John W. Foster
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Family Law Attorney in Orlando, FL
- Family Law
John W. Foster is an Orlando, Florida, attorney with more than 38 years experience in litigation, trials and appeals in state and federal courts. His practice now focuses exclusively on the resolution of complex divorce and family law cases, whether resolved through settlement, the litigation process and trial, mediation, the collaborative process or the appellate process. With the Family Complex Litigation & Collaborative Group, John works with matters involving alimony, child support, custody, divorce, paternity, property division, and other marital and family-related issues. He also has significant experience in construction law and commercial litigation. He represents clients in Orlando, Orange County, Osceola County and throughout central Florida.
After earning his bachelor's degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, John obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Over the course of his career, he has worked with cases in all stages of litigation, including negotiation, trials and appeals, and has tried cases in both state and federal courts. He has represented numerous individuals and businesses, including professional sports teams and a theme park.
John's accomplishments have earned him recognition and honors on a number of occasions over the years. He has been featured in the publication "The Best Lawyers in America", named a top lawyer by Orlando Home & Leisure magazine, featured in Orlando Magazine's Best Lawyers section, and Florida Trend magazine named him one of Florida's "legal elite" for family and marital law. He's been named a Super Lawyer for eight consecutive years.
John is actively involved in the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association. He currently serves on the Family Law Section’s Executive Council and Legislation Committee. John co-chairs the Parentage Committee, he is a member of the Children’s Issues Committee and the Domestic Violence Committee, and a former chair of the Equitable Distribution Committee.
Active in the Orlando business and professional community, John has served on the board of directors for a variety of organizations including the Youth Ministry Institute and Turning Point Central Florida. He has also participated on the board of trustees for his local Methodist church.
About John Foster
Admitted: 1981, Florida
Professional Webpage: http://fclcgroup.com/fclc-group-bios/
Honors/Awards:
- America’s Best Lawyers
- Selected into Chambers USA, "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" for 2008, 2009 and 2010.
- Named as a Florida "Legal Elite" for Marital and Family law by Florida Trend
- Best Lawyers in America, by Orlando Magazine
- Top lawyer by the Orlando Home and Leisure Magazine
- National Advocates “Top 100”
- Florida Bar Family Law Section: Rising Star
- Martindale Hubbell-Highest AV Rating
- Florida "Super Lawyer" (2012 to 2019)
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Florida Bar Association
- Active member, Legislation Committee, Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Co-chair, Parentage Committee, Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Former chair, Equitable Distribution Committee, Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Active member, Executive Council, Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Domestic Violence Committee (2017 to present), Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Children’s Issues Committee (2017 to present), Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Equitable Distribution Committee: Past Chair (2011 to 2012, 2012 to 2013), Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association
- George C. Young American Inn of Court, Board of Directors, Current Chair of Membership
- Orange County Family Law Inn of Court
- American Bar Association
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Turning Point Central Florida: Board of Directors
- Youth Ministry Institute: Former Member of the Board of Directors
- United Methodist Church: Former Member of the Board of Trustees
- Mind, Body & Soul Recovery Housing
- Mind, Body and Soul Surfing Club
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Under Florida law, a person who is either a victim of domestic violence or who has reasonable cause to believe that he or she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of any act of domestic violence may file a sworn petition for an injunction for protection against domestic violence. In the spring edition of Family Law Section of The Florida Bar's Commentator, FCLC Group attorneys, John Foster and Alessandra Manes, explain the summary judgment process in domestic violence cases., The Summary Judgment Process In Domestic Violence Cases, 2018
- In 2012, FCLC Group attorney John Foster co-authored an article explaining how the case law concerning quasi-martial children is evolving. On June 28, 2018, the law did indeed evolve further when the Florida Supreme Court issued Simmonds v. Perkins, a decision regarding the parentage rights of a biological father who manifests "a substantial and continuing concern for the welfare of [his quasi-marital] child" who is a child born during a marriage where the biological father is not the mother’s husband. The central focus of these cases continue to be the best interests of the child., Paternity in the Modern Family, 2012
Verdicts/Settlements:
- Major League Baseball v. Morsani, 790 So.2d 1071 (Fla. 2001)
- Rosenberg v. Metrowest Master Ass’n, 116 So.3d 641 (Fla. 5th DCA 2013)
- Mandalay at Stonebridge Commons v. Metrowest Master Ass’n, 71 So.3d 130 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011)
- Baker & Hostetler, LLP v. Swearingen, 998 So.2d 1158 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008)
- Brown v. Brown, 784 So.2d 464 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001)
- Anson v. Anson, 772 So.2d 52 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000)
- Dorite Sheet Metal v. Eagle Roofing, 761 So.2d 1126 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000)
- Morsani v. Major League Baseball, 79 F.Supp.2d 1331 (M.D.Fla. 1999)
- Morsani v. Major League Baseball,739 So.2d 610 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999)
- Lee & Sakahara Assocs., AIA, Inc. v. Boykin Management Co., 678 So.2d 394 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996)
- Morsani v. Major League Baseball, 663 So.2d 653 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995)
- J.D. Pirrotta Co. v. School Bd., 635 So.2d 31 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994)
- Clark v. Dettloff, 591 So.2d 193 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)
- Aero Realty & Management Corp. v. Heger, 587 So.2d 1340 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)
- Tourist Channel, Inc. v. Namey, 568 So.2d 543 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990)
- Life Concepts, Inc. v. Harden, 562 So.2d 726 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990)
- Anderson v. Bank of the South, N.A., 118 F.R.D. 136 (M.D.Fla.1987)
- Matter of Bob Rigby, Inc., 62 B.R. 900 (Bkrtcy. M.D.Fla. 1986
- H.T.E., Inc. v. Tyler Technologies, Inc., 217 F.Supp.2d 1255 (M.D.Fla. 2002)
- NFS Holdings, Inc. v. Tennyson, 96 Fed.Appx. 996 (6th Cir. 2004)
Educational Background:
- Juris Doctor, University of Florida Levin College of Law (With Honors), 1980
- Rollins College, BA (With High Honors), 1976
Additional Sources of Information About John W. Foster
John W. Foster:
Last Updated: 1/13/2020