Florida Divorce Lawyers
How Divorce Works in Florida
Meet the Filing Requirements
To file, one spouse must have lived in Florida for at least six months. See Fla. Stat. § 61.021. You only need to show the marriage is “irretrievably broken” — broken beyond repair. See Fla. Stat. § 61.052 and our guide to no-fault divorce in Florida.
Understand the Process
From there, every case moves through the same stages: filing, service, financial disclosure, negotiation, mediation, and, if needed, trial. A judge can’t finalize any divorce sooner than 20 days after filing. See Fla. Stat. § 61.19.
The Four Issues Every Florida Divorce Resolves
Property & Debts
The starting rule: Judges start from an equal split of everything acquired during the marriage. See § 61.075.
Learn more: Property Division · Who Keeps the House
Alimony
The starting rule: Based on one spouse’s need and the other’s ability to pay, with duration capped by the length of the marriage. See § 61.08.
Learn more: Alimony · Alimony Calculator
Parenting
The starting rule: Florida presumes equal (50/50) time-sharing is best for children, unless proven otherwise. See § 61.13.
Learn more: Child Custody · 50/50 Custody
Child Support
The starting rule: Set by statewide guidelines based on both incomes and overnights.
Learn more: Child Support
Money and children are where divorces are won or lost, and both turn on preparation. Florida requires each spouse to produce detailed financial records early in the case. See our guide to mandatory disclosure and hidden assets.
If you own a business or significant investments, see high-asset divorce and divorce with a business.
Agreed or Contested: Two Very Different Paths
If you and your spouse agree on everything, an uncontested divorce can finish in a few weeks to a few months, and Florida even has a simplified process for short, simple marriages. Our timeline guide explains both.
When you disagree about the children, the money, or both, the case is contested, and preparation decides outcomes.
That’s the work we’ve built the firm around: complete financial pictures, parenting evidence organized around the statutory factors, and a case that’s ready for trial whether or not it ever gets there.
Most contested cases settle at mediation — and the side that shows up prepared settles on better terms. The rest are decided by a judge at trial.
What Working With Fairway Law Group Looks Like
One attorney, start to finish. Once you hire us, the attorney assigned to your case drafts your financial affidavit, negotiates for you, and stands up at mediation and trial. No handoffs.
We move quickly. Once you’re ready, filing and financial disclosure start promptly, because the early record shapes everything after it.
Straight answers. You’ll hear what’s realistic, what it’s likely to cost, and what we’d do in your position — whether or not you hire us. See how our fees work and what past clients say.
Two offices, statewide reach. Deerfield Beach for South Florida and Orlando for Central Florida, with most meetings available by phone or video.
Before You File, or If You’ve Just Been Served
The steps you take before a case starts can matter as much as anything that happens in court.
If you’re still weighing the decision, read what to do (and not do) before filing.
If papers just arrived, deadlines are already running — start with what the first month of a Florida divorce looks like.
And if you’re divorcing later in life, divorce after 60 has its own playbook.