An Intercultural Exchange on Ramadan

By: Shana Carson and Taghrid G. Hassan

“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you (Jews and Christians), that you may develop God-consciousness…” (Quran 2:183)

I recently drafted a parenting plan for a Muslim family, careful to take into consideration all the information I knew about this unique family and what their post-dissolution life with children would look like. When I presented the proposed timesharing schedule, my client provided her feedback and said, “It looks good, but you got all my holidays wrong.” The client explained which Muslim holidays were important to her family, specifically Ramadan which culminates on Eid-al-Fitr. I inquired how the family celebrates this month and the Eids (Arabic for “Festivals”) and we incorporated them into the parenting plan. My client was appreciative that this holiday of special significance was addressed and that I cared enough about her family to learn about her traditions.

I reached out to my colleague on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Taghrid Hassan, who agreed to enlighten me on the importance of Ramadan, which began on March 1^st of this year, and to illuminate me on the significance beyond words on a parenting plan. 

For Muslims, Ramadan is seen as a gift from God and an opportunity to renew their relationship with God and to seek His repentance. Muslims believe that the Holy Quran was revealed during this holy month and that the mercy and blessings of God are multiplied for believers who fast with faith.

Muslims refrain from food, water, and intimate relations from sunrise to sunset for this month. The obligation to fast begins at puberty, however, Muslims begin “training” their children from ages 8 or 9 to fast part of the day to build their stamina. The ability to fast helps with controlling urges, increasing mindfulness and focus on being God-conscious. Also, the pangs of hunger and thirst increases compassion for those who are truly without food or water. Therefore, acts of charity and donations to the needy increase substantially. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims focus on elevating their humanity and the power of their spiritual connection with the Divine.

During Ramadan, Muslim families generally gather with friends and family or go the mosques to break their fasts. They may also pray the special Ramadan nightly prayers called Taraweeh where the Holy Quran is recited over the course of the month by learned scholars called a Hafiz who have committed the entire Quran to memory.

At the end of the month of March, Muslims celebrate and feast during Eid-ul-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) with family gatherings, gift exchanges and coffee in the afternoon!

Tech Tip: Make 12.285 Disclosures a Breeze with Pipefile

By Michele Lebron, Esq.

Let’s face it—Florida Family Law Rule 12.285 disclosures are nobody’s favorite part of the job. Between wrangling W-2s, 1099s, bank statements, credit card statements, and (don’t even get me started) tax returns, gathering and exchanging mandatory financial documents can feel like herding cats—with a court deadline looming.

Enter: Pipefile.com, your new best friend for making 12.285 compliance faster, more organized, and so much less painful.

What Is Pipefile?

Think of Pipefile as a secure, easy-to-use portal that lets you request documents from clients (or opposing counsel) in a clean, trackable format. No more chasing down PDFs buried in email threads, receiving one PDF that contains all the disclosures, or trying to decipher Dropbox links that expired three days ago. Pipefile provides you with a branded, secure link where clients can upload exactly what you request—nothing more, nothing less.

How I Use It in My Practice

In my office, we’ve fully integrated Pipefile into our intake and discovery process. As soon as a case is opened, we send the client a custom Pipefile link with their mandatory disclosure checklist already built in. They can upload directly from their phone or computer, and the system keeps them (and us) on track with automatic reminders.

We can instantly see what’s missing, review uploads in real-time, and download a neatly zipped file when we’re ready to serve. It has seriously improved our workflow—cutting down on the usual back-and-forth and giving my paralegal her sanity back.

Why It’s a Game-Changer for Family Law

Family law clients are often overwhelmed, struggling with the emotional ups-and-downs of their matters, and not always tech-savvy. Pipefile keeps it simple. You can create a checklist of documents—like three months of bank statements or a recent credit report—and Pipefile gently nudges your client until each item is uploaded. You get a dashboard that shows you what’s missing, what’s been submitted, sends notifications, what’s ready to send across the aisle, and ensures everything is secure and organized. No more mystery folders or frantic calls asking, “Did they ever send that statement?”

It’s also secure and encrypted, which checks all the boxes when it comes to ethical handling of sensitive financial information. Plus, Pipefile automatically notifies you and your client when something is uploaded—no more guesswork.

Bonus: You Will Look Like a Tech Genius

Clients love it. Opposing counsel will ask what tool you're using. And you get to spend more time lawyering and less time playing digital detective.

Ready to Change your Paralegal’s life?

Pipefile is efficient, client-friendly, and makes you look like a tech-savvy superstar. Consider exploring it as an option to streamline your 12.285 process today.

Trust me, your clients (and your paralegal) will thank you.

Case Law Update

Alvarez v. Stochetti, 50 Fla. L. Weekly D620a (Fla. 3d DCA March 12, 2025)

By Reuben A. Doupé, Esq., BCS

A case of first impression has come out of the Third DCA. It seems to be common practice in the financial advising industry to lure financial advisors to join a firm with a large signing bonus that is given as a loan. A firm loans the advisor a significant sum of money to invest (or spend), subject to annual repayment obligations for a set number of years (nine years in this case) with an acceleration clause in the event the advisor leaves the firm. These loans are accompanied by a bonus contract that guarantees an annual bonus to be paid to the advisor, lining up the amount and timing of the bonus with the due dates for the loan payments. In reality, this is a way to defer the tax for the advisor on the signing bonus, because there is no taxable income paid until the advisor is paid the annual bonus.  

In Alvarez, the husband had only $93,000 remaining invested from his advance bonus when the action was filed. This is clearly a marital asset. The trial court, however, found that the loan payable was only a “contingent loan” and thus did not include the remaining sum due as a marital liability. Additionally, the trial court did not include the future annual bonus payments due under the bonus contract. 

The Third District approved of the result, stating that “The trial court correctly determined that the liability to make future payments could not be separated from the related asset of the future income stream to reimburse the payments.” This indicates that the Third District did not specifically agree with the trial court that the loan was too “contingent;” rather, the loan payable is offset by the bonus contract receivable. For these reasons, the financial advisor spouse will retain both of these contracts with no impact on the marital estate. 

Busto v. Arias, 2025 WL 854231 (Fla. 3d DCA 2025).

By Cash A. Eaton, Esq.

At trial, the court was charged with valuing the Husband’s business. The court, as part of its methodology, took the Husband’s $104,500 salary and deducted it as an expense, to arrive at a net income figure of $16,540.41. However, for purposes of valuing the business, the Husband’s salary was added back, and the business was valued at $121,140.41. The Husband argued that the court was calculating his salary as both an asset and a liability of the business. Moreover, the Husband argued that his salary should not be added into the business valuation as an asset, as it represents the value of his personal goodwill.

The Appellate Court held that because neither party presented expert witness testimony regarding a method of computation, the trial court was within its discretion to “adopt a valuation that is supported by competent, substantial evidence.” That is exactly what the trial court did, as it used a legitimate method of calculating valuation known as the seller’s discretionary earnings method. In short, this methodology adds back the discretionary earnings of a business owner to arrive at its value. Therefore, the Court was affirmed in its valuation.

The Husband also appealed the trial court’s calculation of his income. The Husband claimed that the trial court’s income calculation should not have included the monthly payments made to the Wife resulting in a “double dip”. The Husband’s basis for this argument is that the funds came from the Husband’s personal account. However, the Husband’s business records showed two separate line items, one for the Husband’s salary draw and one for the amounts paid to the Wife as temporary support. Accordingly, the Appellate Court held that the amount paid to the Wife, from the business, should be imputed to the Husband.

Frazier v. Dodd, No. 5D2022-2478, 2025 WL 876627, (Fla. 5th DCA Mar. 21, 2025)

By Ronald H. Kauffman, Esq.

A Husband appealed the trial court's amended final judgment for dissolution of his marriage contesting, in part, the equitable-distribution scheme. Husband filed for divorce after a nine-year marriage. The trial court used the date of filing as the valuation date for the marital home based on its finding that Wife's maintenance, repair, and upkeep efforts demonstrated that she alone bore the costs of continued ownership of the marital property. Then the trial court assigned the date of trial as the valuation date for the mortgage.

On appeal, the Fifth DCA affirmed the decision to value the mortgage at the time of trial. However, the it reversed on using the date of filing as the valuation date for the marital home.

Section 61.075(7) provides that “[t]he date for determining value of assets and the amount of liabilities identified or classified as marital is the date or dates as the judge determines is just and equitable under the circumstances.” Although judges are given discretion to determine valuation dates, “[w]hen marital assets have appreciated passively since the filing date, the date of the final hearing generally should be used.” But when marital assets have appreciated due to the work efforts of either party since the filing date, the filing date should be used.

Here, Wife received assistance from Husband, who paid the mortgage on the marital home for nearly two years following the date of separation, and paid the maintenance and continued ownership of the home, which exceeded Wife's expenditures. Because the increase in the value or continued ownership of the property was not solely due to Wife's efforts, the trial court abused its discretion in valuing the marital home as of the date of separation. Reversed and remanded for further proceedings.