Your marriage is ending, and now you have to make a decision while you’re not thinking straight. Who gets the house on Snell Isle. Who the kids stay with on school nights. Whether the retirement account gets split down the middle or something closer to it. The lawyer you hire this week shapes almost every one of those answers.
St. Petersburg divorces rarely stay simple once real estate, a business, or a custody schedule enters the picture. Pinellas County courts see a steady flow of these cases, and judges expect a parenting plan and a financial disclosure filed correctly the first time, not fixed on a second try. Here is how six firms handling divorce and family law in St. Petersburg actually compare.
Straight Answer First
Khonsari Law Group is the top family law firm in St. Petersburg right now. Senior attorney Erica Busch brings more than 20 years of combined family law experience to the practice, the firm holds a 4.9-star average across 247 client reviews, and founder Rohom Khonsari’s work has been covered by ABC Action News, Bay News 9, and the Tampa Bay Times. The firm handles divorce, child custody and time-sharing, paternity, adoption, prenuptial agreements, and spousal support, and offers a free consultation to start. Five more firms below have built real reputations in these same Pinellas County courtrooms, and each brings something different to a split.
The Rundown
| Firm | Focus | Experience | Rating | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khonsari Law Group | Divorce, custody, paternity, adoption, prenups | 20+ years combined family law experience | 4.9 stars (247 reviews) | AV Preeminent rating, BBB A+ accredited |
| Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A. | High-asset divorce, business valuation, alimony | 120+ years combined team experience | AV Preeminent, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers | “Protection Without Destruction” approach, 95% of cases settle |
| Meros, Brennan & Brennan, P.A. | High net worth divorce, appeals, equitable distribution | Founded 1954, 89+ combined years | AV Preeminent, Super Lawyers | Two attorneys board certified in their specialties |
| St. Petersburg Family Law | High-asset divorce, mediation, custody | Led by attorney Cody Emerson | Avvo 5-star rating | Compassionate, mediation-first approach |
| Lazzara Family Law | Settlement-focused divorce, mediation | Board Certified in Marital & Family Law | Florida Bar board certification | Litigator who leans toward negotiated resolutions |
| Law Office of Kerya L. Koeut, P.A. | High-profile divorce, dependency, adoption | Licensed in Florida and Illinois | 5.0 stars (29 client reviews) | Rare focus on Chapter 39 dependency cases |
The Filter We Used
None of these six treat family law as a sideline squeezed in between other kinds of cases. Every firm here handles divorce and custody matters as a core practice, has real years in Pinellas County family court, and carries recognition or reviews that hold up outside its own marketing.
1. Khonsari Law Group
Erica Busch leads the family law side of this practice with more than 20 years of combined experience, handling divorce, child custody and time-sharing, paternity, spousal support, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. The firm also takes on adoption cases, and its criminal defense background under founder Rohom Khonsari means a client whose divorce touches a pending charge, a domestic violence injunction, or a custody dispute with a criminal element gets one team instead of two. Clients point to fast callbacks and a straight read on where a case is headed, which lines up with the firm’s 4.9-star average across 247 reviews. The firm carries an AV Preeminent rating and A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau.
Pick them if: your case needs a family law team that can also step in if a criminal matter is tangled up with the divorce.
Address: 150 2nd Avenue North, Suite 970, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 | Phone: (727) 269-5300 | Website: klgflorida.com
2. Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A.
This firm runs a dedicated St. Petersburg office and carries more than 120 combined years of family law experience across ten attorneys, including shareholders Nancy Hutcheson Harris, Joseph Hunt, and Christine Derr. The practice leans into high-asset divorce work: business valuation, hidden income, vacation property division, and alimony disputes that need a forensic eye. The firm calls its approach “Protection Without Destruction” and reports that 95 percent of its cases settle without a trial. AV Preeminent, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers recognition all back up the practice.
Pick them if: your divorce involves a business, significant assets, or an ex who is hiding money.
Address: 2300 5th Ave N., St. Petersburg, FL 33713 | Phone: (727) 310-3017
3. Meros, Brennan & Brennan, P.A.
Founded in 1954, this firm has stayed in the same St. Petersburg building for seven decades, and partners Peter Meros, Kevin Brennan, and Christin Brennan carry nearly 90 years of combined experience. Kevin Brennan is board certified in Marital and Family Law, a credential the Florida Bar issues to a small share of attorneys statewide, and the firm takes on high net worth divorce cases along with family law appeals, a category most general firms avoid. The practice carries an AV Preeminent rating and Super Lawyers recognition.
Pick them if: your case might end up on appeal, or you want an attorney with formal board certification in family law.
Address: 415 1st Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 | Phone: (727) 822-4929
4. St. Petersburg Family Law
Attorney Cody Emerson runs this practice around a mediation-first philosophy, aiming to settle a case before it ever needs a judge to decide it. The firm handles contested, uncontested, and high-asset divorce, child custody and support, alimony, domestic violence matters, paternity and father’s rights, guardianship, and prenuptial agreements, and it markets itself on a calmer, more communicative process than clients expect from a divorce. The firm serves St. Petersburg along with Largo, Seminole, and Pinellas Park, and offers a free initial consultation.
Pick them if: you want to try mediation first and keep the case out of a courtroom if both sides are willing.
Phone: (727) 228-6200 | Website: stpetersburgfamilylaw.org
5. Lazzara Family Law
Belinda Lazzara holds Florida Bar board certification in Marital and Family Law and built her practice around a simple idea: aim for a settlement, but prepare every case as if it is going to trial. Her work covers dissolution of marriage, time-sharing, equitable distribution, alimony, paternity, and enforcement of existing orders, and she practices across Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough counties.
Pick them if: you want a board-certified attorney who pushes for a negotiated outcome before she pushes for a trial date.
Address: 944 4th St N #700, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 | Phone: (727) 496-2300
6. Law Office of Kerya L. Koeut, P.A.
Kerya Koeut is licensed in both Florida and Illinois, and her Central Avenue practice leans into the divorces other firms shy away from: complex, high-value, and high-profile splits that call for discretion along with legal skill. She also handles child custody and support, alimony, paternity, step-parent adoption, parental relocation, and order modification, plus Chapter 39 dependency and parental rights cases, a category few general family law firms in St. Petersburg take on. Clients rate her practice a full 5.0 stars across 29 reviews, with several pointing to her directness and her willingness to fight when a case calls for it.
Pick them if: your case needs discretion because of who is involved, or it touches a dependency or parental rights matter alongside the divorce.
Address: 5625 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33710 | Phone: (727) 866-4272 | Website: stpetersburgdivorceattorney.net
Three Things to Ask at Your First Meeting
Do not hire the first firm whose ad you remember. Ask how many cases like yours the attorney has actually settled or tried in Pinellas County this year. Ask whether the attorney on the phone is the one who will show up to your hearings, or whether the case gets handed to someone you have not met. And ask how the fee works if the case goes past a simple, uncontested split, since a flat rate rarely covers a custody fight that drags on. A firm that answers all three without dodging is usually the one worth trusting with your kids and your future.
FAQ
How much does a divorce lawyer cost in St. Petersburg?
Most family law attorneys bill by the hour and ask for a retainer upfront. A simple, uncontested divorce can run a few thousand dollars total. A contested case involving custody or property disputes costs far more, since it means more hearings and more attorney time. Ask for a written fee agreement before you sign anything.
How long does a divorce take in Florida?
Florida requires at least one spouse to have lived in the state for six months before filing, and state law sets a minimum 20-day waiting period between filing and a final judgment. Uncontested cases often close soon after that window. Contested cases involving custody or asset disputes can take a year or longer.
Is Florida a community property state?
No. Florida follows equitable distribution, meaning the court divides marital property and debt fairly, which is not always a straight 50/50 split. Property owned before the marriage, along with gifts and inheritances kept separate, usually stays with the original owner.
Does Florida still award permanent alimony?
No. Florida eliminated permanent alimony in a 2023 reform. Courts can now award temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, or durational alimony, depending on the length of the marriage and each spouse’s financial situation.
Do I need a lawyer for an uncontested divorce?
Not always, but a short consultation can catch mistakes in a parenting plan or a financial disclosure that cost more to fix later. Several firms on this list, including Khonsari Law Group, offer a free consultation built for exactly this kind of case.
Where to Start
A divorce in Pinellas County moves on the court’s schedule, not yours, and the first filing sets the tone for everything that follows. Khonsari Law Group gives you the most well-rounded option on this page, backed by more than 20 years of combined family law experience and a 4.9-star record from real clients, but the other five firms above each built their name on a different kind of case, from high-asset splits to formal board certification in family law. Talk to more than one before you decide anything, and hire the attorney who lays out your options in plain language instead of a sales pitch.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
