Professional Athlete and Celebrity Family Law in South Florida

Many family law issues faced by divorcing or separating couples are nearly universal. The emotional upheaval that such a major life change can bring will affect all people no matter how large their bank account or how staggering their social status.  However, there are certain issues that, under the circumstances of family separation, are unique to celebrities or professional athletes and their families.  These individuals will have special considerations surrounding custody timesharing, unique or deviated child support and/or alimony amounts, concerns over the use of minor children in interviews or tv/film appearance, and the requirement to maintain special provisions to deal with “good fortune” child support issues.   These issues require specialized knowledge to help you deal with all the potential problems faced by celebrities and professional athletes during this time in your life.  Here at the Joseph Firm, our family law attorneys have the skills and experience to help you navigate the deep end of the water that is celebrity divorce and paternity conflict.

Typically, child support is awarded to the custodial parents based on a formula that is designed to meet the basic needs of all children. This is a standard amount based on parental income and plugged into a formula to provide an award amount up to a certain maximum.  In some circumstances, when one parent is extremely wealthy, courts have deviated from this standard amount and awarded something called “good fortune” child support. This is based on the idea that the child or children should benefit from the good fortune and wealth of the parent especially if he or she would have done so if his parents were still together. This will be calculated to provide for private education, travel opportunities, amenities and other special experiences not afforded to the typical child. However, there is still a limit to this type of award.  If a child’s social needs are all being met in this way, the Florida courts will not order an unnecessarily lavish child support amount simply because one parent has extreme wealth and could afford to pay it.  

A celebrity or professional athlete may also face unique concerns over custodial timesharing issues.  All courts these days agree that child custody arrangements must be made with the best interests of the children in question in mind.  This usually means spending the most time possible with each of their parents.  Celebrities and professional athletes are often uniquely situated in that they do not hold typical "9 to 5" jobs.  This may mean that fathers are more involved in the care of their young children and may be less amenable to the, formerly standard, every other weekend model of visitation and may demand a more equal split in time.  It is also possible for this issue to swing the other way. With actor parents possibly filming movies on location for months at a time, custody and timesharing may require a more fluid agreement that requires the custodial parent to bring the children to visit the traveling parent onset.  These unique agreements require experience and skilled negotiations that our attorneys possess here at The Joseph Firm.  When your situation is complicated by fame and fortune, call the Joseph Firm and speak to one of our highly qualified celebrity and professional athlete divorce and family law attorneys.

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