The quiet city of Clearwater, named for its clear springs, serves as the county seat of Pinellas County.  Clearwater is located almost directly west of Tampa, another popular city in Florida.  Clearwater has a population of about 109,000, and about 21.5% of residents are age 65 or older, the largest percentage of any major US city.

The Church of Scientology is headquartered in Clearwater, although many Clearwater residents and officials were outraged after discovering that Scientologists, who bought property in the city under the name “United Churches of Florida,” were in fact the new residents.  Despite ongoing protests by Clearwater’s citizens and officials, the Church has remained based in Clearwater, and in fact has expanded into the downtown area.

Recently, Florida decided to amend a number of its family law statutes, striking “visitation” and “custody” language and substituting more cooperate language such as cooperative parenting plans and time-sharing arrangements.  This development is in line with family law trends around the nation, as many courts have increasingly focused on lessening the contentious aspects of divorce and custody cases by enacted similar amendments and by encouraging mediation over traditional litigation.

LegalMatch knows many reputable Clearwater family law lawyers, who understand the family law statutes and Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure and practice in the 6^th Judicial Circuit of Florida.  LegalMatch also has access to many other types of lawyers, such as real estate and personal injury lawyers.  Once you complete an online evaluation, LegalMatch will find the perfect Clearwater lawyer for your case.

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The websites below offer more information about Clearwater lawyers and legal issues:

• Clearwater Bar Association
• Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County
• University of Florida Levin College of Law Legal Information Center
• The 6th Judicial Circuit Law Libraries