Sampson Collaborative Law

09/11/2026

In what light will your kids see you? Collaborative divorce allows separating parents to be people their kids see in a good light: working out tough issues honestly, civilly, and with respect.

In Florida, both parents may have a close, meaningful relationship with their child. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, you have a fundamental right to participate in major decisions that affect your child. This is known as “shared parental responsibility.”

Your child will go through different developmental stages. Needs for parental involvement evolve as the child develops, from a newborn to toddler to preschooler to school-age to pr***en to adolescent.

In each stage,

How will your child grow and thrive?
What will your child do?
What will your child say?
What will your child understand?
How will your child learn?
How will your child interact with others?
How will your child play?
How will your child get through (and survive!) puberty?
How will your child cope with your divorce?

As your child develops, the other parent’s and your contributions may adjust to foster:

* Speech and Language Skills
* Dressing Skills
* Fine and Visual Motor Skills
* Grooming Skills
* Social Skills

In the Collaborative Divorce process, through guidance of a neutral mental health facilitator to work with you on a parenting plan, direct your love constructively to meet challenges the parents and your child will face during each stage.

Serve your developing child’s best interests and well-being. Why fuel expensive, emotional, positional bargaining that hurts your child?

Find a Florida mental health professional at the Florida Psychological Association, Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA), Mental Health Association of Central Florida, or Florida Counseling Association.

For a collaboratively trained mental health professional in Florida, visit the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals - FACP or local Florida regional collaborative practice group such as Central Florida Collaborative Divorce (formerly Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida.

Outside Florida, see resources at the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP).

07/30/2026

Strike a victory pose when you find that helpful Florida family-law case.

Search 15-years of Florida Family Law opinion (free summaries + full-text links) in our case search tool.

Recent highlights:

Alimony
• Baranowski v. Tesh, 2D2024-1967 (2d DCA, Jul 22, 2026): Upheld lump-sum alimony; remanded child-support calculation.
• Da Silva v. Labriola, 3D24-2039 (3d DCA, Jul 22, 2026): Reversed fee entitlement without required evidentiary hearing.
• O’Donnell v. O’Donnell, 4D2025-0004 (4th DCA, Jul 15, 2026): Alimony judgment must specify form and duration.
• Golliner v. Golliner, 2D2025-0939 (2d DCA, Jun 19, 2026): Bridge-the-gap improper; durational alimony required on remand.
• Ehiabor v. Ehiabor, 1D2025-0117 (1st DCA, Jun 10, 2026): Temporary alimony needs written findings of need and ability.
• Atkinson v. Atkinson, 429 So. 3d 526 (4th DCA, Feb 18, 2026): Nominal alimony proper when inability to pay is temporary.

Equitable Distribution
• Stewart v. Vindel, SC2024-0428 (Fla., Jul 9, 2026): Prejudgment interest allowed in equitable distribution.
• Kerrigan v. Page, 2D2025-3039 (2d DCA, Jul 8, 2026): Remanded again for including mortgage paydown as marital asset.
• Estate of Merrill v. Merrill, 4D2025-0989 (4th DCA, Jun 17, 2026): Term life policies with no cash value excluded from ED.
• Azulay v. Azulay, 4D2025-0445 (4th DCA, Jun 10, 2026): Must assign responsibility for carrying costs when ordering marital-home sale.

Parenting / Timesharing
• Bass v. LeFebvre, 4D2026-0729 (4th DCA, Jul 1, 2026): Parenting plan can’t delegate to others deciding if a parent has completed unsupervised-visitation steps.
• Baez v. Edwards, 1D2025-2372 (1st DCA, Jul 8, 2026): Substantial-change findings supported majority timesharing award.
• Bowman v. Kardash, 430 So. 3d 984 (2d DCA, Feb 25, 2026): Shared parental responsibility reversed; protective therapy measures required.

Other Interesting Holdings
• Benhalima v. Iakovenko, 2D2025-2977 (2d DCA, Jul 29, 2026): Reversed stalking injunction against ex-boyfriend and employee; two mean messages insufficient.
• Cannon v. Lane, 5D2025-2081 (5th DCA, Jul 24, 2026): Quashed adult-support DNA test as time-barred by SOL.
• Green v. Green, 5D2024-0861 (5th DCA, Jul 22, 2026): Trust “homestead” meant entire 160-acre agricultural property.
• Hulse-Gibson v. Hulse, 2D2025-1144 (2d DCA, Jul 8, 2026): Cautioned pro se party on unverified AI-generated case citations.
• In re Amendments to Rule 2.515, SC2026-0673 (Fla., May 28, 2026): Filers must verify authorities exist; sanctions for AI fakes.
• Brito v. Salas, SC2024-1184 (Fla., Dec 30, 2025): At-home s***m donation doesn’t automatically mean no parental rights.
• Carner v. Singer, 4D2025-0467 (4th DCA, Jun 10, 2026): Improper lis pendens on support claim supports slander-of-title suit.

💡 If this tool helps you or your clients, please share it.

06/26/2026

Lasting dispute resolution flows from cooperation, not conflict.

When paths diverge in your relationship, choose dignity, control, and calm progress for your family.

Collaborative Divorce offers you a respectful, private, confidential, creative, flexible, efficient, goal-driven, child-focused, team approach towards agreement.

Your collaborative team can help guide you through legal complexities towards peaceful resolution.

06/03/2026

04/28/2026

A single visionary’s note in 1990 became a global orchestra of hope.

Stu Webb's idea of Collaborative Practice, to redirect lawyers’ efforts constructively towards solutions, caught on. California pioneers like Pauline Tesler ran with, cultivated, and developed the idea. They helped launch the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). Today, practice groups span the globe, the Uniform Collaborative Law Act supports the collaborative practice model in 28 US jurisdictions, and thousands of dedicated collaborative professionals are changing lives in a good way every day.

“Collaborative Law is reinvented wherever it takes root.” — Stu Webb

If you work in mediation, collaborative law, mental health, or financial planning, or are facing a family transition and want a peaceful, respectful path, the history of the collaborative movement may inspire you.

The full article (from the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals - FACP's Florida Collaborative Quarterly) is available at:

https://sampsoncollaborativelaw.com/collaborative-practice-from-a-root-note-to-a-movement

or

https://florida-collaborative-quarterly.ghost.io/collaborative-practice-from-a-root-note-to-a-movement/

04/27/2026

On April 8, 2026, the Florida First District Court of Appeal upheld dismissal in the United Methodist property case, reaffirming that courts must defer to the denomination’s highest internal ruling.

Litigation is public, expensive, and can damage the ministry and relationships the church exists to protect.

Consider another path: the Collaborative Law Process.

It brings local churches, denominational representatives, financial neutrals, and faith experts together to create private, flexible, lasting solutions. Issues suitable for the collaborative process include property disputes, disaffiliation, leadership transitions, facility use for weddings and funerals, or faith-involved parenting decisions.

Protect your congregation’s legacy.

Read the full blog with practical guidance, team roles, and real-world models at https://sampsoncollaborativelaw.com/church-property-disputes-collaborative-law-opportunities.

What has been your experience with church conflicts, whether in the courtroom or using other dispute resolution processes like the collaborative process?

Have you successfully used the collaborative process for disputes other than over family law matters? Share your experiences!

03/05/2026

Lasting dispute resolution flows from cooperation, not conflict.

When paths diverge in your relationship, choose dignity, control, and calm progress for your family.

Collaborative Divorce offers you a respectful, private, confidential, creative, flexible, efficient, goal-driven, child-focused, team approach towards agreement.

Your collaborative team can help you steer through legal complexities towards peaceful resolution.

* * *

In Florida, explore options for your family with: the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals or the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar.

Regional collaborative practice groups in Florida include:

◉ Brevard Collaborative Association
◉ Capital Collaborative Group(Tallahassee)
◉ Collaborative Divorce Professionals (Panama City/Northwest Florida)
◉ Central Florida Collaborative Divorce (Greater Orlando)
◉ Collaborative Family Law Group of Northeast Florida (Jacksonville)
◉ Collaborative Family Law Institute (Miami)
◉ Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale)
◉ COLLABORATIVE LAW PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL FLORIDA INC (Lakeland)
◉ Collaborative Professionals of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers)
◉ Next Generation Divorce (Tampa Bay)
◉ North Central Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (Gainesville)
◉ PBACP, Palm Beach Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Inc.
◉ Sarasota Collaborative
◉ Choose Collaborative (South Palm Beach County)
◉ Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Professionals
◉ Hispano Collaborative Professionals - HCP

For resources about the collaborative process and professionals in your area, please visit the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP).

02/09/2026

When you’re facing divorce, uncertainty can be the hardest part. This free online workshop is designed to help you understand your divorce options clearly and realistically, with guidance from a lawyer, a mental health professional, and a financial expert. No sales pitch. Just straightforward information to help you decide what’s right for you.
Register at www.DivorceOptionsFlorida.com

12/16/2025

🔗 Contract Power in Collaborative Family Law

🤝 Imagine Solutions, Not Pain Points
* Collaborative teams help craft unique support agreements.
* Contract to cover post-graduation medical expenses.
* Enable extended education funding.

🎓 Provide for Education through Contracts
* Extend support for a child's education, including tuition and housing.
* Provide for books, study programs abroad, and more.

💔 Support Families Beyond Legal Constraints
* Couples may agree alimony will continue post-remarriage.
* Provide for support of an adult dependent to continue, even after a parent's passing.

💡 Adaptable Custody Agreements
* Reshape custody and timesharing based on life events certain to occur.
* Contract for flexible and tailored parenting solutions.

📜 Draw on Freedom to Contract:
* Blend legal foundations with innovative solutions.
* Foster collaborative, customized resolutions.

States, public policy, and the Uniform Collaborative Law Act encourage people to use their power to contract to settle disputes. The collaborative environment allows them and their professional team to direct their contract power constructively.

This freedom expands choices available to people who choose the collaborative process. Collaborative teams invite and encourage every member to imagine solutions beyond outcomes courts could order, and to commit to them in contracts.

By selecting among imagined solutions and expressing them in contracts, participants can achieve resolutions a judge, constrained by statutes, case precedent, and rules of procedure and evidence, couldn’t otherwise impose.

Read more:

Harness Collaborative Contract Power!
https://lnkd.in/ew2xe5rg

FAQs about Collaborative Divorce
https://lnkd.in/eS92Snrt

Overview of the Collaborative Divorce process in Florida
https://lnkd.in/eZnh2dG6

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Learn more about Florida divorce options at the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals - FACP or the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar. For more resources about the collaborative process and professionals in your area, please visit the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) or, for civil matters, the Global Collaborative Law Council.

Photo by Ali Ansari on Unsplash.

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12/03/2025

Many parents of children with special needs know turning 18 doesn’t automatically mean independence.

Florida law recognizes this reality. Section 61.1255, Florida Statutes provides a pathway for continued support of dependent adult children with disabilities.

Key factors judges consider:

✯ Your dependent adult child’s income and assets;

✯ Current and future needs of your child directly related to your child's mental or physical incapacity and the substantial care and personal supervision directly required by or related to that incapacity;

✯ Whether you, the other parent, or another person pays for or will pay for the care or supervision of your child or provides or will provide substantial care or personal supervision to your child himself or herself;

✯ The financial resources available to you and the other parent to support, care, and supervise your child;

✯ Any other financial resources, other resources, or programs available for the support, care, and supervision of your child;

✯ Any state or federal programs and benefits your dependent adult child is receiving or may receive due to reaching the age of majority; and

✯ The effect court-ordered support would have on your dependent adult child’s eligibility for such state or federal programs and benefits.

Proactive planning — ideally before age 18 — can make all the difference. Collaborative divorce and family law processes allow parents of kids with special needs to work together with allied professionals (special education advocates, trust attorneys, therapists, and benefits experts) to build sustainable, flexible plans.

For excellent additional resources in Florida, contact Catherine E. Davey at Davey Law Group, P.A., Natalie Baird-King, Sarah E. Kay of King Kay Solutions LLC, Philip Schipani of Schipani Law Group, P.A., or Alison Lehan Allman of Special Education Law and Advocacy.

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash.