Family Law

• Divorce
  Collaborative Divorce describes a legal process in which divorcing spouses work with trained professionals to resolve all issues without going to court. In the traditional litigation model, the judge resolves family disputes.
• Child Support
  Both parents are responsible for the support of their children after a divorce or paternity action. In many cases, the parent with whom the child lives most of the time will receive child support from the other parent. Child support is payment made by one parent to another for support of their children after divorce or separation. In most cases, child support will terminate when the child reaches the age of 18 or graduates high school.
• Child Custody and Visitation
  For many years, it was common for one parent in a divorce to be awarded primary custody, while the other parent was granted visitation. In October 2008, there were significant changes in Florida law which led to a new child custody statute. As part of the new law, the state largely did away with such terms as “custody,” “primary parent,” and “visitation.”
• Paternity
• Premarital Agreement
  Prospective spouses often wish to protect themselves and their assets with a prenuptial agreement before marriage. These agreements often enable spouses to protect their assets and avoid a contested divorce. With a prenuptial agreement, a prospective husband and wife can establish their property rights and responsibilities in the event of a separation, divorce, or death.
• Guardianship
  Any adult may file with the court a petition to determine another person’s incapacity setting forth the factual information upon which they base their belief that the person is incapacitated. The court then appoints a committee of two professionals, usually physicians, and a lay person to examine the person and report its findings to the court.
• Spousal Support
  Alimony is a support payment made from one spouse to another based on the receiving spouse’s need for support and the paying spouse’s ability of to pay. Alimony is a complex legal issue, over which courts have great discretion. It is available to either spouse, whether husband or wife, but not all cases will involve or result in spousal support.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Over the many years that I have been a criminal defense attorney, I have heard from many, many individuals during the initial consults, “they didn’t read me my Miranda.” I then ask the person if they made any statements to law enforcement after being arrested about the situation or the crime they have been arrested for, and most times they say no, but they feel that in some fashion not being read their “Miranda Warnings” has an effect on the validity of the arrest. Read More
• Restraining Order
  In the state of Florida, a spouse or family member who is the victim of domestic violence or has been threatened with imminent violence may seek an injunction (commonly referred to as a “restraining order”) prohibiting contact with the person named in the injunction.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  There is no rule that says probate must be difficult, that estate planning has to be uncomfortable, or that an attorney cannot utilize “plain English” to communicate with a family during a difficult time. Click on a topic below to learn more.
• Wills
  Matthew Shapiro - I needed an attorney to update my will and trust to add a new family member and review the will and trust based on my current life circumstances. I met with Mr Shapiro, based on recommendations from friends, and was impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. Mr. Shapiro made recommendations and made the changes we agreed needed to be made. I will definitely recommend Mr.Shapiro to friends and neighbors.
• Trusts
• Probate

Finance Law

• Tax Law