Florida Board Certified Family Law Attorney

Longtime readers may recall our discussion of Orthodox Jewish divorce, in our July 22, 2011 blog post. Under traditional Orthodox law, a husband must grant permission to his wife for her to obtain a religious divorce. Though the get has no legal authority under U.S. law, practicing Orthodox Jews cannot remarry until she receives the permission, which is called a "get."

There have been a number of cases in recent months of husbands refusing to grant a get to their wives despite intense pressure from their local Jewish community to do so. A recent example of this is taking place in Broward County, where the community is turning to 21^st century technology to get the husband to grant the ancient divorce.

Former NFL star Deion Sanders may have violated a gag order imposed by the judge presiding over his divorce by appearing on national television on May 2 and discussing a violent incident with his wife. That means that Sanders could face legal sanctions for his decision to be interviewed about the divorce on "Good Morning America" and have a camera crew show video of his mansion.

Readers in Florida may recall our Dec.30 blog post about news reports first announcing the divorce. Sanders' wife, reality TV star Pilar Sanders, said after Sanders announced that he had filed for divorce that he had done so without telling her first. In the filing, Sanders said that their "marriage has become insupportable" and that there was no chance at reconciliation.

A couple's religion can often play a huge role in divorce. If they choose to be, a husband and wife are morally obligated to stick to the guidelines laid out for them by their religion. This can make the proceedings less flexible than in civil divorce, where both sides can negotiate and choose a solution that is best for both parties.

This can be seen in an ongoing dispute between a Muslim couple in Clearwater, Florida. The husband and wife were a part of an arranged marriage in Saudi Arabia. The couple had talked on the phone for six months before the husband finally traveled to the see the woman and they married only a matter of days after. Two months after the marriage, the couple moved to Florida where the husband is now a successful radiologist.

In today's world, it often occurs following a divorce that one of the ex-spouses may move away, whether for employment purposes or merely to jump start their new life in different surroundings. The issues of child custody and visitation rights for a non-custodial parent in Florida are ironed out in settlement negotiations and court proceedings. But the changed circumstances of residences in different towns, sometimes towns very far apart, can seem to make the initial arrangement about visitation with children meaningless.

Many divorced parents today confronting such difficulties are using "virtual" child visitation techniques to bridge the gap. Utilizing the latest technology, they interface with their children online, chatting on Facebook, sending text messages and emails or engaging in video visits using webcams and software platforms such as Skype and other video chat software which makes arranging such online visitations relatively easy.