In Florida, family lawyers represent cases in unified family courts. The main aim of the unified family court is to render justice that is "accessible, fair, effective, responsive, and accountable." These lawyers handle all matters related to marriage and divorce, alimony, child custody, division of liabilities and assets, juvenile law, domestic violence and the rights of grandparents. They handle divorce related issues by rendering legal advice to their clients at different stages of the divorce proceedings. They provide all necessary legal information, clarify doubts, offer alternative solutions and represent the case in the courtroom. Sometimes they try for an out-of-court mutual consent for divorce so that the `dirty linen' is not washed in public. Some family lawyers act as mediators to try and iron out the differences between the spouses, offering counseling so that divorce might be averted. In this role, instead of offering legal advice to their client exclusively, they act impartially so that both parties can benefit. The Florida Bar Association, based in Tallahassee, regulates the function of all family lawyers working in the state. These lawyers, by virtue of holding membership in the bar, are offered professional training of the highest order to handle issues in a fair, timely, efficient and cost-effective manner that is smooth for the parties concerned. The official website of the Florida bar, www.floridabar.org hosts several pamphlets of information for public use, a few of which are `Marriage,' `Family Mediation,' `Divorce in Florida,' `Shared Parenting After Divorce,' `Adoption in Florida,' `Juvenile Arrest,' and `Legal Rights of Senior Citizens.' Some of these pamphlets are published in Spanish for the benefit of the Spanish-speaking community. The website is also an excellent resource to locate family lawyers in Florida. The official website of the Florida state courts, http://www.flcourts.org/, is also an excellent source of information to learn about family law issues and locate family lawyers in Florida. |
