figure in a child’s life that the subject of adoption comes up. It makes official what has already been a reality for quite awhile. How complicated is step parent adoption in Florida? The step parent…
According to recent census data and other studies, the number of children being raised by lesbian and gay parents is increasing rapidly. This increase is evidenced not only throughout the country, but at home in Florida as well. The conflicting laws of the various states as to the legal recognition…
Lawyers representing same-sex couples wanting to adopt in Maryland file in the favored jurisdiction of Baltimore City Circuit Court. Although more and more Maryland circuit courts are granting adoptions to same-sex couples, lawyers who focus their practice on gay families will recommend filing in a friendly jurisdiction. Read more on…
Florida same-sex couples who are raising children together or are planning to either adopt or use donor insemination should consult with an Orange Park Law Firm practicing in gay legal issues. Florida same-sex parenting issues are an evolving area of law. The question about the legal parentage of a child…
How time flies, it was October 22, 2010, when the Martin Gill decision held Florida’s ban on gay individuals adopting unconstitutional. A great victory for all Floridians and all people. Despite this win it is still crucial for same-sex parents of children to review their current estate planning documents, such…
Many Orange Park Same-Sex Couples are raising children, yet only one partner is the legal parent. Will the preparation of estate planning documents suffice to protect your “non-legal” children. A few issues to consider are the following: Inheritance rights. If a legal parent dies without a Will, the Florida Intestacy…
A Second Parent Adoption allows the biological parent’s same-sex partner to adopt a child without terminating the rights of the biological parent. This type of adoption is comparable to a “stepparent adoption”, except both parties are the same gender. An adopted child is entitled to financial benefits, inheritance rights and…
There are many St. Augustine same-sex couples who are raising children with only one legally recognized parent. In a monumental Florida court ruling which overturned the ban on gay adoption in September 2010, the court reported that scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports allowing gay people to adopt, and that “the best…
Late last year, a Florida appeals court declared unconstitutional a 33-year-old state law that prevented gay people from adopting children. Since that decision, gay couples in Florida have quietly begun adopting children. Prior to the ruling, social workers often did not ask about the sexual orientation of an adopting parent,…