Christmas in July

It is never too early to start thinking about where your children will spend their holidays.  Most parents wait until November to start dialoguing with their former spouse about scheduling their holidays for their children.  If they do not have a set schedule in place, they find themselves calling their family law attorney after Halloween to settle their disputes.  Unfortunately, the judges have dockets that are already crowded.  So, last minutes hearings are rarely granted and usually quite expensive to litigate.

I recommend that clients start around the beginning of the school year to set out their requests for a holiday schedule.  That way, if there is going to be a disagreement, it can set sorted out without a last minute rush to the courthouse that quite possibly might not get resolved in time.

If you find that you and your spouse are unable to work something out, going to a mediator may be helpful.  Many jurisdictions have mediation services available for divorce cases at the courthouse for a relatively low cost.

Additionally, it may be helpful to know that many jurisdictions have a holiday guideline schedule that may be found on the courthouse website.  Ask your expert Tampa family law attorney for ideas as to how to get this problem served early in the year and avoid unnecessary expense.