John Fraser Himes

I encourage clients going through a divorce to do so with dignity and in a manner which is as sensitive as possible to the continuing need to co-parent the rest of their lives if children are also encourage the use of collaborative law procedures to settle cases rather than traditional litigatiion which is far more expensive and adversarial. The parties agree to settle rather than go to court, and their lawyers are obligated to partner that process for the benefit of their clients.

raser Himes has been a continuously Florida Bar Board Certified expert in Family Law for over 30 years and was just recertified by The Florida Bar through 2023. He is a very experienced marital and family law trial lawyer who represents high net-worth individuals and has litigated extensively in many areas of Florida, including the Tampa Bay Area, Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Jacksonville. His clients include entrepreneurs, business owners, professional athletes and sports team owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants, professionals from other fields, and their spouses. He maintains the highest degree of privacy to meet our clients’ expectations and needs.

His cases usually involve complex issues and large marital estates with tax, property distribution, valuation, marital misconduct, spousal support, alimony and child support, as well as contested custody and visitation issues. He has prepared many complex premarital and postnuptial agreements involving significant wealth, and he has also litigated enforceability of marital and premarital agreements.

Mr. Himes’ approach to divorce is sensitive and responsive. Trained in both mediation and the collaborative divorce process, he encourages the use of alternative dispute resolutions methods when possible to reduce costs and emotional fallout in resolving his divorce cases. He is an outspoken proponent of Collaborative Family Law, founded the first Collaborative Law Section of a local Bar in Florida, and is the past co-chair of the Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Professionals which he represented at the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Leadership Academy in 2013-2014, and is a graduate of that inaugural leadership class.

Mr. Himes chaired the Family Law Rules Committee of The Florida Bar (2006-2007), served on the Executive Council of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar, and is a member of the Family Law Sections of The Florida Bar, American Bar Association and the Hillsborough County Bar Association, which he served as President. He has served as a Master in the Family Law Inns of Court, and he served on the Board of Certification for The Florida Bar for the specialization area of Marital and Family Law. He has written numerous articles and lectured on family law topics for The Florida Bar, the Hillsborough County Bar, and other professional education groups.

Mr. Himes received his B.A. from Vanderbilt University, his J.D. from the University of Florida Law School, and attended international law classes at the University of Exeter, Devon, England. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts. A lifelong resident of Tampa, both Mr. Himes’ father and grandfather practiced law in Tampa, and all three generations served as presidents of the Hillsborough County Bar. Mr. Himes has also been recognized as a Community Hero by one of the charities he serves and also has been recognized for his extensive pro bono contributions. He currently serves on the Board of the Tampa Bay History Center and the Board of the Opera Tampa League.

Mr. Himes holds the highest peer review rating “AV” from Martindale Hubbell and has been continuously selected to be included in The Best Lawyers of America (Family Law) since 2007, and Super Lawyers Magazine-Family Law since 2007, and in Who’s Who In American Law-Marquis (Family Law).