Family Law Appeals

The firm’s appellate department handles appeals from final judgments of dissolution of marriage, temporary support and timesharing awards, orders granting or denying modification of final judgments, contempt and enforcement orders, and other miscellaneous orders entered in family law cases. Our lawyers are also available to file petitions for extraordinary writs which are often used to seek review of orders denying motions to disqualify the trial judge or orders relating to discovery.

Importantly, we approach family law appeals from the perspective of an appellate lawyer. Appeals are very different from trials, and the procedures and strategies employed by your trial lawyer are most often no longer applicable. We begin by performing a searching analysis of the trial court record for factual and legal errors, bringing to bear our years of experience in dissecting trial court records for that purpose. We then endeavor to identify and select issues in your case that an appellate court would likely deem to be significant. This increases the chances that the appellate court will “listen” to your pleas. In defending appeals, we bring an arsenal of arguments based upon sometimes seemingly arcane appellate standards that have been designed by appellate judges over the years to affirm judgments.
We keep you informed in the process and help explain the somewhat intimidating procedures of the appellate court while keeping a close eye on your objectives.

Recently reported family law appeals:
Roth v. Roth, 973 So.2d 580 (Fla. 2d DCA 2008) (reversing equitable distribution and support awards).
Orloff v. Orloff, 67 So.3d 271 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011) (reversing equitable distribution award)
Orloff v. Orloff, 57 So.3d 997 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011) (reversing order finding husband in contempt)
Perez v. Perez, 100 So.3d 769 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012) (reversing award of attorneys’ fees against husband)

In addition to handling appeals, the firm’s lawyers assists trial lawyers during the trial phase of the litigation, providing essential support to lay the foundation for a later appeal.