You need to carefully read the retainer agreement that she signed. It should address what is owed and what the refund policy is. What you are describing does not sound right as it would be unethical to charge such a large sum for no work done. Speak with a local family lawyer for more specific... View More

You may want to consider hiring an accountant to go through his personal and business financials to determine what expenses are personal or inflated. The short answer is that any expenses that are personal in nature you should have a good argument to have them included in his income for purposes of... View More

Ultimately the house will be divided (any equity) in the divorce. In the meantime, most jurisdictions (courts) have a rule that both parties must maintain the financial status quo. This means that each of you is expected to continue paying any bills that you traditionally paid. If he stops paying... View More

Unless the final judgment states that the alimony is non modifiable, if you are found to be in a supportive relationship it could affect your permanent alimony. To be clearer, if your boyfriend is contributing towards your living expenses (groceries, gas, car payment, rent, mortgage) or you are... View More

Normally you need to pay a small fee for a certified copy. It is not provided automatically. Electronic (by email) certified copies do exist but they will have a seal and certification that are obvious. You should be able to go online to the clerk's website where you were divorced and order a... View More

It sounds like you need to go to court. You say that the two of you have agreed to divorce. You are going to need to file a divorce with the court. At that point you can ask the court for help with getting your personal items returned. Your other non-court option would be to contact the police and... View More

You have raised two separate legal issues. Regarding the divorce agreement, you can return to family court and pursue your ex for the value of the car that was never paid off. Regarding the repo, that is an issue between the finance company and whoever's name is on the finance documents. If... View More

Life insurance is a contract with the life insurance company. From the divorce case you need to read your final order or agreement carefully to see what the requirements were. If the spouse has already passed away then the life insurance company will do whatever the contract said. Beneficiaries... View More

You may not ask for a different judge. If you have a Consent Final Judgment prepared the judge may be looking at the history of any domestic violence as a factor to determine if the Parenting Plan is in the best interest of the children before the Judge signs off on it.

This means that the judge can enter your final judgment without a hearing. If everything is settled then this is how your case will end.

If you have lived together in the home and supported the home financially for the past eight years then you have a marital interest in the home. Whether your interest is half is a more complex question. He may have an argument that his settlement was a non-marital asset that should be returned to... View More

When you file for divorce, one of the things you should ask for would be that he be ordered to move out.

If spouse 1 made no contributions during the marriage then they can argue that it is a non-marital asset. Spouse 2 would need to prove that spouse 1 somehow used it or commingled it during the marriage in order to make it part of the marital estate. For example, if spouse 1 took a loan against it... View More

Florida does not recognize common law marriage

File a modification on child support to adjust your payment while you are in that situation. Do your best to get a job when you can so you can still support your child. It is every parent's responsibility to provide for their children.

Talk to your attorney to know how best to proceed.

If you and your husband lived in NYC when you were married it may be appropriate for him to file the case in NYC but more information is needed in order to provide you an appropriate response. Given that he has filed a case in NYC it would be prudent to contact an attorney in NYC to assist you with... View More

You do not mention if the other party is objecting. Generally when a divorce is file the expectation is that both parties will maintain the status quo, financial and otherwise. You should continue to use the vehicle that you have traditionally used. If that requires a change then you must either... View More

The general rule is that everything that you acquire during the marriage, both debts and assets, are considered marital. The home, being it was purchased during the marriage would most likely be marital but we would have to do a complete assessment of your case to say for sure.

You can either file for divorce (recommended) or file a petition for support unconnected with divorce. The divorce would handle all the issues pertaining to your marriage including the custody of the children, division of assets and debts, as well as both alimony and child support. The petition for... View More

We would recommend you meet with an attorney as more information is needed to answer your question. Generally speaking, any assets or debts acquired during the marriage are considered marital regardless of whether the title is held jointly or individually. But there are certain exceptions.