Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq

Category: Family law attorney

Address: 3149 N Ponce De Leon Blvd #4, St. Augustine, FL 32084, USA

Phone: +19048243355

Opening hours

Sunday: Closed

Monday: 9AM–4:30PM

Tuesday: 9AM–4:30PM

Wednesday: 9AM–4:30PM

Thursday: 9AM–4:30PM

Friday: 9AM–4:30PM

Saturday: Closed

Reviews

Jeanetta Salyer

Jun 18, 2022

Very informative and helpful! Goes above and beyond and a great personality too :) Highly Recommend

Debra Richardson

May 12, 2022

Do not trust her until you have ALL the info! Do your own research on what you need before you use her! I reached out to Katrina a while back with a unusual situation with regards to an adoption. My boyfriend has been wanting to adopt my 2 year old son since he has been in his life from the beginning. (A week after he was born) Bio dad is more than willing to sign over his rights. In fact he is paying for half of the adoption cost. The adoption we were needing is called a second parent adoption. She informed me that it would cost double her normal retainer. But she sent her invoice to me. We were ready to move forward. She did inform me that it is much more work, time, and hoops to jump through. Which we were completely fine with. She did urge me to just move up our plans on getting married. That it would make the whole process much shorter, cheaper, and less work for us all. We said we would still like to move forward with the second parent adoption and we were willing to pay more, do more work and so on. She sent me her invoice and the contract to hire her. No where did it specifically say Second parent adoption. Plus I still had a few more questions to be answered before I pay and sign the contract. Well that was over a week ago and after repeated calls (her assistant called me back) but she never did. Her assistant wasn’t able to give me any answers. So I decided to call around and ask more adoption lawyers about the process. Only to find out that in theory we should be able to do a second parent adoption but VERY FEW judges will actually grant them. She had never told me that. Not once!! I was told by numerous other lawyers that most don’t take those kind of adoptions because they are hard to get a judge to sign off on them so it is basically a waste of everyone’s time, MONEY, and work! That if a lawyer does take this kind of case on they need to make sure a client knows that chances are slim for it to actually happen and all the money you spent has now been wasted. SHE DID NOT TELL ME ANY OF THAT!!! I am EXTREMELY disappointed that she did not tell me that and that she was more than eager to take the adoption and my money that only covered some time, not all. This screams of a lawyer with no integrity, truth, or transparency. If she would have told me all of the info I would move up our wedding plans and gone with her. Now, I am going with the lawyer who was transparent with me about the process. Just got another call from her nice assistant letting me know that Katrina would call me back by tomorrow. Tomorrow is two weeks of me waiting to get an email or phone call from her.

Erin Kelly

Apr 23, 2022

This law office has an immediate response time and excellent customer service. Katrina is very knowledgeable and takes the time to explain and answer all questions. We have recommended Katrina and will continue to do so.

Choppo Santana

Feb 10, 2022

100% good service and professional experience

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Questions & Answers

What is the difference between legal separation and divorce?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

Some couples choose to legally separate instead of divorcing because there might be some benefits available if they do not end their marriage. For instance, legal separations can be obtained faster and they take effect immediately. It makes reconciling easier for couples who think the marriage might be reconcilable in the future. Legal separations have few residency requirements and it provides benefits related to taxes and insurance. Legal separations also prevent both spouses from remarrying.

What happens to retirement funds and 401(k) plans in a divorce?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

In most cases, retirement fund and 401(k) plans will be treated the same as all other marital property in a divorce. Essentially, that anything acquired with a spouse’s earnings after the marriage date is marital property unless a prenuptial agreement stipulates otherwise. This includes retirement funds because they are funded with money you have earned during the marriage. In general, this means they are divisible in a divorce, but exactly how they are handled varies from case to case.

What is a marital settlement agreement in a divorce?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

A marital settlement agreement is the document that explains how former spouses in an uncontested are to act following their divorce. It details information about the division of assets, debts, and property, spousal support, child support, and custody. The document is a legal contract and both parties are expected to abide by the agreement. If one chooses not to do so, the other can take the matter up with the court.

How is child support and alimony calculated?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

Alimony may be awarded to provide for the needs and necessities of life as such may be established during the marriage. Florida law provides several factors to determine whether alimony is appropriate and the amount of alimony is largely based upon the needs of the weaker spouse and the ability of the stronger spouse to pay otherwise unmet needs of the weaker spouse. Alimony may be permanent or periodic. Alimony may be deemed modifiable or nonmodifiable. Significant and unanticipated changes of the parties’ financial circumstances of the parties has strong bearing on whether a court will modify an original alimony award. Determining these questions requires a review of the statute in its most recent forms, and the caselaw which interprets the alimony statute, Section 61.08, Florida Statutes.

I made a lot of money in the past, but, in this economy, I cannot pay in alimony anywhere near what I could have three years ago—will the court understand what happened to me?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

Maybe. It is possible to amend an alimony or spousal support order if your economic situation changes. To do so requires a legal process, though, and it might not happen immediately. The best thing you can do if you are no longer able to meet your alimony obligations is to speak to an attorney. You are responsible for paying alimony in the amount ordered until the court decrees otherwise, so it is important to follow procedure and do all you can to meet your payment obligations.

If one parent moves out and leaves the kids with the other parent, does it hurt the moving parent's chances of getting custody at a later date?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

It could. Any decision to leave the marital home should be carefully considered. Even if the living situation is tenuous and staying seems less than pleasant, it’s a precedent you don’t want to set when custody is in question. If you believe that leaving the home is your only option, you should have a temporary custody agreement put in place before leaving. This way the precedent set is based on that and your move is not seen as abandoning the family.

How do courts determine who gets custody of children in a divorce?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

Courts make determinations about custody issues based on what is in the best interest of the child. Courts also look at the mental health and stability of each parent, the living situation of each parent, each parent’s ability to care for the child, and the relationship the child has with each parent. In some cases, the desires of the child are also considered. The goal of the court is to keep the child’s life as consistent as possible post-divorce.

How does a court split up property in a divorce?

Robert Henzon Llarves | Oct 5, 2020
Law Offices of M. Katrina Muse, Esq | Oct 5, 2020

Dividing property is often one of the greatest challenges in Florida divorces. It tends to trigger concerns about finances and is especially difficult because emotions are running high. Florida is an “Equitable Distribution” state, which means that marital property, assets, and liabilities acquired during the marriage with marital funds or labor are divided equally upon divorce. Non-marital property, assets, and liabilities acquired before the marriage remain the sole and separate property of the spouse upon divorce.

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