When applying for residency in the United States either within the US or outside of the US, your admissibility status is critical. A person may be ruled inadmissible for many reasons, such as residing in the United States past the expiration of your authorized stay, entering the US undocumented, or being convicted of a crime. Being ruled inadmissible means you’re currently not eligible to obtain your residency, but Read More

Florida law starts with the presumption that children need both parents in their lives. Study after study confirms that, in most cases, children develop best when they have access to both parents.  After a divorce, the best arrangement is for both Florida co-parents to have plenty of visitation with their children. Sometimes, though, because of prior abuse, neglect, long periods of absence, the potential for Read More

For immigrants, few things are as nerve-wracking as a naturalization interview and a marriage interview (when applying for a green card), which are typically held in-person at USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) field offices. The USCIS in-person interview is the result of months, sometimes years, of waiting. You’ve submitted many documents and provided countless pieces of evidence to support your Read More

A restraining order is an important legal tool for discouraging abusers from making contact with their victims. Many restraining orders prohibit abusers from even coming within 500 feet of the victim’s work, school, and home.  These conditions present obvious issues for co-parents who have joint custody of their children. Before proceeding with this blog, though, we should define some terms in the context of Read More

Almost everyone born in the United States is a U.S. citizen. This core tenet of birthright citizenship was enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1868).  The second way to become a U.S. citizen at birth is to have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen. This situation often comes up with children of active-duty military personnel. The citizen parent must have also completed certain residency Read More

With all the characters and professionals involved in a divorce or time-sharing (child custody) proceeding, the purpose of these specific roles can become confusing. An important figure in many family law proceedings is the guardian ad litem. A guardian ad litem’s (GAL) purpose is to advocate for the child’s best interests in court proceedings. A GAL in a case does not play the role of the parties attorney, mediator, Read More

You might think Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos have almost nothing in common with 99.99 percent of U.S. citizens. It’s probably true, but they do have something in common with nearly 50 percent of current and formerly married individuals—they have gone through divorce. Jeff’s divorce with his ex-spouse, MacKenzie Scott, ended with a settlement that made her one of the richest women in the world. As of July 2021, Read More

Recently, the U.S Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-3 decision (Niz-Chavez v. Garland), that the Notice to Appear document is INVALID if it does not contain the date and time of the related court hearing. This is, potentially, very good news for a lot of people who are currently facing deportation or who might face deportation sometime soon.  Traditionally, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent individuals Read More

2020 was an extremely tough year. If the stress of the pandemic and everything else was the final straw in your marriage, you’re certainly not alone. Right now, you’re probably entering the first summer of your life as a co-parent. And, as you probably know by now, everything is just a little more complicated than it used to be. This summer will be no exception.  With a little planning and a slight mindset shift, Read More

Okay — having to litigate your divorce is far from the worst thing you’ll ever have to do. In fact, it’s the best way for many spouses to permanently and legally end their marriage. Plenty of other spouses, though, should strongly consider using mediation for their dissolution of marriage (Florida’s legal term for divorce).  When you choose to mediate, you and your spouse agree to meet with a neutral third party. Read More