Top Five with Tyson and Denson PLLC

This month, we talked with Heather Mayer of Tyson and Denson PLLC. Tyson and Denson PLLC is a rapacious and advantageous firm that practices family, traffic and criminal law. If you have any questions, feel free to contact them at (904)330-0269 or [email protected].

How hard is it to establish paternity in Florida if the father is not the one listed on the birth certificate?

If the birth certificate does not have a Father listed, establishing paternity is fairly simple. The potential Father would file a lawsuit against the Mother to establish paternity, timeshare, child support, and other relief. Through the initiation of a paternity proceeding, a judge will either court order a paternity test be completed or allow the parties to have a private paternity test.

 

What is the court’s formula for determining child support payments?

Child support is based on multiple factors including, Mother’s Income, Father’s Income, number of overnights the child(ren) have with each parent, number of child(ren), health insurance costs for the child(ren), and other miscellaneous expenses. An attorney can accurately determine which miscellaneous expenses to calculate into a child support determination. For an accurate child support calculation on a case-by-case basis, please contact our office: Tyson and Denson PLLC at (904) 330-0289 or [email protected].

 

What issues arise in same sex parent adoptions in Florida?

Paternity becomes a larger issue because many child(ren) born to same sex couples are conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and will only have the DNA make-up of one of the parents. This poses an issue because the non-biologically related parent would not have the same rights as the biologically related parent would, thus creating the need for certain consents from the biological parent.

 

Does the court set custody schedules or is it better to work them out amongst the parents?

It is always better for the parents to work out a time sharing arrangement amongst themselves but the arrangement should be in writing, filed and recorded through the court. When parents can agree to something amicably, it makes life for both parents and any child(ren) involved much more peaceful.

 

If divorced parents split custody and are deemed “hostile” to each other, how can that effect regular school issues?

If divorced parents cannot properly co-parent or are hostile towards one another, it will affect the child(ren) in many ways. When parents cannot co-parent,  the child(ren) often begin to miss assignments, begin to lie or make excuses regarding of why assignments have not been completed, and grades may begin to fall.