Legal Question in Family Law in Georgia
I was divorced in 1994 after 15 yrs of marriage. I lived in Florida at the time. I hired a terrific female Atty who filed a domestic order with my ex's company for me to receive 1/2 of his monthly pension at his retirement, which will be $1253/mo according to my divorce papers.I recently found out this Atty died in 2004. Now that my ex is close to retirement age I called Florida Power & Light where he has been employed since 1971. They say they have no domestic order entered from the court.How should I proceed??? I now reside in Georgia.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Don't get worried yet! It sounds like you may need to do a little investigative work. Was the Florida attorney part of a law firm? If so, her case files were likely handed over to a different partner/attorney in the firm. Call the firm, explain that you are a client of the deceased attorney, and request a meeting (telephone is fine!) to discuss your case and obtain an update. Of course, you may have to pay the attorney for his/her time.
If the deceased attorney was a solo practitioner, you may consider hiring a different local Florida family law attorney to assist you. That attorney, with a little research, can likely tell you if the domestic order was entered. If so, that attorney can also take the necessary steps to put your ex-husband's pension provider on notice so you get paid.
Best of luck.*******The above does not establish an attorney-client relationship and is intended for informational purposes only.*******
In addition to what Phillip said, check with the court where your case was. You should be able to get copies of court orders, no matter how old, from the court. Many courts can answer that over the phone.