Therese Felth McKenzie, Pensacola Divorce & Family Law Attorney
Therese is a co-owner and managing partner of McKenzie Law Firm. Therese focuses her practice exclusively on the areas of divorce and family law. She handles cases in the trial court level and appeals. Therese is admitted to practice law in all Florida state courts and the Northern District of Florida’s federal district court. She has also has been admitted to practice and argued before Florida’s First District Court of Appeal. She currently focuses her family law practice within Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.
About Therese
Therese was born and raised in Sweden. At the age of 16, she moved with her family to Boca Raton, FL, where she graduated from Boca Raton High School. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Trade from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2005. As a daughter of an attorney, Therese grew up with a desire to practice law. She pursued a law degree and graduated Cum Laude from Florida International University College of Law, Miami, in 2011. She was ranked 10th out of more than 140 students. During law school, she was a member of the Board of Advocacy and competed in several moot court competitions all over the country. She earned awards for her writing and oral argument skills.
After graduating law school in 2011, Therese worked at an insurance defense firm in Miami with a focus on civil and appellate litigation of insurance coverage disputes and commercial litigation.Therese met her husband, Alistair, a Pensacola native, during law school. She moved to Pensacola, FL in 2014, and joined McKenzie Law Firm. After she moved to Pensacola and with the help of her mentor, John Myrick, she started practicing family law. She currently focuses her practice exclusively in the area of family law.
She is the proud mother of two daughters and a son. She has a blended family and knows personally the difficulties of navigating co-parenting with an ex spouse and step-parent dynamics. When she is not in the office practicing law, she enjoys spending time with her family, horses, and riding her Peloton bike. Therese loves southern culture, especially Mardi Gras! She has been a member of the Krewe of the Gatsby Girls since 2018.
Recognition & Awards
In 2020, Therese was recognized as a rising star by InWeekly. She was recently named on InWeekly’s 2023 Power list. She was also recognized as a rising star by Florida Super Lawyers (Thompson Reuters) in 2022 and 2023–an award recognizing the top 5% of attorneys in the State. In 2024, she was received the “Woman of the Year Award” in the community categatory as “The Attorney at Law” by Scarlet Magazine.
Therese was a speaker at the Escambia Santa Rosa Bar Association’s Family Law Symposium in November 2023, where she taught a CLE on the “Intersection between the Affidavit of Support in Immigrations and Alimony” to the local family law bar and judges.
Community Service
A large part of the Firm’s philosphy is giving back to the community. When she is not working, she spends a lot of her time volunteering, with a special interest in the local arts. Therese has a deep love for Pensacola and the people that comprise it. Currently, she serves as the Chairperson of the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival, the Vice President of ACE (Arts, Culture, & Entertainment, Inc.), and as a board member of Pace Center for Girls – Escambia / Santa Rosa. She is also a member of Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area since 2014. She was appointed in 2021 to serve on the Florida Bar’s Grievance Committee for the First District. The grievance committe is in charge of investiation ethical complaints made against members of the Florida Bar. She compteted in the local charity dance competition – Life’s a Dance – in June 2023 and December 2023.
Client Approach
Therese is particularly passionate about her family law practice and clients. She can relate to them having had personal experiences with Florida’s family law system. She approaches each case with efficiency and leaves no stone unturned. Her committment to her clients is evident by the large number of google reviews about her abilities and client approach. She believes in direct and honest communication with her clients. She will give you the good, bad, and ugly about your case. She does not accept every client and is selective about the client she will represent. She firmly believes that the client-attorney relationship must to be a good fit to achieve optimal results for her clients.
Family Law Appeals
In addition to her family law trial practice, Therese also handles appeals. If necesary, she handles her own appeals or appeals for other trial attorneys. She has handled several favorable appeals with published opinions from the First District Court of Appeal, which is now case law with precedential value.
