A friend of mine, leading Tampa Bay collaborative attorney, and fellow member of Next Generation Divorce George Melendez recently wrote a blog post after he and I had a discussion on how collaborative family law practice can help members of various faith communities. George has made it his mission to communicate with clergy that divorce and custody issues effect not only the parties and their children, but also the community at large.
Though dealing with divorce in any process will be difficult, it is George’s (and my) sincere belief that the collaborative family law process is the best way to handle not only the legal, but also the emotional, financial, and even spiritual consequences of divorce. This is because, as opposed to the traditional, adversarial courtroom divorce process, the collaborative process encourages cooperation and respectful communication among participants, and it requires clients to focus on what is most important to them, such as their children and their values.
Below is an excerpt of George Melendez’s blog post on Religious and Cultural Sensitivities; A Collaborative Ideal:
One of the thoughts that I had after my conversation with Mr. Cordover was that the road to equality and the road to a liberation from suffering is not always accomplished by taking the most apparent route. I find that people suffer and undergo great agony and pain because they don’t have the opportunity to create the options that they need. Nor do these people have the ability to seek such options. By understanding that there is more than one way through a problem, a person has taken the first step towards equality and liberation from suffering. Collaborative Divorce is not the simple way nor is it the easiest way to resolution, liberation and equality but it is a way that leads to those things. One way to fix ones situation is to simply try harder. By this I mean to try to repair the marriage. I pray for these people. This sometimes is a very hard task , an admiral path and one that I advise first and foremost. I however recognize that this is not always what people want nor is it something that is always possible. It truly takes two to make a marriage work but it only takes one to break a marriage. I can not criticize or judge those who simply can’t fix their marriage. Importantly I recognize that I also can’t ignore that by not promoting the Collaborative process and by not educating people and leaders that this process is an option, I am assisting to perpetuate a system where those who can’t make it work, those who have tried everything, those who need help and who are suffering will be destined to be left with a system that is at times inappropriate to assist the sensitivities of the families. I believe that it is my duty to promote this process for these people.
If you have questions regarding how a Tampa Bay Collaborative Divorce Process can help your family and preserve your values, schedule a consultation with The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., at (813) 443-0615 or fill out our contact form.
About Adam B. Cordover, Attorney-at-Law
Family Diplomacy is dedicated to helping clients restructure their families privately and respectfully. We practice exclusively in out-of-court dispute resolution, with a focus on collaborative divorce and family law, mediation, direct negotiations, and unbundled legal services.
We maintain this out-of-court practice because we strongly believe that family disputes should be resolved in a private conference room, not in a hostile and public courtroom environment. This unique perspective on family law stems back to Adam B. Cordover’s experience studying International Affairs in Washington, D.C., and abroad. Adam had the rare opportunity to work closely with ambassadors and diplomats from war-torn regions around the world. He traveled around the globe, learning from diplomatic leaders as they applied dispute resolution techniques to tackle seemingly impossible conflicts. It dawned on him: If these techniques can work in the complex world of International Relations, why not Domestic Relations and Family Law?
This realization lead Adam to create an exclusively out-of-court practice and to bring a more peacemaking approach to family law. In his previous role as a litigation attorney, Adam witnessed parties experience the negative emotional and financial effects that long, drawn out divorce battles can have on families. As a result, Adam has become a strong proponent of the Collaborative Process, where a structure is put in place so that life’s hardest moments do not have to be any more difficult than necessary.
A thought leader in the international collaborative law community, Adam successfully spearheaded an effort of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit to draft an administrative order safeguarding the principles of collaborative family law (just the fourth such administrative order in Florida). Adam has been featured in or interviewed about collaborative practice by the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Business Journal, Florida Bar News, NBC, Fox 13, Bay News 9, ABC Action News, The World of Collaborative Practice Magazine, and Spirit FM 90.5. Adam regularly speaks at professional and civic organizations locally and internationally regarding the collaborative process.
Adam B. Cordover is president of Next Generation Divorce, a 501(c)(3) and Florida’s largest interdisciplinary collaborative practice group with member attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial professionals throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, and Manatee Counties. Adam is also on the Executive Board and co-chair of the Research Committee of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Florida. Further, Adam is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Leadership Academy of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
You can learn more about us and our services at www.FamilyDiplomacy.com.
Attorney Adam B. Cordover is admitted to the Florida Bar and the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida. His office is located at 412 East Madison Street, Suite 824, Tampa, Florida 33602.
ABC Family Law Blog 