A Solution Oriented Advocate on Your Side Serving Families in South Florida for Over 29 Years

Backed by nearly three decades of family law experience, Attorney Stuart N. House provides clients with the skilled and highly effective representation they deserve.

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Fort Lauderdale Divorce Attorney

Fighting for the Rights of Florida Residents Since 1991

When you navigate a divorce or another family law-related matter, you need a lawyer you can trust. A Fort Lauderdale divorce lawyer that will fight for your rights in the courtroom can be an invaluable asset, especially in family law cases where familial relationships and valuable assets are often on the line.

At Stuart N. House, P.A., our legal experience spans more than 25 years. As our client, you will receive personalized, attentive service in addition to exceptional representation from your family law attorney in Fort Lauderdale. We'll also help you avoid mistakes that can be detrimental to your case.

Our guiding principles are designed to facilitate a robust attorney-client relationship by adhering to the following objectives:

Establishing and maintaining open and honest communication from the outset;
Respecting your time by acting with an appropriate sense of urgency;
Remaining sensitive to your situation;
Identifying critical elements of your case while exhibiting empathy and compassion;
Employing an efficient solution to resolve your case in a cost-effective manner.

When individuals face divorce and custody hearings, emotions tend to run high, tempers are more likely to be short, and stress often seems unavoidable. Our experienced, professional divorce attorney in Fort Lauderdale will mitigate these feelings by delivering consistently calm, rational representation when you need it most.

Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with our Fort Lauderdale family lawyer. Contact us online or give us a call at (954) 388-8443 today!

Our Practice Areas

Exclusively Focused on Family Law

The Stories That Matter Most

Don't Take Our Word for It, See What Our Clients Have to Say

“Stuart being a family man first put the best interest of my kids first and demanded to see a righteous end to my ordeal.”
- Damien A.
“Stuart is a great professional attorney. A great person. He supported me the whole way through the difficult process.”
- Jim
“Stuart is very professional and has been nothing but very attentive to my case.”
- Alex

Florida Law: Conditions for Divorce

According to Florida law, a divorce may only be granted if the parties involved meet one of two conditions:

The marriage must be irretrievably broken;
one of the parties is mentally incapacitated.

The divorcing parties must present evidence at a hearing to prove that they meet at least one of the two required conditions.

If the case does not involve minors, and if neither party denies the marriage is irretrievably broken, then the court usually orders for a dissolution of the marriage. Otherwise, the court could take further action, thus complicating the divorce proceedings.

An experienced Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney brings clarity to the divorce process. Highly experienced divorce lawyers can assess all available options and present them to the client in a clear and relatable manner. Additionally, having legal counsel could help clients better understand which actions are necessary to increase the likelihood of achieving their desired outcome.

A Fort Lauderdale family lawyer can view legal issues objectively and leverage their perspective to advocate for their clients more effectively than those who choose to self-represent.

How Is Property Divided?

In recent years, significant changes have been made to the laws affecting the Florida family court and the division of marital property (assets and debts).

The first change involves how the courts view separate property brought into the marriage; the second involves an interim partial distribution of property so a couple can move forward.

These are among the many tasks undertaken by our Fort Lauderdaledivorce lawyer to protect a client's rights in property settlement:

Documenting the property and identifying whether it is marital or nonmarital property;
Valuing marital property and, in some cases, establishing the increased value of an asset during the time of the marriage to divide only a portion of the value of that asset;
Understanding the tax implications inherent in the division of some assets;
Properly dividing complex assets, such as pension funds and family-owned businesses.

Retain a Fort Lauderdale Family Lawyer Who Will Fight for You

Since 1991, the Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney at Stuart N. House, P.A. has provided high-quality representation to family law clients throughout Pompano Beach in a variety of family law disputes.

All family law matters are of great importance to us, and we understand that each client could respond differently to the stress that is often involved with legal proceedings. In addition to providing thorough representation, we help each client understand the court process while simultaneously gathering essential facts relevant to the case.

With experience and ability, our Fort Lauderdale family law attorneys will help you navigate throughout your divorce with consideration and empathy for your specific situation.

Request a free, no-obligation consultation with our firm. Contact us online or give us a call at (954) 388-8443 today!

What About Custody?

Broward County courts have implemented policies to ensure that minors have frequent and continuing contact with each parent after divorce or separation. In most cases, each party would retain full parental rights.

Both parties may agree on how responsibilities would be assigned. The court may order each parent to be responsible for specific aspects of the child's welfare — including health care, dental needs, religion, and education. It gets complicated, and that's where the benefits of hiring a Fort Lauderdale family law attorney skilled in disputes involving child custody are revealed.

Judge's Fundamental Question: What's Best for the Kids?

In most cases, judges issue their rulings based on the answer to this question. Sometimes their findings are clear cut:

Example 1: The father has a good job, a steady income, and has never been in trouble with the law. The mother has no job, and repeatedly has failed to bring the children to school on time, allegedly due to a drug problem. In this case—everything else equal—the judge likely would surmise that the children's quality of life would be better and more stable with their father, and he would be awarded primary custody.
Example 2: The father has a good job and a steady income, but a credible witness testifies that he has stricken the child on a couple of occasions. Another witness claims that the father becomes belligerent when he drinks—which is often—and that he has a gambling problem. The mother doesn't work, but her parents frequently pick the children up from school, pay for their school supplies, and provide them with hot meals. The judge likely would rule that the mother has a better support system and that the children would be better off in her care.

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