Links to resources you will need during the divorce process

DISCOVERY MATERIALS

Mandatory Financial Disclosures (required to be exchanged) - Florida Family Law Rule 12.285 requires all parties involved in Florida divorce, paternity, modification and child support cases to comply with Mandatory Disclosure. Mandatory Disclosure can be an overwhelming process but is a huge part of the discovery process of a case.

Financial Affidavit - In most family law cases, including divorces, child support cases, and modifications of alimony or child support, each party will be required to complete a Family Law Financial Affidavit. The financial affidavit is a standardized form prepared by the Florida Supreme Court. There are two different versions of the form: a short form and a long form. Parties with less than $50,000.00 in total gross annual income may use the short form and parties with $50,000.00 or more in total gross annual income are required to use the long form.

• Financial Affidavit ($50,000 or less gross annual income)

• Financial Affidavit ($50,000 or greater gross annual income)

OTHER RESOURCES:

Florida Bar Family Law Section - Valuable research and resources to help understand Family Law.

Divorce Care - Divorce Care is a resource for finding support groups to help you through one of the most stressful times in your life.

Divorce Magazine - This site offers supportive articles, useful links and tips, daily news, and interactive bulletin boards for people at every stage of the divorce process.

5 Things Every Woman Should Know About Social Security - Key takeaway points that every woman should know about Social Security, especially if you’re going through a divorce.

ZOOM TUTUTORIAL

FOR USING ZOOM IN COURT PROCEEDINGS

DIVORCE & CO-PARENTING APPS

Our Family Wizard - https://www.ourfamilywizard.com

Cost: $99/year, per parent

Helpful Features

• Calendar – Work from a shared calendar built with one-touch trade and swap features, with automatic documentation logs for when you accept or reject schedule alterations.

• Message Board – Use instant messaging platform where users are unable to edit or remove messages they send.

• Expense Log – Track your parenting expenses and reimbursements. Attach receipts electronically. Connect your credit and debit cards securely via OFWpay for simplified transactions.

• Journal – Chronicle details about events related to child care, such as doctor’s visits, advice from family professionals, notes from teachers, contact with other family members, etcetera.

Differentiators

The “ToneMeter” (extra $10/year) is one useful feature that sets OFW apart from other solutions like it. Think of it as an emotional spell check. It detects and flags emotionally charged messages, and offers users ways to adjust the message into something more appropriate. This reduces harmful and unnecessary back-and-forth between parents, and ensures you look cool, calm, and collected should your messages be reviewed in family court. One of our clients asked an attorney to review 300 pages of heated back-and-forth between separated parents. ToneMeter could have helped to avoid that kind of mess.

Talking Parents - https://talkingparents.com/home

Cost: Around $60/year for premium features. (Free version available with features paid for la carte.)

Features

• Shared calendar – Log timesharing events, note appointments, schedule extra-curricular activities in one convenient place.

• Store and share files – Save pertinent images and documents in a searchable library. Logs which files have been shared with parents.

• Unalterable records – Includes details about when every calendar event was recorded or edited, and when each parent reviewed the notification.

• Real-time notifications – Receive push notifications to your device whenever a parent posts a new message.

• Accountable Payments - Keep track of all of your shared parenting expenses. You and your co-parent can make payment requests and securely send or receive money.

• Accountable Calling - Make video or phone calls, complete with call recordings and transcripts, all without disclosing your phone number.

Differentiators

Talking Parents is probably the most popular co-parenting app in use with our clients that have conflict in their past history. The free desktop version has a lot of appeal from the get-go. There are “premium” monthly fees for using the mobile app, and additional fees if you want to create PDFs of calendars, conversations, and notes to show third parties (your lawyer, other professionals, or family court officials). Many parents do end up spending for the premium version instead of paying nickel-and-dime fees for printable documents.

Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Abuse Hotline