Lakeland Child Support Attorney – Lawyer, providing professional Child Support and Family Law legal services in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, and Polk County Florida.

Child support is a payment made to the parent, or other court ordered individual, in which a child (or children) primarily resides. This payment is provided by the parent which does not have primary custody. Child support, by law, is meant to be used exclusively for the well being of the child. This includes clothing, food, shelter, and other essential financial needs of the child.

A common misconception regarding child support is that in the event of a divorce or separation of unmarried parents, a parent may seek custody of the children in an effort to profit from the other parent, or to hurt the other parent financially.

The truth is that in the State of Florida, child support laws have set forth guidelines which the court must follow in determining the amount of child support to be paid. These guidelines include, but are not limited to:

• The amount of overnights stays of the child with each parent;
• The financial needs of the child such as day care expenses, medical / dental insurance, and uninsured medical payments; and
• The current income of both parents.

As a law firm providing professional child support attorney & lawyer legal services, assisting Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, and Polk County Florida residents with child support legal issues, we utilize our experience to protect the legal rights of each of our clients in an effort to achieve your child support and family law goals.

If you have questions, concerns, or legal needs regarding child support or other family law issues, we urge you to seek the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland child support attorney & lawyer. Contact the Law Office of Robert B. Peddy, P.A., at (863) 646-1421 to schedule a confidential legal consultation.

In the event that financial circumstances of either parent significantly changes, it may may warrant a request for a hearing to seek a post-judgment child support modification to the standing court order. The modification request may be to either increase or decrease the amount of child support to be paid. Post judgment child support modification requests are not typically well received by the other parent, and are often highly contested.

In certain circumstances the court may sometimes, although not often, consider expenses which are deemed extraordinary in determining the amount of child support to be paid, such as the cost of dancing lessons, sports lessons and activities, or other discretional extracurricular activities. It is important to note that these types of child support factors are rarely granted, and if the child (or children) do not partake of the activities which are being paid for in the form of additional child support payments, the additional child support awarded to cover these expenses may be taken away by the court.

Child support payments typically terminate when a child turns 18 years of age, unless the child is still a full-time student. If the child is a full-time student, the child support may continue until the child turns 21 years old. Child support payments may also be terminated if a child has been declared emancipated by a court, or if a child has been legally adopted by someone else.

In child support and family law cases, let your voice be heard. Contact the Law Office of Robert B. Peddy, P.A., by calling (863) 646-1421.

The Law Office of Robert B. Peddy, P.A., aggressively defends the legal rights of those involved in child support or other family law issues or disputes in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, and the entire Polk County Florida area.