Your first consultation with a divorce lawyer is not a formality. It’s a job interview, and you’re the one doing the hiring. The attorney sitting across from you will hear details about your finances, your children, and your marriage. You need to know whether they deserve that level of trust before you sign anything.

Florida processes roughly 81,000 divorces per year, more than any other state in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Many of those cases move through Jacksonville’s Fourth Judicial Circuit. 

If you’re preparing for that first meeting, the right questions to ask a divorce lawyer will tell you more about their ability to handle your case than anything on their website.

Here are the specific questions to a ask a lawyer when getting a divorce in Jacksonville, organized around what you’re actually trying to protect:

• How to tell whether a lawyer’s experience matches your case
• What to ask about fees so you’re never blindsided
• The parenting plan questions Florida law makes non-negotiable
• How to protect your share of property and finances
• What your divorce timeline looks like in Duval County

How Experienced Is This Attorney With Cases Like Yours?

Some divorce attorneys handle mostly uncontested cases. Others spend their time in trial. Before you talk about your marriage, find out whether this lawyer has handled situations like yours. It’s the most important of all questions to ask a divorce lawyer, because everything else depends on it.

Ask how long they’ve practiced family law, not general litigation. Ask how many cases they’ve handled in Duval County and whether they appear regularly before family law judges in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. 

A divorce lawyer who knows your local courthouse handles things differently than one learning the procedures as your case moves forward.

What to Listen For in Their Answers

You want specifics: years focused on family law, types of cases (contested, uncontested, high-asset, military), and approximate caseload. If the answer sounds vague or rehearsed, that tells you something, too.

Watch whether the attorney asks about your situation before answering. A lawyer who listens first and responds to your facts is showing you how they’ll work your case.

How Much Will Your Divorce Actually Cost?

One of the first questions to ask a lawyer when getting a divorce is how you’ll be charged. In Duval County, the filing fee alone is $409. That’s just the cost to open your case and doesn’t cover attorney fees, mediation, or process server charges.

Ask whether the firm charges a flat fee for uncontested cases or bills hourly against a retainer. If hourly, ask the rate, the billing increment, and whether paralegal work gets billed at a lower rate. Ask for a realistic cost range and whether they cap fees so nothing exceeds an agreed amount without your approval.

Hidden Costs Most People Forget to Ask About

Mediation is required in most Florida divorce cases before a judge will set a trial date. That’s a separate bill. If your case involves a business valuation, retirement account division, or contested parenting, you may also need forensic accountants, appraisers, or a guardian ad litem.

Ask your attorney to map out the likely costs beyond their own fees. Your uncontested case and your neighbor’s custody battle carry very different price tags.

What Happens With Your Children and Parenting Plan?

If you have kids, this part of the consultation matters more than anything else. Florida doesn’t use the word “custody” in its statutes. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.13, every divorce involving minor children must include a parenting plan that spells out time-sharing schedules, parental responsibility for major decisions, and how parents will communicate.

As of July 1, 2023, Florida law starts with the assumption that equal (50/50) time-sharing is in your child’s best interest. That means the court defaults to a 50/50 split unless one parent can show evidence that equal time wouldn’t work for the child. Ask your attorney how this starting point applies to your situation and what it would take to adjust it.

Time-Sharing and Decision-Making Questions

Time-sharing determines where your children sleep on any given night, who has them on holidays, and how school breaks are divided. Decision-making authority covers who makes calls on education, medical care, and religious upbringing.

Ask how the attorney structures time-sharing proposals and what formats have worked for families in situations similar to yours. These kinds of questions to ask a lawyer when getting a divorce about your children reveal whether the attorney treats parenting as the center of your case or just another checkbox.

How Will Your Property and Finances Be Divided?

Florida is an equitable distribution state. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.075, the court divides marital assets and debts fairly, not necessarily equally. The questions to ask a divorce lawyer about property should focus on how that division actually works in your case.

Ask how the attorney identifies and values marital assets like retirement accounts, business interests, and real estate. If your spouse controls the finances or you suspect hidden accounts, ask how they’d approach discovery. Your attorney’s answer tells you whether they dig in or accept what’s handed to them.

Why the Financial Affidavit Matters

Florida’s mandatory disclosure rule under Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.285 requires both spouses to exchange detailed financial information early in the case. Each of you files a Financial Affidavit listing all income, expenses, assets, and debts. Incomplete disclosure can stall your case or trigger court sanctions.

Ask what your attorney does when the other side turns in a half-finished affidavit. That single question tells you whether they fight to protect your financial position or let things slide.

Will You Pay or Receive Alimony Under Florida’s New Law?

Florida completely rewrote its alimony rules when Governor DeSantis signed SB 1416, effective July 1, 2023. The biggest change: if you’re filing now, permanent alimony is off the table. Under the current Fla. Stat. § 61.08, a judge can only award one of four types. 

• Temporary alimony covers your expenses while the divorce is still in progress.
• Bridge-the-gap alimony helps you handle immediate costs as you transition to living on your own, for up to two years. 
• Rehabilitative alimony gives you up to five years to finish a degree or get the job training you need to support yourself.
• Durational alimony provides monthly payments for a set period of time based on how long your marriage lasted. 

If you were married less than 10 years, the court can award alimony for up to half that time. So an 8-year marriage means a maximum of 4 years of payments. For marriages between 10 and 20 years, the cap is 60%, and over 20 years, it’s 75%. If your marriage lasted less than 3 years, durational alimony isn’t available at all.

There’s also a cap on the monthly amount. Your payments can’t be more than what you actually need to live on, or 35% of the difference between your income and your spouse’s income, whichever number is lower. 

Ask your attorney which type of alimony applies to your situation and what a realistic range looks like. Among the questions to ask a lawyer when getting a divorce, alimony deserves direct attention because the rules changed so recently that not every attorney has fully adjusted their approach.

How Long Will Your Divorce Take in Jacksonville?

Florida is a no-fault state. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.052, the only ground you need is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. You don’t have to prove infidelity, abandonment, or anything else.

Florida requires a minimum 20-day waiting period after filing before your divorce can be finalized. In the Fourth Judicial Circuit, an uncontested case can wrap up in four to eight weeks. Contested cases with custody disputes or alimony disagreements typically run six to twelve months.

Settlement, Mediation, or Trial

Most divorces in Florida settle. Mediation is standard in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and typically required before a judge will schedule your final hearing. Ask whether the attorney leads with settlement and turns to litigation only when necessary.

A good answer covers both: how they resolve cases efficiently and what happens if your spouse won’t cooperate. 

How Will Your Attorney Communicate With You?

Ask who handles your case day to day. In some firms, a senior attorney sets strategy while associates and paralegals manage filings. That’s fine, but you need to know who picks up when you call.

Ask whether communication time is billed. Some attorneys charge for every six-minute phone call. Others include reasonable communication in your retainer. Get these answers before you sign.

Ask a Divorce Lawyer in Jacksonville the Questions That Protect Your Future

You’ve already done the hard part by deciding to have this conversation. The questions to ask a divorce lawyer in this guide give you a framework for that first meeting, so you walk out with real answers instead of a sales pitch.

At Boyer Law Firm, we work with individuals and families across Jacksonville who need clear answers and honest guidance through their divorce. When you’re ready to sit down and talk through what your divorce might look like and what to expect, we’re ready to listen and answer your questions.

Contact our Jacksonville office today to schedule a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Divorce Consultations in Jacksonville

What should I bring to my first meeting with a divorce lawyer?

Bring tax returns, bank statements, mortgage documents, pay stubs, and any prenuptial agreement you have. The more financial detail you bring, the more useful the consultation will be.

How much does it cost to file for divorce in Jacksonville?

The Duval County filing fee is $409, plus $10 per summons for service of process. That covers court costs only, not attorney fees, mediation, or other professional expenses.

Can I ask a divorce lawyer about my chances of getting custody?

Yes. In Florida, courts focus on the best interests of the child when approving parenting plans and time-sharing schedules. Ask the attorney how your specific facts might shape the outcome.

What questions should I ask a divorce lawyer about alimony?

Ask about the type and duration of alimony that could apply to your case under Florida’s current statute. Permanent alimony was eliminated in 2023, so the answer depends on your marriage length and the income difference between you and your spouse.

How do I know if a divorce lawyer is right for my case?

Watch how they listen. An attorney who asks detailed questions about your situation before giving advice is showing you their approach. Look for specific experience with cases like yours and real familiarity with Duval County courts.