Hackworth Law, PA

Back to School With a Narcissistic Co-Parent Narcissists often need control and have a lack of empathy. This can make co-parenting particularly difficult, especially during the beginning of a school year.

When an accident leaves you injured in Tampa Bay, you can rely on Hackworth Law to guide you through the legal journey and fight for the compensation you rightfully deserve.

We provide compassionate and unwavering legal representation across Tampa, Brandon, St. Pete, Clearwater, and beyond. Let us be your trusted advocates during this challenging time.

Call or DM us to schedule your free consultation and get started on the road to recovery.

Feeling overwhelmed searching for legal counsel in Tampa Bay? We’re here to help!

Whether it’s personal injury, family law, or criminal defense representation that you’re looking for, Hackworth Law is here to help you navigate this challenging time.

Your case evaluation is free. Call or DM us today!

Navigating Shared Custody When Your Child Is Neurodivergent Considering shared custody of a special-needs child? Remember these 5 tips.

7 Best Money Moves To Make While Navigating a Divorce Going through a divorce can be an emotionally difficult situation. And to make matters worse, it can also be a financially challenging one to navigate. Check Out: Barbara Corcoran's 5 Best Passive...

What are your thoughts on this new trend?

Divorce registries: People increasingly asking for gifts after marriage breakups Monogrammed towels. A toothbrush holder for four, rather than three. Shared bedding. For people putting a life back together after divorce, mundane household objects can be painful marital reminder…

Political/Legal Post Alert

Last July, the Florida Legislature in its inherent wisdom FINALLY determined that it was time to statutorily memorialize the importance of equal timesharing for both parents, regardless of sex/gender. This created a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is in the best interests of the minor child, saying loud and clear that both parents should have an equal say in how to raise their child(ren). This coincided with Governor Ron DeSantis's Statewide Community Network to support Florida's Fatherhood Initiative last October. Our Governor and Legislature both acknowledged the ills of a society without both parents - whether they be Mothers or Fathers.

Unfortunately, the Mandates from our Legislature and the Governor's clear Initiative to support ALL parents are not being followed by our Courts, more specifically, for Fathers whose divorce or paternity cases occurred BEFORE the enactment of the rebuttable presumption in favor of 50/50 timesharing. It is imperative that you contact your local Florida Congressional Representative and/or Senator to urge them to address and correct this injustice to Parents, who happened to have finalized a divorce before July 2023. It is a grave injustice to ignore the rights of both Mothers and Fathers solely because their Family Law cases concluded before July 2023. The simple fact that a Parent's case was decided before July 2023 should not prevent that Mother or Father from enjoying equal timesharing with their child(ren).

It is outrageous that fellow Floridians are being denied equal timesharing based on an arbitrary start date. PLEASE, contact your local Congressional representative today. In an ever increasing Fatherless society, it is a gross miscarriage of justice for Fathers not to have equal access to their children simply because their case occurred prior to July 2023. If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Tampa Bay Divorce ➡️ Call Hackworth Law

In Florida, you can seek various damages including:

Medical expenses
Lost wages
Pain and suffering
Property damage
& in some cases punitive damages

The specific damages depend on the details of your case. Consulting with an attorney will help determine what you may be eligible for.

As your Tampa divorce attorneys, we’re here to craft a legal strategy tailored to your needs and goals.

Let’s start your next chapter together. Call or DM us today. 📲

Celebrity Divorce Lawyers Explain Why There Have Been So Many A-List Splits: 'It Almost Seems Contagious' From Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner to Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, the business of breaking up in Hollywood is booming. Divorce lawyers to the stars sound off on the trend.

With people moving to Tampa Bay in droves, there’s a surplus of drivers and cars on the road, making it more congested, and leading to more auto accidents.

From fender benders to multi-vehicle pileups, every type of car accident can cause an injury. What makes matters more complicated is that injuries from accidents can take the form of virtually anything.

The severity of an injury is influenced by many factors. The most serious types of injuries include:

Traumatic Brain Injuries
Severed Spinal Cord and Paralysis
Loss of Limbs
Broken Bones
Cuts and Scrapes
Soft Tissue Injuries

The definition of “serious” is broad when it comes to car accidents because the force of a vehicle’s impact can lead to paralysis, concussions, and a myriad of other injuries that can cause the body to stop functioning as it should.

When you’ve been injured in car accident, it is important to contact a car accident lawyer as quickly as possible.

If you have questions concerning a family law case, contact the family law attorneys at Hackworth Law for a free case consultation.

We’ve handled hundreds of these cases throughout the Tampa Bay area and will provide you with the aggressive representation you need to protect your future and the future of your children.

Child custody is generally one of the most litigated issues during Tampa family law cases.

Ultimately, the unique facts of each case and the assigned judge determine which factors will be most persuasive and powerful before the court and who will get custody of the child.

At Hackworth Law, we’ve handled many different types of Florida child custody cases, involving a variety of matters from domestic violence to substance abuse and all types of cases in between.

Contact us for a free case consultation.

Do You Have to Divorce Extended Family, Too? Here's how to navigate maintaining familial ties when you split.

How to Parent From Two Homes When co-parenting fails, parallel parenting can guide you to success.

Seven Ways to Cope With Separation or Divorce Realistic coping strategies to help you adjust and feel "normal" again.

If you’re currently looking for a Tampa attorney, we offer free case consultations.

📲 DM us directly or call 813-867-6551

◾️Keep Your Ex Involved in the Kid's Lives

When your ex refuses to pay child support, your first instinct is most likely to prevent them from seeing their children. However, if the other parent stays involved in your children’s lives, they are more likely to be invested. Shutting them out could make them even more stubborn in refusing payments because they have lost all connection to their children.

◾️Allow Partial Payment

Sometimes being forgiving towards your ex is your best bet. Adopting an all-or-nothing attitude with them could make them more likely to refuse payment. Determine why they haven’t been paying their child support and then discuss the possibility of partial payments. Chances are, if they don’t have the income to pay all of it at once, they will at least be willing to pay some of it, which can help you stay afloat.

◾️Don’t Budget for Child Support

If possible, do not figure child support into your budget. If you can’t count on it always being there, don’t plan for it. Write out your expenses as if you were not owed child support. This can help you plan effectively and stay afloat when your ex doesn’t pay their child support on time or at all.

Questions? We’re here for you. Call Hackworth Law, P.A.

Holidays can be sad and stressful when you’re going through a separation. Especially when there are kids involved. One of the best things you can do is make a plan.

▪️Make a schedule and follow it

When you make a holiday schedule for the children, it allows for the holidays to be more enjoyable because everyone has agreed to it and knows what to expect.

▪️Equal time shared with children

We recommend trying to spend the same amount of time with the children for each holiday. It can be difficult if parents live in different towns or states. One way to do this is to rotate which parent gets a specific holiday every year.

▪️Don’t wait until last minute

When you are separating, you should decide in advance who is going to get which holidays with the kids. By doing this ahead of time, you can prepare, and you don’t have to worry about changing plans last minute.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal representation, call or DM us today for a free case consultation.

Mediation 101

A. An experienced mediator will essentially highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each party’s case and explain how these could impact their cases. This is an attempt to get the parties into the spirit of compromise and interested in resolving their case. A good mediator can resolve a case that otherwise would likely not get resolved. Many times, the mediator may meet with the parties together in a room to permit their attorneys to give an opening statement to the other party, then go to separate rooms, while other mediators require the parties to start and stay in separate rooms.

B. The overwhelming majority of the matters discussed at mediation are confidential. This is critical as it prevents parties from essentially using offers at mediation against the other party later in the proceedings. It also permits the parties to speak freely with the mediator without fear of the mediator testifying against them at trial. Mediators are only able to disclose discussions at mediation in very limited circumstances.

C. Parties have the opportunity to caucus during mediation, which basically permits a party to meet alone with their attorney. This provides parties an opportunity to speak candidly with their attorney about previous settlement offers and/or continued mediation strategy. Often, this significantly relaxes a party since they are familiar with their attorney, rather than the mediator, they have never met.

Our firm has handled a wide variety of mediations, ranging from family law cases to auto accident cases. We have had great success in getting our clients what they deserve.

Rebuilding Your Life After a Gray Divorce Gray divorce is rising, and recovery is challenging. Here's what to do, and how.

We will help you navigate the complex world of insurance claims, the legal system, and negotiating a fair settlement.

We have the experience and understanding to assist with various personal injury cases, such as:

▪️Auto & motorcycle
▪️Drunk driving
▪️Pedestrian versus auto
▪️Hit & run
▪️Slip & fall accidents
▪️Premise liability
▪️Construction/industrial site injuries
▪️Heavy equipment & machinery injuries
▪️Dog bite & dog attack injuries
▪️Nursing home abuse & neglect
▪️Medical malpractice

It’s critical you speak to a lawyer if you’ve experienced an injury due to someone else’s negligence. You may not believe you were badly hurt, but sometimes pain doesn’t present immediately. Don’t take chances on your health!

Hackworth Law is here to help. Call today for a free consultation. 📲

Cell phones and divorce!

When going through a divorce, a concern of many clients is providing the court with enough evidence to support their claims. 👉 The good news is, within family law cases, cell phone records and messages are admissible as evidence in court.

➕Cell phones contain all sorts of information pertaining to your relationships, interests, schedules, and behavior.

➖Therefore, a cell phone can become a large part of the discovery process during litigation.

➖The information retrieved can provide evidence of marital misconduct, dissipation of funds, unstable behavior, or even evidence of abuse.

➖This evidence can then potentially be used to support claims of alimony, child support, custody and timesharing, equitable distribution, and even injunctions for protection from domestic violence.

📲Call or DM us today for a free case consultation!

Some tips for all of the new Tampa Bay residents, and a reminder for the ones who have been through it a dozen times before:

Now is the time to prepare for any potential damage your property could sustain, while you can still safely do so. Even the outer bands of a smaller storm that doesn’t directly hit us can cause property damage.

📷 Document your home as best you can now before the weather starts to deteriorate - Interior and exterior photos and videos of every corner of your house.

🎥 If your home does sustain any damage, document it as soon as you SAFELY can. If you can get a video of damage actively happening, such as a ceiling leaking as opposed to just the water stain, even better.

📱Once the storm has passed, file your claim as quickly as possible. Insurance companies will always try to find ways to deny your claim. They might claim pre-existing damage, wear and tear, etc. That's where we come in.

⏩ Call Hackworth Law if you need help filing your insurance claim. We know how to deal with insurance companies.

🌀 Tropical Storm Idalia has formed and is expected to make landfall as a hurricane in Florida this week. Now is the time to prepare!

Call or DM us for a free case consultation!

Divorce Etiquette Expert Weighs in on the Dos and Don'ts of Breaking Up amid Celebrity Splits In the wake of several high-profile celebrity breakups, an etiquette expert offers tips for those going through a divorce