Bay Area Law Firm:Florida Paternity, Child Custody, and Child Support Lawyers
Zealously Representing Our Clients' Best Interests
At Barnett Wolfe Rice, P.A. in St. Petersburg, we handle cases across the full spectrum of family law, including but not limited to:
Family law is case specific, and the factors of each individual case will determine the outcome. Our goal is to always leave the client with the best possible remedy under the circumstances. Our philosophy is to zealously represent our clients' best interests, while maintaining the highest standard of integrity and professionalism. We represent clients with family law issues anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, and Pinellas Park.
Paternity
Whether you are a mother seeking support for your child or a father needing to establish your parental rights, we are here to help you. Paternity, as defined by law, is the legal recognition of a man's relationship as a parent, between himself and the child. When a child is born out of wedlock that child does not automatically have a legal father without a paternity action to ascertain the identity of the father. A paternity action can be brought by either the mother or the father, and at Barnett Wolfe Rice, P.A. we are happy to advocate for either parent.
Dealing with paternity, a highly emotional and often contentious issue, requires the help of an attorney who has knowledge of the complex paternity laws, and the patience and commitment to protecting your rights. Our firm is dedicated to providing the kind of representation needed to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients.
Parental Responsibility
Parental responsibility refers to who has the right to make decisions about a minor child, including, but not limited to:
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The Court must order that parental responsibility for a minor child be shared by both parents, unless it would be detrimental to the child. The Court may grant to one party the ultimate responsibility over specific aspects of the child's welfare. Alternatively, the Court may grant sole parental responsibility with or without visitation rights to the other parent when it deems this to be in the best interests of the child. The Court may also order rotating custody.
If you are dealing with a parental responsibility issue, you need the counsel of experienced family law attorneys to represent your interests. We will guide you through the legal process to obtain the optimal parental responsibility arrangement for you and your children.
Child Support
The issue of child support is another emotionally charged and often contentious area within the scope of family law. All parents are obligated to provide monetary support for their children. Therefore, when parents divorce or split up, the Court may order the non-custodial parent—the parent with whom the child does not live the majority of the time—to pay a certain portion of his or her income as child support. A child support payment is a court-ordered amount that the non-custodial parent must pay to the custodial parent to cover a proportionate amount of the child's expenses, including, but not limited to:
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The amount of these payments is often a subject of great dispute in divorce or paternity proceedings. If you are dealing with a child support issue, contact us today. At Barnett Wolfe Rice, P.A. we are experienced family law attorneys, dedicated to preserving our clients' rights.
Timesharing/Visitation
Timesharing is the legal definition of the non-custodial parent's right to visit or spend time living with their child. Often this consists of alternating weekends and some holidays. It is common for the non-custodial parent to be granted legal timesharing rights unless the Court finds that timesharing is not in the best interests of the child. We work with clients to develop the best possible timesharing schedule, and we further assist in having timesharing agreements modified by court order as time and circumstances change.
Appeals
In Florida, an appeal is a complex and time-consuming matter, but it may be your LAST CHANCE for getting the outcome you want.
Unlike many other law firms, at Barnett Wolfe Rice, P.A. we have the experience, ability and desire to handle criminal and family (domestic relations) appeals.
If you think you need to appeal your case, CONTACT US immediately. There are STRICT DEADLINES for filing an appeal, so you must act quickly.
Quality Representation You Can Trust When You Need It the Most
Call (727) 525-0200 or visit our Contact Us page for more information on how we can help you.
Our main office is conveniently located near the downtown St. Petersburg Courthouse, the Criminal Justice Center in Clearwater, and the South County Traffic Court in St. Petersburg.
There is no fee for an initial consultation on criminal cases and the minimal fee for an initial family law consultation will be applied to your retainer.
