Practice Areas

Covering the Intricacies of Divorce and Family Law

The Palm Beach divorce lawyers at John F. Schutz, P.L. offer expertise across a broad range of practice areas, including divorce, mediation, collaborative law, alimony, child custody, child and spousal support and modification, as well as prenuptial and postnuptial agreements and paternity cases.

Divorce

Our goal at John F. Schutz, P.L. is to secure the brightest financial future for our clients and to shelter children from the effects of divorce. After all, a divorce does not end the parents’ relationship with one another; they will always share a bond through their children. The manner in which the divorce is handled either strengthens or undermines a parent’s ability to co-parent in the future.

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Division of Marital Property

Marital assets can may include real estate, cars, bank accounts, pensions, businesses, and much more. The Palm Beach divorce lawyers at John F. Schutz, P.L. have a successful history of tracking down marital assets – which is particularly helpful when clients are unaware of their spouse’s true net worth. We have found undisclosed bank accounts, foreign pensions and cash buried in a coffee can in a backyard.

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Spousal Support

John F. Schutz, P.L. defends and prosecutes Florida alimony claims—and has achieved great success with both. We specialize in complex alimony issues such as proving the income available to business owners, who are often capable of manipulating their financial records to avoid Florida alimony laws. When appropriate, John F. Schutz, P.L. engages accounting professionals to trace income and find hidden assets.

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Child Custody & Visitation

Can you imagine the State of Florida telling you how your child is going to be raised? Parents who fail to resolve disputes among themselves delegate much of their parental authority to a judge. Judges decide where your children live, how often you get to see your children, and what parenting decisions – including grandparent rights and father’s visitation rights – you are allowed to make.

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Appeals

When it comes to family law, John F. Schutz, P.L. is a full service firm. As Florida appellate attorneys, we will represent you through pre-suit settlement attempts, mediation, discovery, temporary relief hearings, trial and appeal. Our philosophy is that the appellate process is a necessary extension of the trial practice.

Child Support

Child Support is a monthly payment usually sent from the parent with less time-sharing to the parent exercising more time-sharing. Hiring a West Palm Beach law firm with a solid grasp of Florida child support guidelines can impact how your child (or children) and you live your lives for years to come.

Mediation

John F. Schutz, P.L. believes mediation to be a very worthwhile method of dispute resolution. Compared with going to trial, Florida mediation involves far less time and expense, better preserves your privacy, gives you more control over the outcome, and can set a tone of cooperation that may prove beneficial after the marriage is dissolved. Litigation should be a last resort.

Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

Agreements specifying a spouse’s rights in the event of divorce are generally known as ante-nuptial agreements. An agreement signed before marriage is called a prenuptial agreement; if signed after marriage, it is called a postnuptial agreement. Ante-nuptial agreements can resolve all issues except temporary spousal support or issues pertaining to the children of the marriage.

Collaborative Law

Collaborative Divorce is a non-binding process of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Collaborative law is a new way to resolve disputes by removing the disputed matter from the litigious court room setting and treating the process as a way to “trouble shoot and problem solve” rather than to fight and win.

Child Relocation

In the past 15 years, there has been a great deal of change in laws pertaining to relocation. As the Courts have increasingly favored equal time-sharing between divorced parents, they have increasingly disfavored relocation of minor children. Presently, however, the statute provides no presumption favoring or disfavoring relocation. Lives change. Circumstances change. To learn how child location affects you and your family and how modification factors in – contact John F. Schutz, P.L. today.

International Custody Disputes & Child Abduction

Child abduction, whether across state lines or international boundaries, is a tragedy for those involved. John F. Schutz, P.L. has assisted many families in these situations, aggressively pursuing the safe return of a child or defending parents opposed to the return of a child to a foreign jurisdiction. Complete understanding of Florida custody laws is what we bring to the table – and the courtroom.

Paternity

As defined by Florida paternity laws, paternity is a process to establish the legal relationship between a child born out of wedlock and the putative (alleged) biological father. A paternity lawsuit may be filed either by the mother or the father of the minor child. During the litigation, the court can may establish the rights and responsibilities of each parent, including participation in parenting decisions, and the establishment of child support.