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Top-Ranked Family Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.211 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked family lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida are Katherine Ondra Birnbaum (LexRank 84.00), Curtis Ray Cowan (84.00) and Mitchell Kevin Karpf (84.00).

This ranking lists 11 family lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. All 11 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by The Florida Bar, a credential held by 4.9% of Florida lawyers in any field. Their experience ranges from 11 to 46 years in practice. 1 of the 11 lists Spanish on their Florida Bar profile.

Lawyers ranked
11
Fully verified
11 of 11

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

  1. No change

    Katherine Ondra Birnbaum

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 32 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  2. No change

    Curtis Ray Cowan

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 40 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  3. No change

    Mitchell Kevin Karpf

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 41 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  4. No change

    Andrew Lynn Salvage

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 38 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  5. No change

    Jonathan Zachary Schiller

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 27 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  6. No change

    Robert W Sidweber

    Sidweber & Weintraub, P.A. · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 46 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  7. No change

    Karen Beth Weintraub

    Sidweber & Weintraub, P.A. · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 31 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  8. No change

    Michael Adam Hymowitz

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 31 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 80.25: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20). 3.75 points behind #7, mostly professional credentials.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 26.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    3.75 points behind #7 (Karen Beth Weintraub): Professional credentials −3.8.

  9. No change

    Jamie Morris Epstein

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 17 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 74.40: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (20.4/30). 5.85 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 26.9)

    5.85 points behind #8 (Michael Adam Hymowitz): Experience −9.6.

  10. No change

    Brian M Karpf

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 19 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 73.05: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20). 1.35 points behind #9, mostly professional credentials.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    1.35 points behind #9 (Jamie Morris Epstein): Professional credentials −3.8.

  11. No change

    Jadelyne Susann Long

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 11 years experience
    • Family
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #11?

    Ranks #11 with 67.20: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (13.2/30). 5.85 points behind #10, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.3)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 13.2/30 (ranking avg 26.9)

    5.85 points behind #10 (Brian M Karpf): Experience −9.6.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 11 profile pages131 facts for 11 lawyers

Family market in Fort Lauderdale

LexRanked tracks 11 lawyers and 1 law firm in family law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 11 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 19, 2026.

Lawyers
11
Law firms
1
Verified professional data
11 of 11
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
31 years11 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Fort Lauderdale

What sets these Fort Lauderdale lawyers apart

All 11 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by The Florida Bar, which only about one in twenty Florida lawyers achieves in any field. Florida Bar board certification requires at least five years of practice, substantial involvement in the field, peer review by other lawyers and judges, continuing legal education and a written exam, and it must be renewed every five years. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 11 ranked lawyers Figure
Board Certified in Marital and Family Law 11 of 11
Years in practice 11 to 46 (median 31)
Languages besides English Spanish (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Nova Southeastern University - Shepard Broad College of Law (3 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Fort Lauderdale office address and family as a practice area on record. It compares 11 family lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. How we rank.

Florida rules to know

Florida divorce is no-fault, requires six months of residency, and presumes equal time-sharing of children unless shown otherwise.

Rule What it means
Residency to file for divorce One spouse must have lived in Florida 6 months before filing (Fla. Stat. § 61.021)
Waiting period At least 20 days from filing before a final judgment (§ 61.19)
Time-sharing Rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is in the child's best interests (§ 61.13)
Grounds No-fault: the marriage is irretrievably broken (§ 61.052)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Broward County is in Florida's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.
  4. If you prefer to work in another language, check the languages listed on each profile.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

How long do you have to live in Florida to get divorced?

At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for 6 months before filing the petition.

Does Florida favor equal time-sharing?

Yes. Florida law presumes equal time-sharing is in the child's best interests, but a parent can rebut that by showing it is not.

What does Board Certified in Marital and Family Law mean?

It is a credential from The Florida Bar for lawyers with substantial experience in the field who have passed peer review and a written exam. 11 of the 11 lawyers in this ranking hold it; 4.9% of Florida lawyers hold a board certification in any field.

Which court handles cases in Fort Lauderdale?

State court cases in Broward County are heard in Florida's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.

Are there Spanish-speaking family lawyers in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. 1 of the 11 ranked lawyers lists Spanish on their Florida Bar profile. Each LexRanked profile shows the languages on record.

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

11 of the 11 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Katherine Ondra Birnbaum, Curtis Ray Cowan, Mitchell Kevin Karpf, Andrew Lynn Salvage and Jonathan Zachary Schiller and others.

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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