Practice Areas
Located in Orlando, Florida, the Law Offices of Steve W. Marsee represents clients in a full range of marital, family and domestic legal matters. As a sole practitioner, Mr. Marsee is committed to providing individualized and personal service, and works tirelessly to protect his clients' interests in both mediation and trial. Contact the office today for a consultation.
Divorce - Mr. Marsee handles all types of divorces. His negotiation and litigation skills allow him to efficiently and effectively represent clients in both contested and uncontested divorces, as well as complex divorces involving substantial assets and highly contested custody issues.
Child Custody and Support - When a child is involved in a divorce proceeding, the parents need to make arrangements for where the child will live, who will make important parenting decisions, and who will cover various expenses. Florida law promotes the doctrine of "shared parental responsibility," which means courts presume that both parents will maintain an equal role in all aspects of a child's life unless the best interests of the child demand otherwise.
Visitations - A legal parent has a right to visitation as long as it is in the best interests of the child. Visitation issues can arise when parents divorce or separate, and in cases in which the parents were not married at the time the child was born, thus leading to paternity issues. Unless a court determines that sharing time with the child would be detrimental to the child(ren), the court must order shared parental responsibility. Accordingly, Mr. Marsee vigorously defends a parent's right to see their children without any unreasonable restrictions being placed upon them doing so should there be no legitimate reason for the restriction.
Spousal Support / Alimony - Spousal support is the financial support of one former spouse by the other. The availability of spousal support depends on various factors, such as the length of the marriage and the age, skills, and earning capacity of each individual spouse. There are now six different types of Alimony in Florida. Permanent, Temporary, Bridge-the-Gap, Rehabilitative, Lump-Sum and Durational Alimony which was enacted July 1, 2010. There are many variables and rules to consider when determining the appropriateness of Alimony. Therefore, Mr. Marsee urges you to contact him so that he may carefully review your situation and advise you which types of Alimony may be appropriate in your particular case.
Property Distribution - Mr. Marsee possesses the experience and legal acumen to handle complex property distribution issues. Florida is an "equitable distribution" state, which means that courts begin with the premise that the distribution of property should be equal unless there is a reason for unequal distribution. Mr. Marsee helps clients protect their assets and come away from divorce with their property interests intact.
Paternity - A court can compel a mother, her child or children, and the alleged father to submit a blood or DNA sample in order to establish paternity. Once paternity is established, the court may order the father to provide child support, and the father may also gain visitation and custody rights in accordance with the best interests of the child.
Domestic Violence and Protective Injunctions - If a client has suffered domestic violence, Mr. Marsee will not hesitate to request emergency protective orders and temporary restraining orders. Also, if you have had a Domestic Violence Injunction placed upon you, you need to retain counsel immediately as the actions of the Domestic Violence Court can have severe consequences and affect future court proceedings. The Domestic Violence Court can even deny you any contact with your children, remove you from your home and force you to attend Batterer's Intervention courses under certain circumstances. To obtain a Domestic Violence Injunction against your spouse or significant other you must show that there has been an act of Domestic Violence committed by them against you. Verbal disagreements do not usually meet this standard.
Appeals and Modifications - Appeals and modifications to an existing order may be sought when an order does not reflect a family's current circumstances. For example, if one parent plans to relocate, a custody order modification may be necessary.
Prenuptial Agreements - Mr. Marsee has experience helping clients create effective prenuptial agreements that protect assets in the event of a divorce or dissolution. Under recently decided Florida Law, you could actually lose substantial interest in your real property upon divorce even if you had the property before you got married. It appears that a Prenuptial agreement may be the only way to protect such assets. If you have substantial assets and are contemplating marriage to a partner who does not, a Prenuptial Agreement can help you protect these and future assets. Prenuptial agreements need to be done at least 30 days prior to your wedding.
Name Changes - When clients wish to change their legal name upon divorce, or for any other reason, Mr. Marsee knows when to file the proper documentation during the divorce proceeding, so that clients can make a fresh start when the divorce is finalized.
Child Support Establishment and Enforcement - Mr. Marsee helps clients establish and enforce child support awards, so that children receive the support they need and deserve from both parents. Also, if a child's parent has repeatedly failed to meet his or her support obligations, he handles cases of contempt. Parents can now receive credits against their guideline child support amount based upon overnight contacts of at least 20% per month.
Separation Agreements - While Florida law does not allow for legal separations, it does allow individuals to enter into separation agreements when they live apart. A separation agreement is a legal contract that governs the rights and obligations of the parties while they are separated.
Marital Settlement Agreements - Marital Settlement Agreements may accompany a no-fault divorce, and are intended to help parties allocate their property and finances. Mr. Marsee helps clients formalize their property distribution agreements, and he works to make sure that his clients' assets are protected during the divorce process and in the years to come.
