Collaborative Divorce and Family Law in Florida
No matter how you look at it, divorce and family law issues in general are difficult matters to go through. Expectations of stability are shattered, mistrust grows, and bills pile up. And then the litigation begins. Attorneys file and serve petitions, counterpetitions, requests to produce, and motions to compel. Each party hires dueling mental health experts to convince a judge that he or she should have more time with the children. Privacy is eliminated as each party’s life is probed and publicly questioned so that one side may gain a tactical advantage.
But there is a different way.
We help people resolve personal disputes without destroying their families. We practice collaborative family law.
A Private Alternative to Courtroom Battles
The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., encourages the use of the “collaborative family law model” in divorce, child custody, child support,alimony, post-judgment, prenuptial, and most other family law cases. All meetings, communications, and proposed settlement options that take place within the collaborative context are privileged and confidential. Discussions take place not in open court but in the office of one of the attorneys or other team members. This assurance of privacy allows the clients and team members to fulfill their agreement to be open, honest, and transparent towards one another. Unlike traditional litigation, any settlement that is reached does not need to be filed with the clerk of the court, so agreements developed through the collaborative model will not become public record.
A Healthier Family Law Option
A Team Approach to Family Law
Collaborative law is a team-oriented alternative to the traditional litigation model. Each client retains a separate attorney whose job is to counsel the client and help resolve disputes. Open communication is advanced by a trained facilitator while support and property options are developed by a neutral financial professional. The clients, attorneys, and other team members agree beforehand that the matter will not be brought into the court system until a full settlement is reached.
Creative Solutions to Family Matters
The collaborative process allows for flexible, creative solutions to a family law matter. The team explores options that look beyond a legal framework by incorporating the skills and expertise of the facilitator and financial professional. Clients are encouraged to focus on the best interests of their family, rather than rigid negotiation positions, to reach their goals. In the unlikely event that a settlement is not reached, the collaborative attorneys withdraw and litigation lawyers may be retained. The knowledge that the collaborative attorneys cannot bring the case in front of a judge further permits the parties to speak openly about potential settlement options (and frees attorneys from conducting exhaustive, costly opposition research).
A Leader in the Collaborative Law Community
Attorney Adam B. Cordover is a leader in the Tampa Bay 
collaborative law community. He serves as President of the Next Generation Divorce (formerly known as the Collaborative Divorce Institute of Tampa Bay), 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), was vice chair of Tampa Bay’s Interdisciplinary Collaborative Family Practice Training, and has spoken at professional and civic organizations regarding the collaborative process throughout the United States.
Adam is also a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“IACP,” an organization with over 5,000 members from North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia) and has completed advanced training in collaborative law, including over 70 hours of continuing legal education credits. Adam was selected as one of 23 participant of the IACP’s Inaugural Leadership Academy, a year-long program to develop leaders in collaborative practice locally and internationally.
Additionally, Adam currently serves as Co-Chair of the Research Committee of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Florida, as well as the Judicial Outreach Chair of the Collaborative Law Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.
Adam has been interviewed about collaborative divorce by NBC, Fox 13, Bay News 9, ABC Action News, Spirit FM 90.5, Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Business Journal, and The World of Collaborative Practice Magazine.
Adam encourages use of the collaborative model not only in divorce cases but in all types of family law matters including paternity, relocation, child support, prenuptial agreements, and even post-judgment actions.
You can find my collaborative law C.V. at the following link: Adam B. Cordover Collaborative C.V. (Updated 07-07-2014) .
ABC Collaborative Divorce Blog 