Tampa Marital and Family Law Attorneys
Marital and family law deal with change – change in our most intimate relationships and the most emotional aspects of our personal lives. Even when the change is positive, the process itself can still be stressful and even painful. The attorneys and staff at Cortes Hodz Family Law & Mediation, P.A. are here to help you through these difficult times with patient counseling, sound advice, and excellent representation in or out of court. Call our office in Tampa for help with any marital or family law matter in Hillsborough, Pinellas or Pasco County. We offer a free case evaluation over the phone and provide services to clients in English or Spanish according to their preference. Learn about some of our main areas of practice below. Click on a title for more information, or call Cortes Hodz Family Law & Mediation, P.A. at 813-514-0909 for immediate assistance.
Divorce
We guide you through all the steps of a contested divorce, uncontested divorce or simplified dissolution of marriage. We work with you and your spouse to create a comprehensive, practical marital settlement agreement that meets your needs. If an agreement can’t be reached, our Tampa divorce lawyers are aggressive and effective advocates in court. We’ll protect your rights and promote your interests in every aspect of your divorce, including child custody, child support, alimony and the property division. Our comprehensive Florida divorce practice includes addressing unique needs in areas such as high-asset divorce or military divorce. We represent clients post-divorce as well in motions for modifications of court orders for custody or support, parental relocations, and enforcement of domestic relations court orders.
Pre-Suit Mediation
Whether ordered by the court or voluntarily entered into by the parties, our firm excels in mediation of divorce, child custody disputes and other family law matters. With training and certification from the Florida Supreme Court, our attorneys are there for you in any mediation with advice, support and advocacy to resolve conflict and find creative solutions to even the thorniest family law problems.
Collaborative Divorce
Our lawyers are trained in the collaborative process, designed to avoid litigation and achieve a divorce decree that meets everybody’s needs and interests. Transitioning from marriage to divorce is a change in relationship status, but it does not have to involve hostility or acrimony to get what you want. Call our office to discuss a better way to handle your divorce outside of the courtroom.
Paternity
If the parents weren’t married when the child was born and paternity was never properly acknowledged or established, the child has no legal father. This means no right to inheritance, health insurance, military or other benefits through the father. It means the mother can’t demand child support, and the father can’t enforce custody rights. We represent mothers, putative fathers and other interested parties in Florida paternity proceedings to legally establish or challenge parental rights and important family bonds.
Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements
Premarital and marital agreements are a great tool for helping parties communicate and establish their expectations regarding property rights, alimony and other important matters in the event a marriage fails. We’ll help you negotiate a prenuptial agreement that covers all essential subjects based on open and honest dialogue, and we’ll draft or review your agreement to ensure its validity and enforceability in court.
Stepparent Adoptions
Adopting your spouse’s children confers important legal benefits upon them, but just as importantly, it strengthens the emotional bonds between parent and child and helps create a strong family unit during what may be a difficult period of adjustment. Stepparent adoptions may also involve the termination of parental rights in a father who has abandoned his children or is unfit to maintain the status of legal fatherhood. We’ll guide you through the steps required to secure an adoption as you welcome the creation of a new family.
Domestic Violence
Causing injury to a family or household member is a specific type of civil and criminal offense in Florida. Abuse victims or those threatened with abuse can appeal to the courts for an injunction for protection which, if granted, can force a suspected abuser to move out of the house and have no contact with certain family members, including the person’s own children. The presence or history of domestic violence during a divorce is a factor in determining custody and timesharing and could cause a parent to lose custody of the kids, pay child support or spousal support, or lose the ability to keep the primary residence. If the parties are already divorced, an injunction can include special provisions for custody exchanges that modify an existing timesharing agreement.
An injunction for protection is a temporary order. Before a long-term or permanent order can be put in place, the court holds a hearing at which time the subject of the order can appear and challenge a long-term order. Our marital and family law attorneys help domestic violence victims stay safe and get the protections they need. We also represent parties who may have been wrongly accused of domestic violence in the midst of a high-conflict divorce or child custody dispute.
Call Cortes Hodz Family Law & Mediation, P.A. for Help with All Your Tampa Marital and Family Law Needs
For help with divorce, child custody or any Florida marital or family law matter in Hillsborough, Pinellas or Pasco County, call Cortes Hodz Family Law & Mediation, P.A. in Tampa for a free case evaluation from our team of dedicated and successful family law attorneys.