Family Law
Our Florida Family Helps Yours One Step at a Time
Lisa Coplan-Gardner guides families through the legal process one step at a time by providing effective, compassionate, and effective representation on your family law matters. When facing a divorce or family law matter, there are many unknown questions, including:
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Lisa Coplan-Gardner has the experience to help you answer these questions and guide you through the family law process, whether it be settlement or trial.
Client Communication and Education
Lisa prides herself on her ability to effectively communicate with her clients and educate them about the particular legal process he or she may be facing. Lisa ensures that you understand:
- Your situation
- The procedure of your case
- The laws that may apply and the case decisions interpreting the applicable laws
- How your life will be affected both during and after your case is concluded
Our team approach at this firm includes you, the client, as part of the decision making process. Together we decide the appropriate strategy for your case, whether it is settlement or trial.
A Compassionate and Aggressive Advocate of Your Rights
Lisa fights for your interests on the following family law matters:
Dissolution of Marriage-contested and uncontested. Divorce, or dissolution, occurs when a marriage is legally terminated. Dissolution actions can be uncontested or contested. In uncontested cases, the parties agree to the terms of the dissolution of their marriage. In contested cases, there are issues between the parties that cannot be settled, such as equitable distribution of assets and liabilities, the establishment of a parenting plan and time-sharing, child support and alimony. Contested cases can require extensive financial discovery, the involvement of expert witnesses, depositions and child custody evaluations. Whether your case is uncontested or contested, Lisa Coplan-Gardner can advise you on your legal options, provide experienced guidance and protect your rights.
Parenting Plan/Time-sharing. In any dissolution of marriage action that involves minor children born of the marriage, it is necessary to establish a parenting plan and time-sharing schedule that will govern the decision making authority of the parties in regard to the minor children, and to establish a time-sharing schedule that governs the amount of time each parent spends with the minor children. As a child of divorce herself, Lisa Coplan-Gardner understands the sensitive nature of these issues and can help protect you and your child’s rights and needs
Child Support. Child support is statutorily mandated in almost all dissolution cases. Lisa Coplan-Gardner can ensure that you are either receiving or providing the appropriate amount of support for your child.
Alimony. Alimony is support for a spouse who is in need of financial assistance, and is provided by a spouse who has the ability to pay for said financial assistance. Alimony can be in the form of temporary alimony during the pendency of the dissolution proceeding, or in the form of bridge the gap alimony, rehabilitative alimony, or permanent alimony after the dissolution proceeding has concluded. Whether you are a spouse who is in need, or a spouse who faces the possibility of providing alimony, Lisa Coplan-Gardner has the experience to address your support issues.
Equitable Distribution. Equitable distribution is the allocation of assets and liabilities between spouses involved in a dissolution of marriage proceeding. In contested cases, this can involve extensive financial discovery and the involvement of expert witnesses, such as certified professional accountants, certified divorce financial analysts, property appraisers, and business evaluators. Lisa has had extensive experience in complex equitable distribution cases involving large estates and she is here to represent you.
Military Divorce. Dissolution of marriage cases involving one or both spouses in the military are unique. There are certain laws involving:
- Residency requirements
- Subject matter jurisdiction
- Equitable distribution of military retirement
- Certain legal protections for active duty military personnel
Lisa Coplan-Gardner has represented both active duty military personnel, and spouses married to active duty military personnel during her career as a family law attorney here in northeast Florida. Coplan-Gardner & Gardner offers discounts for active duty military personnel.
Paternity Actions. These actions are filed in order to assist a parent in acknowledging and protecting important visitation, custody, and support rights. Lisa Coplan-Gardner can represent your interests.
Child Support Enforcement Actions. Time changes many factors in settled matters. Even after a Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage has been entered, child support can be modified in certain circumstances, such as when a child has an increase in needs, or when a party’s income has increased or decreased. In addition, when a spouse is ordered to pay child support and that spouse is not providing the required support, there are contempt and enforcement remedies available. Lisa Coplan-Gardner has handled many child support modification actions, as well as contempt and enforcement actions, and she is ready to provide you effective representation on these issues.
Domestic Violence Injunctions. Domestic Violence Injunctions are civil protection orders for family or household members. These civil protection orders restrain one party from having contact with another party if one party has been a victim of domestic violence, or when one party has reasonable cause to believe that he or she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence. Lisa Coplan-Gardner is here to help you whether you have been the victim of domestic violence and are seeking a domestic violence injunction, or you have been served with a domestic violence injunction.
Alimony Modification and Enforcement Matters. As with child support modification and enforcement, alimony awards are also subject to modification and enforcement in certain circumstances. Lisa has also handled many alimony modification and enforcement actions in northeast Florida and she is here to provide assistance to your alimony modification and enforcement needs.
Annulments. An annulment is a legal procedure to declare a marriage null and void. Lisa Coplan-Gardner will help you through this process.
Relocations. It is extremely important for a parent seeking to relocate with a child, or for a parent seeking to prohibit another parent from relocating with a child, to understand and follow the laws regarding relocation. If you are seeking to relocate with a child, or seeking to prohibit another party from relocating with your child, Lisa Coplan-Gardner has experience with this area of the law and is ready to represent you.
Settlement Agreements. Negotiation and settlement is sometimes the best avenue to take in a dissolution of marriage case. More importantly, the proper drafting of a settlement agreement that memorializes the negotiations and settlement agreements between the parties is extremely important. Lisa Coplan-Gardner has negotiated and settled many cases, and drafted many settlement agreements during her career as a family law attorney in northeast Florida. Let her put her knowledge and experience to work for you.
An attorney with conviction
Lisa’s compassion and conviction for children’s issues comes from life experiences from her own family and being a child from a divorced home herself.
Contact us
For trusted legal advice on your family law concerns, call Lisa Coplan-Gardner at 1 904 247-6865 or email us at lcgardner@bellsouth.net.
