Experienced Family Law Attorney Providing Skilled Legal Representation For Every Family’s Needs

Family law matters can be emotionally and financially draining. You want to protect yourself, your children and your finances. During tough economic times, it can be especially difficult to know where to invest.

If you need to get divorced or have other family matters that need to be resolved, it is important to find a family law attorney who can provide the solutions you need. I am Monica Sherman, and that is exactly what I do. As a dedicated family law attorney, I have nearly 30 years of experience providing clients with cost-effective representation in family law matters.

Focused And Attentive Family Law Advocacy

My firm has been dedicated exclusively to family law. I understand that every family’s situation is unique. As your family law attorney, I pride myself on providing clients in Fort Lauderdale and throughout South Florida with accessible, attentive and practical legal representation. I can help you with a wide variety of family law matters, including:

• Divorce: I help clients resolve all issues that arise during a divorce, whether it is uncontested or highly contested. This can include financial and emotional concerns and often involves addressing the equitable distribution of marital assets and debts, reviewing a prenuptial agreement and overcoming alimony reform regarding durational alimony, as well as child custody and support matters.
• Child support: I work with clients to help them understand how much child support they may be expected to pay or receive. With my experience as a family law attorney, I also know what to look for in the other party to help ensure the child support guidelines are met, and I can assist with a child support modification if financial circumstances change.
• Child custody: Each case has its own individual set of circumstances. I work with parents to create a parenting plan that takes the best interests of the children and both parents into account, striving for equal timesharing when appropriate and handling cases involving a child’s relocation.
• Restraining orders for domestic violence: Domestic violence can have a large impact on how custody, visitation and support decrees are made. I provide experienced representation on both sides in domestic violence situations, including helping clients secure or defend against a domestic violence injunction.
• Adoption: I represent parents in stepparent and relative adoptions. I will get the adoption done for you in a timely and efficient manner. I can assist with terminating the parental rights of the biological parent or parents to enable the adoption process to be complete.
• Paternity: Whether you are a father who wants to establish parental rights or a mother who is seeking child support, I can help. Once paternity is established, I will work toward an appropriate parenting plan for each set of circumstances.
• Fathers’ rights: I help married, unmarried, and divorced fathers understand their legal rights so they can confidently take the appropriate steps to secure favorable custody and/or child support arrangements. For fathers seeking to establish their biological relationship to the child in question, I can also help you establish paternity for the legal record.
• Modifications: If there has been a substantial change of circumstances, I can help you modify your existing court order. I work with parents to modify child custody and child support, and to assist with a spousal support modification after a job loss or promotion, a change in health, or other changes in living situations.
• Post-judgment motions: Post-judgment motions serve a different purpose than a modification, which I design to change a final judgment due to changed circumstances. I use post-judgment motions to enforce an existing order, correct errors or hold a non-compliant party in contempt of court.
• Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements: I ensure that your separate property remains separate through a marital agreement, whether drafted from the ground up for an upcoming wedding or reviewing an existing agreement.

Whether you are seeking an amicable resolution or require assertive representation in a contested matter, I am committed to making your investment in legal counsel worthwhile.

Frequently Asked Questions About Florida Family Law

Facing family law challenges can lead people to have many questions. Below, I have answered some of the most common questions my clients ask regarding divorce, child support and domestic violence.

How does Florida’s 2023 alimony reform affect new and existing divorce cases?

The 2023 reform eliminated permanent alimony in Florida and established new guidelines based on the length of the marriage. It also created a formula for calculating the maximum amount and duration of alimony and made it easier for paying spouses to modify or terminate alimony upon reaching retirement age. If you are getting divorced or seeking a modification, I can help you evaluate exactly how these new statutory formulas apply to your finances.

How is child support calculated in Florida?

Florida uses the “Income Shares Model” to calculate child support. The court calculates each parent’s share by considering the parties’ combined net income and determines what a united family would have spent on the child. The child support obligation is allocated between the parties in proportion to their respective incomes, taking into account costs associated with health insurance, childcare and the child’s time with each parent. I can prepare estimates for you and prepare motions for child support modifications when your income changes substantially.

What can victims of domestic violence do to protect themselves during the divorce process?

If you are facing a threat to your safety, you can file for a domestic violence restraining order (also known as an injunction for protection). This establishes immediate legal protection and distance from your abuser. Because I focus exclusively on family law, I am highly familiar with these sensitive cases. I will provide prompt, discreet and nonjudgmental guidance to ensure you and your children are protected while we work through your case.

Schedule Your Free Initial Consultation

If you are facing a family law issue, an experienced family law attorney can protect your best interests. Contact me online or call 954-514-9637 to schedule your free initial consultation at Monica L. Sherman, Attorney at Law.