Effective Divorce Lawyers Assisting Pinellas County Families Through Difficult Times

Guiding you through your divorce with respect and professionalism

The Law Firm for Family Law is made up of a team of lawyers and other legal professionals who are here to help you reach a realistic divorce settlement, as efficiently and painlessly as possible. Having handled over 1,200 family law cases in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, our firm is skilled in both mediation and litigation and can resolve your case without wasting your time or money. In addition, our founding attorney, Gary E. Williams possesses the following credentials and certifications:

• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®, the definitive guide to the most distinguished law firms and lawyers in America
• Certified divorce financial analyst by the Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts
• Certified family law mediator by the Florida Supreme Court
• Certified collaborative divorce attorney by the International Association of Collaborative Professionals
• Certified guardian ad litem

Residency Requirements

You or your spouse may file for divorce in Florida if either of you have lived in Florida for at least the last six months. If you cannot meet that requirement right now, here are your options:

• Wait until the six months have passed to file with the option of starting to prepare your divorce petition with a lawyer now
• In an amicable divorce, have your spouse file if he or she meets the residency requirements
• File in another state where you or your spouse meets the divorce residency requirements.

The Florida divorce process

To dissolve a marriage in Florida, neither spouse must be at fault. Either spouse can file for divorce. A divorce can sufficiently be filed on grounds that it is irretrievably broken. Once you decide that your marriage cannot continue, you can move forward with the divorce by following the Florida divorce process:

• File the divorce petition. The Florida divorce process officially begins when a petition for dissolution of marriage (divorce petition) is filed with the circuit court in the county where you live, or your last residence as husband and wife. You can file for divorce using one of two methods under Florida law: regulator dissolution of marriage and simplified dissolution of marriage. Your spouse has 20 days to file a response to the demands listed in the petition and to raise any counter-issues. Each party has 45 days after service of the petition to provide financial disclosures before a hearing is set by the court. If seeking child support, a special worksheet, Child Support Guideline Worksheet, must be submitted to the court for consideration.
• Determine if your divorce requires litigation or mediation. Couples who are able to reach an agreement on their own regarding division of property, alimony, custody, visitation and other issues can present their arrangement to the court for review. Uncontested divorces may reach final judgment in less than a month. For couples who cannot agree on the terms of a divorce, mediation is a helpful method of reaching a quick settlement. In contentious divorces where couples cannot agree on virtually anything, litigation in court may be necessary to reach a divorce judgment. A Clearwater divorce lawyer with experience in both litigation and mediation is essential to protect your interests, no matter how your divorce proceeds.
• Receive the divorce judgment and, if necessary, post-judgment enforcement and modification. After the divorce judgment is finalized by a judge, the spousal and child support payments are often not timely made or may even not be paid at all. If that occurs, you have the right to seek enforcement of child support and alimony payments in an enforcement proceeding before a judge. Judges can induce payment on child support orders with the threat of fines, suspension of driver’s licenses and passports or even jail.

What to expect from the process

From the people to the amount of assets subject to distribution, each divorce is unique. What is common to most divorces, however, is a process that is fraught with emotion as you move from being a couple to the next phase of your life. It is natural to be concerned about the prospect of financial instability, the division of marital assets and your children’s futures. You must hire a divorce lawyer who is emphatic and also adept at bringing your divorce to settlement as efficiently and painlessly for you as possible.

You should not divorce without legal counsel. A Florida divorce lawyer can protect your rights, your children’s rights, your property and a host of other financial and legal issues that usually arise in a divorce. Our St. Petersburg family law attorneys lend a compassionate hand, while taking control of the serious business and legal aspects of your divorce.

Contact us for results-oriented divorce counsel in Clearwater, FL

For family law attorneys skilled in all types of Florida divorce, contact our Pinellas County law firm for a free consultation before filing for divorce. Call The Law Firm for Family Law in Clearwater at 727-475-6857 , on our toll-free hotline at 727-475-6857 , or contact us online.