§ Practice area 05
Family law
Divorce and family cases decide where children live, how property is divided and what each person will owe the other for years to come. Andre represents spouses and parents in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, including families with property, relatives or prior proceedings abroad.
Family cases, often with an international dimension
The firm handles contested divorces from the first filing through final judgment and beyond: temporary support, equitable distribution of property and debts, alimony, parenting plans and time-sharing, and the enforcement of judgments and fee awards after the case is supposedly over. Many clients come from Russian-speaking families, and many cases involve a prior divorce abroad, assets in another country or a parent who wants to travel internationally with the children.
Temporary-relief hearings early in a case often set its course, and appellate courts hold trial judges to the rules of procedure and due process at those hearings. When a family court gets it wrong, the firm takes the issue up on appeal — including by petition for a writ of prohibition when a judge must be disqualified.
Matters we handle
- Contested divorce and dissolution of marriage
- Alimony and equitable distribution of property and debts
- Parenting plans, time-sharing and relocation
- Child support, modification and enforcement
- Contempt and enforcement of judgments and attorney’s-fee awards
- International travel and passport disputes involving children
- Recognition of foreign divorces and foreign judgments, and the jurisdiction questions they raise
- Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
How a case moves
From the petition to the final judgment.
- 01
Strategy and filing
What you need to protect — children, home, income, savings — shapes the petition or the response.
- 02
Temporary relief
Early hearings on support, exclusive use of the home and time-sharing, prepared as carefully as a trial.
- 03
Discovery and mediation
Financial disclosure, valuations and a serious attempt at settlement, which most Florida courts require.
- 04
Trial and enforcement
A final hearing when agreement is impossible, and enforcement when the other side will not comply.
Common questions
What clients ask about divorce in Florida.
How long does a divorce take?
An uncontested divorce can be finished in a few months. A contested case with children, property and alimony issues commonly takes a year or more, depending on the county, the court’s calendar and how far apart the parties are.
Will I have to go to court?
Most Florida family courts require mediation before trial, and many cases settle there. Temporary-relief hearings early in the case and a final hearing, if settlement fails, do take place in court.
How is property divided?
Florida divides marital property and debts equitably, which starts from an equal split and adjusts for specific factors. Property owned before the marriage or received by gift or inheritance may be non-marital, and tracing it properly is often where the case is won or lost.
Can my spouse take the children abroad?
That depends on the parenting plan and any court orders. Courts can restrict international travel, require consent or a court order for passports, and impose safeguards when there is a risk a child will not be returned. Raise the issue before travel, not after.
Facing a divorce or custody dispute?
A private consultation, in English or Russian, in Boca Raton or by video.