Florida Divorce Attorney
Ending a marriage
shouldn't mean losing yourself in the process.
Leap Frog Divorce serves families across Florida from offices in Orlando, Mount Dora, and Jacksonville.
We focus on family law and divorce only, which means every case gets a team that knows Florida statutes, Florida courts, and how to settle a divorce with as little friction as your situation allows.
A Smarter Way Through Divorce
Not every case needs to become a fight. We help you explore resolution where possible—and prepare you when it’s not.
Our Services
Legal Expertise Delivered.
Is Leap Frog Divorce Right For You?
Our firm is built to serve a range of Florida divorce situations. This service may be a good fit if:
- You and your spouse want to end the marriage with as little conflict as possible
- You've been served with divorce papers and need legal counsel quickly
- You have children, a business, or significant assets that need careful handling
- You have children, shared property, or a business and want to protect what matters
- You're weighing options like collaborative divorce, mediation, or an uncontested filing
- You'd rather work with a firm that practices divorce law full time than a general practice attorney who handles a little of everything
How It Looks
What Florida Law Says About Divorce
Every divorce in Florida is governed by Chapter 61 of the Florida Statutes. Whether you’re filing in Orange County, Duval County, Polk County, or anywhere else in the state, the same legal framework applies. Knowing the rules before you file gives you a steadier footing through the process.
01.
Florida is a no-fault state
You don't have to prove cheating, abandonment, or any other bad behavior to get divorced. The only requirement is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. The other accepted ground is mental incapacity, which requires the spouse to have been formally adjudicated incapacitated for at least three years.
02.
Florida residency is required
At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for six months before filing. Proof can come from a Florida driver's license, voter registration, vehicle tag, employment records, utility payments, or property ownership. Active military members stationed in Florida, or who lived here before service without establishing permanent residence elsewhere, generally qualify as residents.
03.
Florida does not formally recognize legal separation
Unlike some states, Florida won't grant a formal separation. However, courts will enforce a valid written separation agreement between spouses who want to live apart while remaining married.
04.
Common law marriage is limited
Florida stopped recognizing new common law marriages in 1968. If you entered a common law marriage before then, or one that was valid in another state that still recognizes it, Florida will honor it.
05.
Where you file matters
Most divorces are filed in the county where the couple last lived together as spouses with the intention to remain married. Couples can also agree to file in another county.
A Better Way Through A Hard Time
Divorce is widely considered the second most stressful life event a person can experience. People often describe feeling like their entire world has been turned upside down, and that reaction is normal. So is the worry about money, children, and what life is going to look like a year from now.
The good news is that the process doesn’t have to add to that pain. With the right legal team, most Florida divorces can be resolved without protracted courtroom battles. Decisions get made on your timeline, not the court’s. Settlements get built around what your family actually needs, not what a judge thinks is reasonable based on a one-day hearing.
What clients typically walk away with:
- A clear plan for housing, parenting time, and shared decision-making
- A fair division of marital assets and debts under Florida's equitable distribution law
- An alimony structure (if applicable) that fits both spouses' real financial picture
- A child support order based on accurate income and time-sharing numbers
- A realistic sense of timeline, cost, and next steps
- A foundation to move into the next chapter of life with confidence
Issues We Help With
Six Core Issues In A Florida Divorce
Parental Responsibility (Custody)
Time-Sharing (Visitation)
Equitable Distribution (Splitting Assets and Debts)
Alimony (Spousal Support)
Child Support
Attorney's Fees and Name Restoration
Why A Family Law Focused Firm Matters
A divorce touches some of the most important parts of your life all at once. Your home, your retirement, your relationship with your children, your business, and your future income are all on the table. A general practice attorney who handles a little family law alongside personal injury, criminal defense, or estate planning will not catch what a focused family law firm catches.
You want a firm that lives in Chapter 61 of the Florida Statutes every day. One that knows the recent alimony reform, the 2023 time-sharing presumption, and the case law shaping how trial judges actually rule. You want a firm that has appeared in front of the local judges, worked with the local mediators, and understands how cases move through the specific circuit where yours will be heard.
Trying to handle a Florida divorce yourself, or with form-filling services, can quietly cost you. People agree to terms they don’t grasp, miss key disclosure deadlines, or sign away rights that can’t be recovered after the fact. The cost of getting it wrong almost always exceeds the cost of doing it right the first time.
How It Works
The Florida Divorce Process, Step By Step
01.
Filing the Petition
Only one spouse needs to file the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The other spouse does not have to agree to start the case. Filing kicks off the legal timeline.
02.
Confirming Residency and Service
Florida residency requirements are confirmed, and the other spouse is formally served with the petition. They then have a set window to respond.
03.
Financial Disclosure
Both spouses are required to exchange detailed financial information, including income, assets, debts, and expenses. Honest, complete disclosure is the foundation of a fair outcome.
04.
Choosing Your Path
This is where you decide how to resolve the case. Most divorces settle through negotiation, mediation, or the collaborative process. Only a small share ever go to trial.
05.
Reaching An Agreement
You and your spouse work toward a marital settlement agreement covering parenting, finances, and everything in between. If you have children, a parenting plan is required.
06.
Final Judgment
The court reviews and signs your agreement, or in a contested case, issues a ruling after trial. The marriage is officially dissolved, and the terms become enforceable.
Grounds For Divorce In Florida
Florida does not require you to prove fault to get divorced. As a no-fault state, the only two recognized grounds are:
- The marriage is irretrievably broken. This is the basis used in the vast majority of Florida divorces. It means there’s nothing that can be done to repair the relationship.
- Mental incapacity of one spouse. This requires that a spouse has been formally adjudicated mentally incapacitated for at least three years before the divorce can move forward.
You don’t have to prove an affair, cruelty, abandonment, or financial misconduct to get divorced in Florida. Those facts can still affect property division, alimony, or custody in specific situations, but they aren’t required for the divorce itself.
The Leap Frog Difference
We do one thing: family law and divorce. No criminal cases, no personal injury, no real estate closings on the side. Every attorney on our team is focused fully on helping people through divorce and divorce-related matters.
Our approach rests on three ideas:
Your Life, Your Divorce
We start by listening. Before any strategy, we want to know what your life looks like, what your goals are, and what outcome would feel like a win for you and your family.
On Your Side, Every Step
We build a plan around your priorities and stay there through filing, financial disclosure, negotiation, and resolution. You always know what's happening and what comes next.
The Next Chapter, Sooner
Our goal is to get you to the next phase of your life with stability and confidence. That means resolving things efficiently, protecting your finances, and keeping conflict as low as your situation allows.
We also offer multiple paths, including collaborative divorce, mediation, uncontested and simplified divorce, and full litigation when it’s needed. You shouldn’t be forced into a one-size approach.
Testimonials
Legal Excellence Through Client Experiences.
Our clients’ words reflect what matters most to us: clarity, trust, and guidance through one of life’s hardest transitions.
Our Team
Meet Your Leap Frog Divorce Team
A.J. Grossman
Attorney at Law • Certified Family Mediator
A.J. Grossman
Attorney at Law • Certified Family Mediator
Kiki Grossman
Lead Conflict Resolution Specialist • Attorney at Law
Kiki Grossman
Lead Conflict Resolution Specialist • Attorney at Law
Banda Nadeau
Attorney at Law • Certified Family Mediator
Banda Nadeau
Attorney at Law • Certified Family Mediator
April Phillips
Litigation & Trial Paralegal • Certified Guardian Ad Litem
April Phillips
Litigation & Trial Paralegal • Certified Guardian Ad Litem
Brett Castro
FRP, Discovery Specialist
Brett Castro
FRP, Discovery Specialist
Yarissa Castillo
Paralegal
Yarissa Castillo
Paralegal
Brianna Hendricks
Legal Assistant
Brianna Hendricks
Legal Assistant
Topics Covered In A Florida Divorce
Custody (Parental Responsibility)
Florida courts decide custody based on what’s in the best interest of the children. The default is shared parental responsibility, meaning both parents participate in major decisions like medical care, schooling, and religion. Sole parental responsibility is rare and requires evidence that shared decision-making would harm the children.
Visitation
Every Florida parent has the right to frequent and continuing contact with their children. Florida law, as updated in 2023, now presumes that equal time-sharing is in the children’s best interest, though that presumption can be overcome with evidence. Courts weigh a long list of statutory factors when approving a time-sharing schedule.
Splitting Up Your Assets
The court identifies and values your marital and non-marital assets and debts. Marital property is presumed to be divided equally, with deviations allowed for justified reasons. Identifying every significant asset (including retirement accounts, business interests, and real property) and valuing it accurately is essential. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements can override the default rules if valid and enforceable.
Spousal Support (Alimony)
Florida’s 2023 alimony reform eliminated permanent alimony and reorganized the statute. The four available types are bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, and temporary. Courts consider need, ability to pay, marriage length, marital lifestyle, and a long list of additional factors before awarding alimony.
Child Support
Both parents have a legal duty to support their children. Florida calculates support using the statutory Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, which factors in each parent’s income, time-sharing, healthcare premiums, and childcare expenses. Deviations are allowed in specific circumstances but must be justified in writing by the court.
Attorney’s Fees
A Florida court can require one spouse to pay all or part of the other spouse’s attorney’s fees. The court looks at the relative financial resources of each spouse, the need of one spouse to receive contribution, and the ability of the other to pay. This rule exists so that one spouse can’t outspend the other into a bad settlement.
Name Change
If a spouse wants to return to a former name (most often a maiden name) after divorce, this can be handled as part of the Final Judgment. Building it into the divorce decree avoids the need to file a separate petition for name change later.
Let’s Start Moving Forward
Speak With An Experienced Florida Divorce Lawyer
Starting a divorce is hard. Doing it without the right legal team is harder. Florida divorces touch every part of your life, your finances, your children, your home, and your future. You deserve a guide who’s been through it many times before and knows how to protect what matters.
Family law and divorce-related matters are all we do at Leap Frog Divorce. We serve clients statewide from offices in Orlando, Jacksonville, and Lakeland. Tell us what’s going on, and we’ll respond quickly to set up your consultation.
