By The Law Offices of Ronald H. Kauffman of Ronald H. Kauffman, P.A. posted in Divorce on Thursday, December 31, 2015.

If you are thinking about divorce next year, you aren’t alone. The month of January is sometimes called “Divorce Month.” We typically see an increase in consultations the week after New Year’s.

Whatever the reason, there are a few things that anyone looking into divorce for the first time needs to know to help them through the process and protect their rights.

Exercise

It’s easy to overlook, but the discipline, routine, and act of regular exercise helps you. If nothing else, exercise triggers your brain to release endorphins and serotonin; which makes you feel happy. Studies continually show the emotional and health benefits of regular exercise.

Prioritize

Line up your priorities for life after the divorce. Is it finding a home? Is it retiring? Getting a job? Managing your special-needs child? Consider writing down your most important goals.

Read

As the current Vice Chair of the Florida Bar Journal, I’ve written and published a significant number of articles in professional journals in the area of marital and family law. Try to learn a little about the issues you may potentially face.

Consult

Even if you aren’t certain you need to hire an attorney, or filing for divorce at all, it is a good idea to meet with an expert in Florida’s divorce and family laws. Who better than someone certified by Florida as an expert in marital and family law? We offer free consultations, but even when there is a charge, it is well worth the fee to get accurate information.

Alternatives

Litigation is something to avoid. It’s time-consuming, contentious and expensive. The majority of divorces end up settling. There are many forms of alternative dispute resolution out there, including collaborative divorce, mediation, and informal settlement conferences.

Speed

You want to complete your divorce quickly, if you started it last year. If your case has been dragging, the new year is an opportunity to settle your differences and start your new life.

Network

Making the choice to divorce is hard, and not everyone will be by your side to help you. Start to touch base with your contacts, and go to networking events. Ask colleagues to take a look at your updated résumé.

Update

Consider updating your will, trusts, insurance policies, and any other estate plans.

2016 is going to be a roller coaster. This is especially so if divorce is on your calendar. You can manage this crisis.

On behalf of Ronald H. Kauffman, P.A. posted in Divorce on Wednesday, January 22, 2014.

Did you know that beginning of the year was the most popular time for getting married in Florida? It is also the most popular time to get divorce. In fact, January is nicknamed the “Divorce Month”. Researchers at FindLaw.com recently did an analysis of all American divorce filings and found that there is a spike in divorces in January, followed by a peak in late March. What’s happening at the beginning of the new year that causes people to both marry and divorce?

The Findlaw.com research analysis also showed internet search terms for “divorce” and phrases like “family law” and “child custody” jumped by 50% from December to January, and continued to swell through March. As the research shows:

For some people, it’s all about money. The end of the year is typically when bonuses are paid. Bonuses can be classified as marital property or factored into support payments. By filing before the bonus is received, you may avoid the marital characterization, and it may also help with tax filings.

Other people view the start of a new year as an “existential moment” in that people look at their lives, realize they go by too quickly and that their current version is not happy.

A study noted that of those who cheat on their spouses, 56% of men and 42% of women do so during the holiday season. These affairs may trigger post-New Year’s divorce filings.

Still for other couples the start of the new year marks the end of the ‘Season of Togetherness’, now it’s back to real life.

Some of the interesting statistics compiled by the state of Florida include:

• The number of marriages decreased between 2011 and 2012
• The marriage rate increased between 2010 and 2012.
• March was the most popular month for marriage.
• The most popular date of marriage in 2012 was 12/12/12
• In 2012 the marriage rate in Florida was 1.7 times the dissolution rate.
• The mean duration of marriage resulting in a 2012 dissolution was 10 years.

If you’re considering filing for divorce, here are 5 questions to think about:

1. Can your marriage be saved?

2. Do you have a plan?

3. Do you have a support network?

4. Are you safe?

5. Do you have a board certified expert divorce attorney?

On behalf of Ronald H. Kauffman, P.A. posted in Divorce on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.

Anyone can tell you how to win your divorce. Few people ever tell you what not to do . . . until it’s too late. This could leave you wishing someone had warned you beforehand. So, if you want to learn 5 MORE ways to lose a divorce, pay attention.

6. Hire that mean lawyer you heard about

Run-of-the-mill divorces are boring. But everyone loves a good fight! Retaining the most litigious attorney in town will ensure that you will spend a lot of time contesting even the smallest and insignificant issues, and alot of money too.

Better still, once you’ve taken the gloves off, you’re guaranteed to get an equally aggressive response. Judges love it. What would you rather do, cheer on a couple of fighting lawyers, or deal with some dull legal issue?

7. Represent yourself

There is a quaint saying out there that: “the person who represents themself has a fool for a client.” Lawyers are for sissies and celebrities. I’ll let you in on a little secret: if you can divide by 2 and read, you can handle your own divorce. It’s really that easy.

8. Lie to your lawyer

There’s another old saying that: “in the middle of every client is a lie.” We expect it. And, lying to your attorney has two big advantages:

First, lying to your attorney will surprise your attorney in court, and we lawyers love to be surprised in court.

But there is another advantage: It tells your lawyer to watch out because you’re the type of client who will lie about anything. This will cause your attorney to drop your case as soon as possible, leaving your case dead in the water.

9. Lie to the judge

Let’s face it; if you want to lose, there’s really no substitute for lying to the guy or gal deciding your case. If you sprinkle a few lies in your testimony, pretty soon the judge will catch some, and start questioning everything you’ve said.

This is exactly what you want: to have the judge doubt everything about your case. Not only will you lose, you could win a free night’s stay at the Turner Guilford Knight hotel.

10. Bring the kids into it

Unfortunately, children are not parties to a divorce. That’s a shame, because kids love parties. In fact, the “Rules” require a court order to even bring your children to court. And we all know how much kids hate to be kept out of things.

So, bring the kids to court, let them read the court papers, and be sure to tell them what the other parent said about them. Involving the kids tells the judge that you will probably violate the judge’s order.

Play your cards right, and you can lose your case before you’ve uttered the first word.

On behalf of Ronald H. Kauffman, P.A. posted in Divorce on Friday, May 17, 2013.

Who would want to lose a divorce?

It seems like a silly topic, but think about it, anyone can tell you what you should do to win your divorce. No one ever tells you what you should not do . . . until the damage is already done. This leaves you muttering afterwards, “I sure wish someone had told me that before I . . . ”

Not to worry; I’m here to warn you about some sure fire ways to lose your divorce, no matter how good your case is. if you want to waste money, look bad, or ruin any hope of a relationship with your spouse afterwards, listen up. What I’m about to tell you is the good stuff, learned over years of bitter experience.

1. Destroy Records

The first thing you want to do is get rid of all your important records. Don’t worry about papers trails. Make the attorneys subpoena them. Not only will your records be re-created, it wastes a lot time, and costs thousands of dollars.

2. Drain bank accounts

Hey, that freeloader deserves to be cut off, and closing the checking account will force him or her to run to court on an emergency basis. And that’s exactly what you want, so you can tell the judge to her face that you’re the kind of person who has no problem leaving their spouse and children penniless in the street.

3. Hide assets

This is a must. It’s not enough to merely drain the bank accounts. What you want to do at the emergency hearing is plead ignorance about why you’re broke. I recommend shrugging your shoulders when asked where everything went. Besides, you’ve already covered your tracks by destroying the records, what could possibly go wrong?

4. Cancel health insurance

Making unilateral changes never backfires, is another sure way to get hauled back into court on an emergency basis, and will definitely increase your legal fees. And what better way is there to spend your hard earned money than on your attorney?

5. Threaten

Hey, this is a divorce after all, not some mamby pamby marriage counseling session. Threatening violence will show the other side you’re not someone to be messed around with. Besides, being reasonable only leads to a quick end to the fun. If you want the flames of divorce to last, you have to stoke the fire a bit.

If you’ve done everything just right – or just wrong I should say – you’ll be receiving a final judgment finding you in contempt of court, or better yet, losing everything in an unequal distribution. Then you can kick off your shoes, pop open a cold one, and start thinking about that appeal you always wanted to file.