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Divorce and paternity, handled with less damage.
Two areas, given equal weight: ending a marriage, and establishing a father’s legal rights. Both decide who your children live with and what you keep, and both go better with early advice.
✓Free, confidential consultation✓Consultations in English or Spanish✓Serving South Florida since 1997
Divorce and paternity get equal billing here.
Unmarried parents are a large group in Miami-Dade, and paternity is the doorway to every other right a father has: timesharing, decision-making, and a say in where his child goes to school. We give it the same attention as a divorce.
Divorce & dissolution
Contested and uncontested dissolution, equitable distribution of the house and the retirement accounts, alimony under Florida’s 2023 framework, parenting plans and timesharing, child support, and enforcement or modification when the other side stops following the order. Mediation first where it will work; litigation when it will not.
Paternity & father’s rights
In Florida, an unmarried father has no automatic right to timesharing or decision-making until paternity is established. Being on the birth certificate is not the same thing. We handle paternity petitions, genetic testing, parenting plans and timesharing schedules, child support determinations, and disestablishment where paternity was wrongly assigned. Mothers seeking support from an absent father file the same action.
Related family matters
Custody & timesharing modification
Substantial, material, unanticipated change in circumstances.
Child & spousal support
Guideline calculations, deviations, imputed income and enforcement.
Domestic violence injunctions
Petitions and defense against injunctions, and the timesharing consequences.
Every family case is different, and the right first move depends on facts we would need to hear. The consultation is free.
How a family case proceeds
Consultation
We map your assets, your timesharing goals and the realistic range of outcomes.
Filing & disclosure
Petition, financial affidavits and mandatory disclosure. This stage sets the tone.
Mediation
Required in most Miami-Dade family cases, and where the majority of cases settle.
Trial or final judgment
If mediation fails, we try it. If it settles, we make sure the order is enforceable.
Questions we get asked
How long does a divorce take in Florida?
An uncontested dissolution with full agreement can conclude in a couple of months. A contested case with disputed assets or timesharing commonly runs six months to well over a year, depending on the court’s calendar and how much is genuinely in dispute.
I’m not married to my child’s mother. Do I have custody rights?
Not automatically. Until paternity is legally established, an unmarried father in Florida has no enforceable right to timesharing or to participate in decisions, even if he is named on the birth certificate and has been supporting the child. A paternity action is the first step.
Does Florida still award permanent alimony?
No. Legislation effective July 2023 eliminated permanent alimony for new cases and restructured the durational categories. What you may pay or receive depends on the length of the marriage, need and ability to pay, and the change means older advice you may have heard is out of date.
Will we have to go to court?
Often not for a full trial. Miami-Dade requires mediation in most family cases, and most cases resolve there. We prepare every case as though it will be tried, which is usually why it isn’t.
Who handles family law cases
Nina Tarafa
Tell us what happened. We’ll tell you where you stand.
A real person reads every message. Consultations are free and confidential, in English or Spanish.
Call
(305) 547-1234
Hours
Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Sat 9am–1pm
Office
6700 SW 38th St, Miami, FL 33155
Languages
English · Español
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