Dale L. Bernstein has represented Pasco County families for nearly 40 years, and Trinity’s growth over the last five years has brought a steady stream of new clients from the Trinity Communities and the SR 54 corridor. As a family law attorney Trinity residents can reach directly, his office handles divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, and domestic violence matters heard in the Sixth Judicial Circuit.
Trinity’s population reached roughly 18,900 residents as of the latest estimate, up sharply from 11,924 in the 2020 census, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That growth has been driven largely by the gated Trinity Communities subdivisions along Trinity Boulevard and Mitchell Boulevard, which have made this one of the more affluent pockets of Pasco County that family law attorneys in Trinity often serve.
A Trinity family law case often looks different from a case in a lower-income area:
None of these factors change the underlying Florida statutes, but they do change what a Trinity family attorney needs to prepare for at the first consultation.
Dale L. Bernstein has represented Pasco County families in divorce and family law matters since 1986, following his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law.
He is admitted to the Florida Bar, the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he previously chaired the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s Professionalism Subcommittee. His full background is on his attorney profile page.
As a Trinity family law attorney with decades of experience across Pasco County, he has handled cases ranging from simplified, uncontested divorces to high net worth disputes involving business valuations and complex retirement accounts, the kind of case that comes up more often in a community like Trinity than in some neighboring areas.
Trinity falls within the New Port Richey area of Pasco County for court purposes, which means most family law matters filed by Trinity residents are heard at the West Pasco Judicial Center rather than the Dade City courthouse.
The Pasco County Clerk’s office processes filings for both locations, and the applicable courthouse depends on the assigned judge and division.
Knowing which courthouse and judge will hear a case, and how that judge tends to approach contested time-sharing or property division, is part of what a Trinity family lawyer brings to a case beyond familiarity with the statutes themselves.
A divorce filed by a Trinity resident typically requires the court to divide marital property under Florida’s equitable distribution rules, decide whether alimony applies, and, when there are children, establish a parenting plan and child support obligation.
A Trinity divorce case commonly involves:
Florida’s 2023 divorce rate stood at 3.0 per 1,000 residents, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Attorney Bernstein represents Trinity clients on both sides of a divorce, whether the case settles through negotiation or proceeds to a contested hearing.
Florida law refers to custody as parental responsibility and time-sharing, and a judge deciding these issues has to apply the best-interest factors set out in Florida Statute 61.13.
Factors a Pasco County judge weighs most heavily include:
For a Trinity family, that often means addressing which school zone the children remain in, how commuting along SR 54 or the Suncoast Parkway affects exchange logistics, and whether a parent relocating for work triggers Florida’s separate relocation statute.
Florida calculates child support using a formula in Florida Statute 61.30 that factors in both parents’ incomes, the number of overnights each parent has with the children, health insurance costs, and childcare expenses.
In a higher-income community like Trinity, disputes often center on how a parent’s full income gets calculated, particularly for self-employed parents, commissioned salespeople, or business owners. Carefully reviewing tax returns, K-1 statements, and business records can change a support number substantially in either direction.
When parents are not married, paternity has to be established before a court can enter orders on custody, time-sharing, or child support.
This can happen voluntarily through a signed acknowledgment or through a paternity action filed with the court, which may include genetic testing if parentage is disputed.
A paternity case sets the same parental responsibility, time-sharing, and support framework that applies in a divorce, so the outcome shapes the relationship between a Trinity parent and child for years afterward.
A Trinity resident facing domestic violence can request a temporary injunction from the court without the other party present, and Florida law requires a full hearing within 15 days of that temporary order.
Missing that hearing, whether you are the petitioner or the respondent, can result in an injunction being dismissed or made permanent without your side of the story being heard.
These cases move on a compressed timeline compared to a typical family law filing, so early legal guidance matters. An injunction can also affect custody and time-sharing decisions in a related divorce or paternity case.
Couples in Trinity frequently enter marriage with an established home, a business, or significant retirement savings already in place, and a prenuptial agreement can define how those assets are treated if the marriage later ends.
A postnuptial agreement serves the same purpose for couples who want that clarity after the wedding.
Florida generally enforces these agreements when:
An agreement drafted without those safeguards risks being challenged and set aside during a later divorce, which defeats the purpose of having one in the first place.
Florida courts, including those in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, generally require mediation before a contested family law issue can come before a judge.
The Sixth Judicial Circuit’s alternative dispute resolution program outlines how this process works for Pasco and Pinellas County cases.
Mediation does not mean giving up the right to a contested hearing. It does mean a Trinity case is more likely to resolve through negotiation with an attorney present than to require a full trial.
New residential development in Trinity, Odessa, and Westchase has brought families to this part of Pasco County who are working through divorce or custody matters without deep roots in the local court system.
As a Trinity family lawyer working throughout western Pasco County, Attorney Bernstein also represents clients from New Port Richey, Holiday, and Hudson along the US 19 corridor.
Whether a case involves a Trinity Communities home or a smaller property closer to US 19, the same Florida statutes and Sixth Judicial Circuit procedures apply.
What changes from case to case is how those rules interact with a family’s specific finances, parenting schedule, and future goals.
Whether you are filing for divorce, responding to a paternity action, or need an emergency injunction, Dale L. Bernstein, Chartered Law Office has represented Pasco County families in family law matters for nearly 40 years.
As a family law attorney Trinity clients can reach directly, Attorney Bernstein is one of the few family law attorneys Trinity residents can count on for both routine and complex family law matters.
Call 727-862-4411 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with a Trinity family law attorney and discuss the next steps in your case.
Yes. Attorney Bernstein represents both mothers and fathers in establishing paternity, along with the custody, time-sharing, and support orders that follow.
Florida allows a judge to issue a temporary injunction without the other party present, with a full hearing required within 15 days.
It depends on whether the agreement met Florida’s requirements for independent counsel, full financial disclosure, and voluntary signing.
Yes, when there has been a substantial change in circumstances, such as a job loss, relocation, or a significant income change for either parent.
A Pasco County judge considers the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, and the standard of living established during the marriage.
The court can order the home sold and the proceeds divided, award it to one spouse as part of the overall property division, or allow a parent to remain there temporarily for the children’s stability.
Florida’s relocation statute requires either the other parent’s written agreement or court approval before a parent can move more than 50 miles away with the children.