By Emily Vasquez: February 14th, love is the air. We’re surrounded by images of roses, chocolate, diamonds…and divorce papers. Contrary to the loving holiday Valentine’s is cut out to be, it is actually the time of the year that requests for divorce lawyers increases at the highest rate–a steeping 40%.
Seems odd, right? Statistics have actually been Continue reading
The Law Firm of Ayo and Iken PLC establish a scholarship to recognize separated households still focused on meeting their children’s needs.
We are proud to announce a cash scholarship essay contest to benefit college bound children from separated Florida households. Two $1,000 cash prizes will be offered by the attorneys at Ayo and Iken PLC to help focus attention on examples of lifelong commitment by couples who—despite being divorced—succeed in providing the support and guidance necessary for children’s academic success.
With law offices across Florida, the law firm has opened the contest to students in all Florida counties who have compelling stories to tell of parental dedication in coping with the complications that typically follow divorce.
“Overcoming emotional barriers and focusing on providing love, security and guidance to sons and daughters is key,” says Howard Iken, the law firm’s managing attorney. “In separated families, negative feelings sometimes obscure what should be common natural goals for parents. These scholarships will celebrate the many divorced couples who do manage to remain positive influences on their children and their academic careers.”
Applicants will be asked write a 2,000 word essay describing how their own divorced parents continued to work together cooperatively with respect to their children. The resulting stories should provide encouragement and inspiration to fathers and mothers to remain focused on their children’s success, adds Iken. The attorneys at the law firm that normally spend their time fighting in custody cases will form an internal committee to decide on the best examples of parenting in divided families.
Essays will be accepted only from college bound high school seniors, and contest application must be made by May 1st, 2014. Full details are available on our website.
One of the partners in the firm, Alberto Ayo said: “We have a responsibility to aggressively fight for our clients, but we must also try to avoid damaging the children caught in the middle. To that end we plan to encourage good parenting principles.”
The attorneys at Ayo and Iken PLC secure the rights of clients involved in divorce proceedings. With offices across Florida, their lawyers stand ready to help when divorce becomes a necessity.
By Attorney Howard Iken: This is the final installment of our two-part blog post discussing the advantages and disadvantages of moving out of the family home during a divorce. Because this is an issue that people ask about in the majority of divorces, we have provided an analysis of the issues that must be carefully considered when deciding on whether to move out of the family residence. If you Continue reading
By Attorney Howard Iken: When a marriage reaches the point that the parties are contemplating a divorce, the level of conflict and animosity that is often fostered by intense emotions can make continuing to reside under the same roof extremely stressful. Nonetheless, the lingering effects of a weak economy and the loss of home equity experienced by many couples during the housing market collapse has resulted in a growing number of people electing to continue to reside together in the family home during the divorce process.
This decision can postpone confronting the Continue reading
By Attorney Howard Iken: The holidays are over and it is time for the annual busy season. For us that means a lot of people are filing for divorce, separating, or taking their custody battle to the next level. Requests for information are at a peak and so is internet traffic -centered on family law issues. The annual and daily patterns never cease to interest me. January and February are the peak times for
Happy holidays from the team at Ayo and Iken. Recently we gathered for our 2013 holiday party. In particular, the staff at our Tampa, Orlando, and New Port Richey offices were recognized for their professionalism, dedication, and wonderful support to our attorneys. Without the great job of our staff we would never be able to provide excellent representation to our clients. From the entire team at Ayo and Iken, we wish you a great holiday season, and a very successful 2014 !
By Attorney Jennifer Schulte: Today I had a small victory during trial. I wanted the “big win” even though I continuously tell clients no one “wins” in family law. I mean, either way you look at it, someone’s life is being thrown out there for a judge to decide their fate. I have had clients get even more than they asked for Continue reading
By Attorney Howard Iken: I believe Burger King coined the phrase “Have it your way.” They used to have a pretty catchy song: Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us …. . It is still that way. Go to your local Burger King and the sky is the limit on custom orders. The new Apple IPhone 5C comes in Continue reading
A special report by Attorney Howard Iken, syndicated nationally to major television outlets:
In today’s society, the makeup of families is not quite as traditional or cookie cutter as in the past. Marriage is not an essential element in any relationship and society no longer looks down on single-parent households. There are households with one parent, two parents, households in a constant state of flux, and military families that have a hard-wired whirlwind of constant changes. These concepts are radically different than previous, outdated definitions of what may have been standard attributes of families. One outdated term refers to the “nuclear family.” The nuclear family was a cookie cutter unit consisting of two parents, one or more kids, and a very traditional household. Those old concepts are faded and forgotten in today’s more flexible arrangements. But one concept has outlasted its validity: the concept that a father in a broken or separated household with children is nothing more than a wallet with two legs. We are finally turning the corner and are within reach of a time where the “Wallet With Two Legs” concept becomes as faded as the idea of a nuclear family.
“Dads in divorce: Now more than just a wallet” has been syndicated to more than 50 television station internet outlets. Click on the link below to read the complete story at published on Channel 10 in Florida.
Read the rest of this story HERE
During a marital dissolution in Florida, there are critical choices that must be made that can have a significant impact on a divorce decree. Many parties attempt to obtain a divorce without legal representation or even legal advice. This constitutes a fundamental mistake when navigating the divorce process because