The Harry Thomas Hackney Florida Law Blog A blog about Florida law by Harry Hackney of Campione & Hackney, P.A.

A client recently came to see me because her husband’s son from a previous marriage had himself appointed his father’s emergency temporary guardian. This was done with no notice to her, as allowed by Florida law. I recently received a distraught call from her because her husband was in the hospital,

Harry Hackney is pleased to announce that he has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court to mediate circuit court civil cases.   He is available to mediate cases throughout the Fifth Judicial Circuit (Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, and Hernando counties) plus Orange, Volusia, and Seminole countie

Courts encourage parties to narrow the issues and to stipulate to facts and other matters that are not a disputed issue. These stipulations make for a quicker trial saving the court time and the parties both time and money. In a recent Fourth District Court of Appeal case, the Court slapped down a p

Being the spouse of a decedent comes with some significant rights.  A surviving spouse can claim thirty percent (30%) of a significant portion of the spouse’s estate as an “elective share.”  The surviving spouse may also be entitled to an $18,000.00 family allowance, exempt property, a life estate i

This TechCrunch article talks about two people facing jail time in Illinois for recording conversations:  Using Your Blackberry In Illinois Could Send You To Prison.  Florida is one of the 12 states where recording a conversation without permission is a felony although not for a first offense for no

As a matter of policy, I do not give any legal advice in response to questions posted as comments or otherwise in this blog.  However, the following question piqued my interest and provides a platform for discussing the sort of everyday problem an average person might encounter.  The question was: I

Florida Statute section 709.08 governs durable powers of attorney.  A durable power of attorney is a written document whereby one person can designate another to act for them.  The person who signs the document and appoints another is the “principal” and the person appointed to act is the “attorney

Here are six good reasons for why hiring a business lawyer is money well spent:  6 Reasons Why Hiring A Business Lawyer Is Not That Expensive. As someone who litigates disputes, I can say that litigation is much more expensive than doing it right in the first place.

When I first heard of this case, I thought it was an interesting but isolated case– the sort of thing that happens but is not common.  I may have been wrong.  In one of those serendipitous coincidences, I met a lady at a speaking engagement who told me about a situation involving several of her [...

The time limits in probate cases can be unforgivingly short.  For example, you must object to the personal representative’s accounting within thirty (30) days and set a hearing on your objection within ninety (90) days. A recent post in the Florida Probate & Trust Litigation Blog illustrates how tru