Mary Catherine Landt, Attorney At Law 

Divorce. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Parenting Issues. Child support. Alimony. Paternity. These are the kinds of issues a family law attorney deals with every day, and they’re also the most common reasons most of us may find ourselves involved with the court system.

“For about the last 30 years I’ve practiced exclusively family law,” says the Gainesville native. “My office has always been here in Marion County,” she continues, adding that the vast majority of her clients are in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, which consists of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter counties.

Most of Landt’s clients are involved in divorce proceedings. That means they have everything at stake—from their finances and homes to their children. When they come to her, she’s in a unique position to offer them some sage advice. “I really do believe I’m helping people get through a bad situation,” she explains. “I don’t encourage people to get divorced, but by the time people end up in my office, the damage has already been done. I explore with them what it’s going to look like if they get divorced so they can make a rational decision.”

According to Landt, family law is much more nuanced than many people realize and there are many common misconceptions, such as: equal time-sharing (custody) is the law; if you have equal time-sharing there is no child support; and there is no more alimony, to name a few. “One of the most important things I do for a client is debunk the legal myths and tell them the truth, as it applies to their case. At the end of the day, that’s what they really need.”

Landt is also invested in the community she serves and generously gives of her time to many great organizations, such as Altrusa International. “I’m a past president,” she explains. “We’re very involved in literacy and are recently doing more with veterans. I feel very strongly about the work Altrusa does. I’m also currently on the board of the PACE Center for Girls and a member of the Ocala Women’s Network. I have always wanted to empower females to succeed. I came from a family who never made me feel that there was anything I couldn’t do. I want that for all people, but especially females,” she continues. “I was the two-term chairman of the foundation board for the College of Central Florida during the time they built the Ewers Center and acquired the Appleton back from FSU.”

Lastly, Landt has led her peers as chairman of the Family Law Committee of the Marion County Bar Association. She is married to Marion County Court Judge Robert Landt. They have two grown sons and are active parishioners of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. “I’ve been so blessed in my personal and professional life that I want to give back to the community and profession that I love.”