It as been released that the federal government spends $99.8 billion dollars every year on programs – such as child support enforcement and anti-poverty efforts – to support father-absent homes.  This is a conservative estimate; it does not include federal benefit programs for communities, indirect costs related to poor outcomes of children from father-absent homes, and long-term costs in reduced tax income from low-earning single-parent families.

Other videos from the National Fatherhood Association include subjects on Father Absence, Government reducing father absence, and more.

Managing Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm is proud to stand behind our motto of Fathers, Families and Fairness.  If you or someone you know is in need of family law assistance contact us today to see how we can help.

The homes are part of the reported $75 million Vanessa will be receiving in the divorce settlement — half the couples’ estimated $150 million fortune.

The couple does not have a prenup and as a result of the laws in California (a community property state) Vanessa may be entitled to half of Kobe’s earnings during their 10-year marriage.  According to ESPN, Kobe is expected to make $25,244,493 just this year.

Divorce documents (via TMZ) indicate that Vanessa requested joint custody of the couple’s two daughters, 8-year-old and 5-year-old Giana. She also asked for spousal support, which Kobe agreed to.

Not long after the documents were filed they released a statement via a representative saying that they had resolved all their issues in a settlement out of court with the assistance of counsel.  A judgement ending their marital status was entered at the beginning of the year.

If you or someone you know needs divorce counsel contact managing attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm today.

Sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide prevention the Out of Darkness Community Walk is designed to raise awareness and funds for the foundation’s work.  In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 15 minutes, claiming more than 34,000 lives each year. It is estimated that an attempt is made every minute; with close to one million people attempting suicide annually.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With the weight of the tragic losses families and friends suffer through the importance of AFSP’s mission has never been greater, nor their work more urgent.

Participating in the Out of Darkness walk is more than just walking, and donors are writing more than checks, it is a sign of everyone coming together to save the lives of those in their community.

Any contribution will help the work of AFSP, and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

If you would like to make a donation go to the Men’s Divorce Law Firm’s walk page and click on a walker to donate.  Every amount makes a difference.

The subject of the interview was current alimony reforms in the state of Florida.

Learn more about these potential changes here.

As a result, alimony payers will often find themselves trapped in very costly payments for the rest of their life, or other drastic situations.  Therefore, two new bills have been proposed and are being pushed through the Florida government to revise out of date alimony laws.

Current Alimony Structure

Currently, in the state of Florida alimony is left to the sole discretion of the judge seeing the case.  This means is that alimony has the potential to vary widely from case to case.  Some variables include the duration of alimony payments, which in some cases is for life, tax treatments and consequences of alimony, the proportion of the person’s net income which alimony can be, cohabitation rules, and more.  As a result, some men (and women) can pay alimony that is a major portion of their net income until the day they die, placing a significant financial and emotional strain on the person that may not always be proportional to the duration of the marriage.

Alimony Revisions

In 2011 two bills were introduced into Florida legislature to revise alimony laws and practices.  These are similar to an alimony reform bill recently passed in the state of Massachusetts to prevent abuse of the system.  The actual bills are House Bill 549 and Senate Bill 748.  Unfortunately, misconceptions about the Florida reforms are resulting in some backlash from groups such as NOW (the National Organization for Women) and headlines in the Orlando Sentinel such as “In new alimony bill, wealthy, cheating men could pay less.”  In this article Scott Maxwell attacks the bill, saying that it is “radical,” “unconstitutional,” and “anti-woman.”

The bill, however, is not aimed to do any of the aforementioned things.  The bill’s sponsor, Ritch Workman, says he is working alongside the group Florida Alimony Reform to make the state of alimony in Florida fair.  The bill seeks to end long-term alimony which prevents payers from retiring at a normal age due to their steep lifetime alimony payments.

Some of the provisions within the bill which will aim do this include, but are not limited to:

• Allow existing alimony payers to modify their judgments through the new law.
• Cap the alimony payment at a certain percentage of the net income of the payer.
• Base the maximum duration of alimony around the length of the marriage.
• Prohibit the use of a payer’s current spouse’s income or assets in a modification.
• Termination of alimony upon full retirement age, barring extreme circumstances.

While some claim that the bills favor men, and it is true that traditionally more men pay alimony than women, the bill will be implemented equally across all alimony payers, men and women.

Other states such as West Virginia and California are considering revising their alimony laws, following suit of Florida and Massachusetts.  Other resources for more information include Alimony Reform websites and websites of the Florida Government.

If you have questions about the reforms, how they can affect you, or anything else relating to alimony now or in the future Managing Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm are here to help.  We aggressively represent husbands and fathers in family law cases, including alimony, and are poised to represent you.  Contact our client relations manager today to schedule a consultation.

In the face of great adversity Martin Luther King Jr preached for equality and peace.  He stood behind what was right, not what was simple, or what was accepted.  He did not advocate for violence, or hatred, but for the rights which all Americans are granted through the constitution which governs us all.

Dr. King was born on January 15th 1929 in Atlanta.  He graduated high school at age 15, and received his Ph.D. at age 26 from Boston University.  He led the black boycott (1955-56) of segregated city bus lines and in 1956 gained a major victory and prestige as a civil-rights leader when Montgomery buses began to operate on a desegregated basis.  His philosophy of nonviolent resistance led to his arrest on numerous occasions in the 1950s and 60s. His campaigns had mixed success, but the protest he led in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 brought him worldwide attention. He spearheaded the Aug., 1963, March on Washington, which brought together more than 200,000 people. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  On Apr. 4, 1968, he was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel (since 1991 a civil-rights museum).

The holiday honoring Dr. King’s birth and the achievements during his life was created in 1983, making it one of the most recent U.S. holidays.  What many do not know, however, is that it is two holidays in one.  There’s the overall King Day, set in ’83 when President Reagan signed a bill putting it in federal law. And there’s the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, established when President Clinton signed the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994. King Service Day is meant to be a day of personal action in Dr. King’s memory on or near his holiday – as its boosters say, a day on, not a day off. It’s promoted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that also runs AmeriCorps and similar initiatives.

Most recently, on August 28th 2011, a memorial was erected and dedicated on the Mall in Washington DC in honor of Dr. King and his long-standing achievements and contributions to our country.

So, if you are at work, or enjoying a day off today, take time to reflect upon the meaning of this holiday.  What, and who, it stands for.  Take the time to listen to Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech at the foot of the Lincoln memorial now nearly five decades ago.  Reflect upon your fellow man and the injustices which still exist in this world and question how you can not simply do what is easy, but what is right.  Consider how you can contribute to your community and make a difference that will let Dr. King’s famous words, “I have a Dream” continue to ring on.

We recognize the commitment and sacrifices enlisted men and women make to and for our country every day.  These are not to be taken lightly.  Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm harbor a deep respect for this dedication and would like to give back to our troops by ensuring price does not prevent them from possessing experienced legal representation.

People with active military I.D.’s will now receive discounts throughout the length of their case.  If it is a divorce, child support, alimony, or other family law military case the Men’s Divorce Law Firm has the skills to aggressively represent our troops.

If you or someone you know is enlisted and in need of assistance with a family law matter contact the Men’s Divorce Law Firm today to see how we can help.

In a video posted to TMZ, Perry‘s father Keith Hudson can be seen saying he wants to “save” the media so that it can “write good stuff, Amen!” during a sermon in Fort Valley, GA — the only time he mentions his daughter’s divorce.

It was rumored that Katy, 27, requested Brand, 36, to file for divorce in order to appease her religious parents, who are both evangelical ministers — and with whom the famously outlandish, publicly Buddhist comedian may have clashed.

Shortly after news broke of the divorce, Keith and Mary Hudson, 63, also sparked controversy when they administered a sermon that suggested their daughter’s divorce had been sent by God.

“I’m sure Katy is trending on the internet just to get you to church tonight… I mean, all over the world, who knows how God is bringing them in? The most important thing is you are here and God wants to put the fire in you in 2012,” Mary told the audience at the Church on Rise congregation in Ohio on January 4.

Get healthy with you kids

It is an age-old cliche to resolve to lose some weight, and get fit.  But, with the rising obesity rates in America it is more important than ever to take the first literal step toward wellness.  Don’t hesitate to involve your kids in this process!  From a walk around the block to playing in the park there are plenty of things you can do with your children that will get you both active.  If you need another source of inspiration look to The National Fatherhood Initiative’s Fit2Father pledge.

Plan an at-home dinner night with your family

Fathers have a great influence on the foods their kids eat.  As we previously reported upon one study showed that, “By far the biggest influence on how often children ate out was the number of times fathers did.”  While preparing food and setting the table after a long day at work can seem daunting, your family’s waistlines and mental health will thank you for it.  When we spoke about the positive effects of family dinners studies showed that beyond giving the family a space to talk freely without distraction kids who ate with their parents were less likely do be involved with drugs and other destructive behaviors.

Do something your children will remember forever

It is impossible to replace the role of the father in a child’s life.  Read about what other dads have done for their children in our previous stories: Waving at the Bus, Blind Crippled and Playing in a Marching Band, and Father Quits Job to be at Son’s Game to get inspired.  Remember, when children are grown they do not look back and remember their father through toys and gifts, but the experiences they shared together.  It can cost little to no money to perform a gesture or create an experience that your child will remember forever.

Respect their mother

If you are still in a relationship with the mother of your children, or are co-parenting, children gain more when parents work together toward a common goal rather than struggling against each other.  All Pro Dad shared some benefits children gain when you respect their mother, including: Security, stability, and added perspective.

Talk to your kids

Don’t be afraid to dig deeper than how your child’s day was or what they did in school, make a resolution to really sit down and level with your children about the issues they face.  Even though it may be awkward or difficult occasionally, for you and them, your children need your presence, guidance, and wisdom.  Reaching them may seem impossible at times, especially depending on their age, but you will be glad you did!  The National Fatherhood Initiative previously featured ways on how dads can use text message as one resource to help open up dialogues with their children.

Your resolutions may look very different than these, and you should always custom-tailor any advice to fit your own life and the specific needs of you and your family.  Use these resolutions as possible guidelines to help guide you in self-improvement as a father in the coming year.

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm believes that fathers are an irreplaceable presence in a child’s life, for that reason we stand for Fathers, Families, and Fairness.

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm was founded by Jeffrey Feulner, Esquire, an Orlando, Florida area family law attorney, to aggressively represent the interests of husbands and fathers involved in divorce and other family law matters.

If you or a friend are in need of legal advice concerning a family law matter click here to contact our Client Relations Manager for a Complimentary Pre-Screening Interview.