Worried about time with your kids in Fort Lauderdale? Florida calls it time-sharing now.
Few things are more frightening than uncertainty about time with your children. In Florida, the law no longer talks about "custody" — it talks about parental responsibility and time-sharing, and it starts from the premise that kids benefit from both parents. These Broward firms help you build a parenting plan that holds up.
These Fort Lauderdale family-law firms focus on child custody — what Florida calls time-sharing and parental responsibility — along with support, relocation, and modification. Florida courts decide these cases on a long list of best-interest factors in Statute 61.13, and they require a written parenting plan. A good Broward attorney knows the 17th Judicial Circuit family judges and how they weigh those factors in practice, not just on paper.
How we picked these firms: We reviewed peer rankings and directories (Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Avvo, Justia, Expertise.com, FindLaw), client-review patterns, board certifications, and bar recognition. Only firms confirmed across at least two independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. A note on the count: we publish only firms that cleared our two-source verification bar, so this guide lists 7 firms rather than a padded ten. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Time-sharing, support, divorce, domestic violence
Founder Laura Arcaro is a litigator who has helped hundreds of Broward families resolve custody, support, and property disputes. A strong choice when a case may need real courtroom muscle.
Practice focus: Child custody, divorce, support
More than 24 years of Florida family-law practice with a focused, personal-attention model. Good fit for a parent who wants their lawyer, not an associate, on the file.
Practice focus: Time-sharing, paternity, relocation
More than 20 years guiding parents across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach through custody and time-sharing, including paternity and relocation disputes.
Practice focus: Child custody, support, divorce
Represents both mothers and fathers in Broward custody matters and is experienced with contested time-sharing disputes. Even-handed reputation across the county.
Practice focus: Child custody, divorce
More than 35 years in practice and a member of the Florida Bar Family Law Section. A seasoned option for parents who value long experience over a large team.
Practice focus: Child custody, support, divorce
More than 18 years of family-law experience and Haitian-Creole speaking, which serves Broward's large Creole-speaking community directly and without a translator in the room.
Practice focus: Custody, complex / high-asset divorce, prenups
A U.S. News "Best Law Firms" Tier 1 family-law practice for the Fort Lauderdale region, handling complex and high-net-worth custody and divorce. Built for cases with significant assets or complicated facts.
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Most Fort Lauderdale family lawyers bill $250 to $450 an hour, with an up-front retainer of roughly $2,500 to $7,500. An uncontested, agreed parenting plan can sometimes be handled flat-fee in the $1,500 to $3,500 range. A genuinely contested custody fight, with experts and a trial, commonly runs $7,500 to $25,000 or more. Most firms offer a free or low-cost first meeting.
An uncontested time-sharing agreement can be finalized in roughly 30 to 90 days once both parents sign and the mandatory parenting course is done. A contested custody case — with discovery, possibly a social investigation or guardian ad litem, and a trial — typically takes six to eighteen months in Broward's family division.
Florida says "time-sharing," not "custody." Since 2008, Florida law has used parental responsibility and time-sharing instead of custody and visitation. The starting assumption is that both parents stay involved. Framing your case in those terms matters to the judge.
A parenting plan is required. Every Florida case involving children needs a written parenting plan covering the time-sharing schedule, decision-making, and how the parents will communicate. Courts will not finalize without one.
Best interests are defined by statute. Florida Statute 61.13 lists roughly 20 best-interest factors a judge must weigh — from each parent's ability to co-parent to the child's school and home stability. Good lawyers build the case around those exact factors.
Relocation has its own rules. Moving more than 50 miles with a child generally requires the other parent's agreement or a court order under Statute 61.13001. Do not move first and ask later — it can backfire badly.
Most firms on this list offer a free first consultation. Use it — and talk to at least two before you commit. The right fit depends on your facts, your budget, and how the attorney communicates. A few questions cut through the marketing fast.
Most Fort Lauderdale firms are competent and ethical. A few are not. The patterns worth walking away from:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can promise a specific result. If a firm guarantees a recovery, a dismissal, or an approval, leave.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior attorney at intake, then never speak to them again. Ask in writing who your day-to-day lawyer will be.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the agreement in writing and time to read it. High-pressure intake is a sign of a volume mill.
Vague fee terms. "Don't worry about cost" is a red flag. Every legitimate firm gives you a written engagement letter spelling out the fee and what triggers extra charges.
No. Florida law is gender-neutral and starts from the premise that children benefit from frequent contact with both parents. Time-sharing is decided on the best-interest factors in Statute 61.13, not the parent's gender.
Most bill $250 to $450 an hour with a retainer of $2,500 to $7,500. An agreed parenting plan may be flat-fee around $1,500 to $3,500; a contested trial can run well past $25,000.
A written document, required in every Florida case with children, that sets the time-sharing schedule, how major decisions get made, and how the parents communicate. The court must approve it.
Not directly. A judge may consider a mature child's reasonable preference as one factor, but the child does not get to decide. The judge weighs all best-interest factors.
Not without the other parent's written agreement or a court order if the move is more than 50 miles. Florida's relocation statute (61.13001) is strict, and moving without permission can cost you time-sharing.
Florida uses statutory guidelines based on both parents' incomes, the number of overnights each parent has, and costs like health insurance and daycare. The time-sharing schedule directly affects the support number.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews, call two or three firms, and ask each one how many cases like yours they have handled in the last three years. The answer tells you most of what you need to know. — The LawFirmSquare team