Paul Michael McDermott

Paul M. McDermott, Esq., practices exclusively in the area of Marital and Family Law. He has experience in litigation, mediation, and collaboration. After practicing law in Virginia for many years as a trial lawyer, he relocated to Florida and founded McDermott Law Offices, PLLC and now practices exclusively in the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which includes Manatee County and Sarasota County.

Mr. McDermott is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator. He is also trained in Collaborative Divorce Law, an emerging field within the Alternative Dispute Resolution realm focused on resolving cases with a "team" approach where the parties and their attorneys employ professionals as needed from varying disciplines (e.g., CPA, Financial Planner, Mental Health, etc...) who collaborate with a Facilitator (often times a mediator) and attempt to resolve a family law case in a more transparent, respectful and cost-effective manner, unlike the traditional litigation model. To read more about this approach, visit: https://nextgenerationdivorce.com/

Mr. McDermott is dedicated to advocating your cause to the fullest extent of the law. Attorney Paul McDermott has personally represented more than 1,500 clients and is ready to put his experience to work for you. To discuss the best strategy for your case, call today for a consultation at (941) 225-2550.

Divorce

Collaborative Law, Contested Divorce, Military Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce

Family Law

Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law

• Credit Cards Accepted
  MasterCard, Visa, Discover, Debit Cards
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  $150.00 consultation fee (consult fee is applied toward retainer amount if you retain our firm);

Florida

Since 2015

Virginia

Since 2001

Partner

McDermott Law Offices, PLLC (FL)

2016 - Current

Florida Marital and Family Law (Lakewood Ranch, FL)

Managing Partner

Beaulieu Law Group, P.A. (FL)

2015 - 2016

Palm Beach County, FL

Partner

Paul M. McDermott, P.C. (VA)

2005 - 2016

Associate Attorney

Gross & Robinson, PC (VA)

2002 - 2004

Marital and Family Law, Criminal Law (Prince William County, VA)

Regent University School of Law

J.D. | Law

1998 - 2001

University of Wisconsin - Madison

B.A. | History and Sociology- Double Major

1994 - 1998

Sarasota County Bar Association Family Law Section

Member

2017 - Current

Activities: Member

12th Circuit Family Court Professionals Collaborative

Board Member

2017 - Current

Activities: Board Member

Manatee County Bar Association

Member

2016 - Current

Activities: Member

Next Generation Divorce

Member

2016 - Current

Activities: https://nextgenerationdivorce.com/

Florida State Bar Family Law Section

Member

2015 - Current

Activities: Member

Overview of Florida Divorce Law, Chamber of Commerce, Delray Beach, FL

March 10, 2016

Chamber Of Commerce

Presentation on overview of Florida Marital and Family Law;

Guardian ad litem

Supreme Court of Virginia

Family Law Mediator

Supreme Court of Florida

Q. Can a motion be amended after its hearing from the plaintiff has been heard and respond.. hasn't answered yet. DRcase

February 20, 2023

A: Sounds like the "hearing" did not address the merits of the original motion and the motion hearing was was rescheduled to allow time for a responsive pleading. In that case, I don't see an issue with an amended motion assuming you have sufficient time to respond and prepare for the hearing on the merits of the amended motion. If you don't have time to prepare, then you could request a continuance to allow for more time to respond to the amended motion prior to the hearing. The legal principles of procedural due process including sufficiency of notice would apply here.

Q. My wife filled divorce we got 3 kids

December 9, 2022

A: You have 20 days to file your Answer to the Petition once you are actually "served" by the process server. It is usually recommended that you also file a Counter-Petition to include your requests for timesharing with the children, alimony, child support, etc... to preserve your rights.

Q. On a quit claim deed in a divorce , what is "legal description of property" ? What are they asking for ?

April 7, 2020

A: The legal description of the property is the technical description (not just the street address) of the parcel. It is usually contained on the previous/current deed, but you should verify it with the Property Appraiser's website or Clerk of Court depending in the county where the property is located. If you have the incorrect property address then you will have title issues later.