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Bankruptcy and the Student Loan Crisis

As a mother of four girls, the financial burden of college is a grim reality that I have had to deal with for the past 17 years. I am a proud lawyer mama with 2 children having already entered professions and 2 on their way! Even though I am extremely proud of my girls’ accomplishments, I am aware of how the stress of paying back student loans is not only a concern for the soon to be launched student, but for their strapped families as well. The cost of college has greatly increased in ...

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Debra G. Simms 1/29/2012 2:03:00 PM Comments(0)

6 things you need to know about the New Power of Attorney

On October 1, 2011, the new Florida Power of Attorney Act went into effect. This is a brand new law that will completely replace and supersede Florida's current law governing powers of attorney executed by individuals and will apply to powers of attorney created on, before, or after October 1, 2011. With that said, here are the top six things you need to know about the new law:1.Signing formalities are crucial. The new law requires a person making a Florida power of attorney (called the "princip...

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Debra G. Simms, Esq. 1/22/2012 9:22:00 AM Comments(0)

Snowbird Alert: Do You Need to Update Your Will When You Move to Florida

A large part of practice as a Florida estate planning attorney is devoted to working with new retirees who have decided to give up their residency up north and become permanent residents of Florida. Aside from helping them overcome the hurdles created by their former northern state of residence that still wants to collect tax dollars from retirees who maintain what they now consider to be their second home, another obstacle that must be overcome is an estate plan drafted in their northern state...

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Julie Ann Garber, Esq. 1/22/2012 9:12:00 AM Comments(0)

Alimony Changing in Florida?

New legislation proposed in the Florida House of Representatives would significantly alter many provisions of Florida’s existing alimony laws. The bill’s big changes could affect people going through divorce after the law is enacted as well as people with alimony orders going back as far as 12 years.Existing Florida Alimony LawsCurrently, when a married couple gets divorced in Florida, a judge may grant alimony, sometimes known as spousal support, to either former spouse. In deciding...

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Debra G. Simms 1/22/2012 8:42:00 AM Comments(0)

Same-Sex Adoption - My Case!

Last month I wrote about a Polk County gay couple who adopted a child in Florida now that an appellate court has ruled that the Florida statute banning homosexuals from adopting is unconstitutional. Today I represented a couple in a gay adoption case in Seminole County, Florida and it was one of the happiest cases I have ever had. My clients, partners Christy and Grace, first came to see me a few years ago for estate planning. Christy was pregnant, through artificial insemination with an ano...

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Debra G. Simms 1/10/2012 11:40:00 PM Comments(0)