COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW IN FLORIDA. No matter how you look at it, divorce and family law matters are difficult 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. A more civilized way. And it is called Collaborative Family Law (also known as Collaborative Divorce or Collaborative Practice).

We are a Collaborative law firm dedicated to helping people resolve personal disputes without destroying their families. We encourage the use of the Collaborative Family Law model in divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, post-judgment, prenuptial, and most other family law cases.  Further, Adam B. Cordover is an internationally-recognized leader in Collaborative Practice, a trainer who teaches other professionals how to help families Collaboratively, and author of an upcoming American Bar Association book on Collaborative Law.

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Imputing Income on Investments for Alimony & Child Support in a Florida Divorce

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When you go through a divorce, how much income you and your spouse can earn may become important for purposes of calculating alimony or child support. If one or both of you have investments and savings—like stocks, rental properties, or savings accounts—these assets may count as income, even if they are not bringing in cash every month. This process is called imputing income on investments.

In a courtroom divorce, each of you would likely hire your own financial expert to argue about how much income should be counted. This often leads to a battle of “dueling experts,” which can be stressful and expensive. But in a Collaborative Divorce, you and your spouse can work with one neutral financial professional to come to a fair decision together.

What Does It Mean to Impute Income?

Imputing income means estimating how much money an investment could make, even if it is not currently earning income. For example:

  • A rental property that is sitting empty could still be rented out, and the potential rental income can be counted.
  • A stock portfolio may not pay dividends every year, but it has a history of earning money and growing in value.
  • A savings account could be invested to earn interest instead of just sitting unused.

By imputing income, you ensure that all financial resources are considered when calculating support payments, helping both spouses and children receive the support they need.

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Collaborative Divorce: Who is Right for It & What Is It?

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When people think of divorce, they often picture contentious court battles, high stress, and significant financial strain. But what if there was a better way? Adam B. Cordover, a leader in private dispute resolution, believes there is—and it’s called Collaborative Divorce.

What Is Collaborative Divorce?

Collaborative Divorce is an alternative dispute resolution process designed to help separating couples reach an agreement without a public and contentious court battle. As Cordover explains, “Each spouse has their own separate attorneys, and the attorneys are there solely for the purpose of reaching an out-of-court agreement.” This means that no energy, time, or money is spent fighting in court. Instead, the focus is on cooperation and crafting a resolution that meets the needs of both spouses.
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Are Real Estate Syndications Considered Marital Property in a Florida Divorce?

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Real estate syndications have become a popular investment strategy for high-net-worth individuals and savvy investors seeking passive income and portfolio diversification. However, if you are facing a divorce in Florida, you may be wondering: Is my investment in a real estate syndication considered marital property? And if so, how is it valued and divided?

The answer depends on several factors, including when the investment was made, how it was funded, and whether any legal agreements protect it. In this post, we’ll explore how Florida law treats real estate syndications in divorce and what you need to know about valuation and division.

Are Real Estate Syndications Marital Property in Florida?

In Florida, marital property includes assets acquired by either spouse during the marriage, regardless of whose name is on the title or investment documents. Conversely, nonmarital (or separate) property includes assets acquired before the marriage, through inheritance, or via a gift from a third party.

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How Tax Loss Harvesting Can Turn Non-Marital Investments Into Marital Assets

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If you’re an investor going through a divorce, you likely have a keen eye on your finances. You may already be familiar with tax loss harvesting, a strategy that can help reduce your tax bill by selling investments at a loss to offset capital gains. While this technique can be a smart financial move, it can also have unintended consequences in divorce—potentially turning what you thought was your separate, non-marital property into a shared marital asset.

What Is Tax Loss Harvesting?*

Tax loss harvesting is a strategy that can be used to lower your tax liability. For example, if you have investments in a taxable brokerage account that have lost value, you can sell them at a loss to offset capital gains from other investments. This reduces your overall taxable income and can lead to significant tax savings.

There are many rules associated with tax loss harvesting.  For example, you cannot sell a mutual fund at a loss and then immediately repurchase that same mutual fund.  However, one strategy that many investors utilize is to sell one investment at a loss and then purchase a similar, but different, investment.  For example, you might sell VTSAX, the Vanguard U.S. total stock market index fund, at a loss and purchase VFIAX, the Vanguard S&P 500 index fund, which is highly correlated with VTSAX.  The White Coat Investor website has a really good explainer on tax loss harvesting.

Many investors use this approach as part of a long-term financial strategy, reinvesting the proceeds into different securities to maintain their investment portfolio. However, if you are going through a divorce, you must be careful about how and when you execute tax loss harvesting.

*Please note that we are not accountants, financial advisors, or tax lawyers, this information is not intended to provide advice, and this is for educational purposes only.

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Collaborative Divorce: Control Your Own Destiny

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When you’re facing the difficult decision to divorce, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. And when you are used to making high stakes decisions, the feeling of powerlessness is just unacceptable. Decisions about your family, finances, and future carry immense weight. The last thing you want is to surrender control of your destiny to a judge in a public courtroom. That’s why many C-Suite executives, doctors, business owners, high-ranking military officers, and other professionals in Florida choose Collaborative Divorce.

What Is Collaborative Divorce?

Collaborative Divorce is a unique and private approach to family law that puts you and your spouse in charge. Instead of battling it out in court, you work together with a team of professionals to craft agreed upon solutions tailored to your family’s needs. Each of you have your own separate lawyers to provide you with independent legal advice.  The Collaborative Lawyers are there solely for the purpose of reaching an out-of-court agreement, and are prohibited, once the Collaborative Process begins, from being used to fight in court.  Additionally, your Collaborative Team may include a financial expert to navigate tricky financial discussions and a Facilitator (who is a licensed mental health professional) to keep discussion focused on the future rather than the disputes that led to the divorce.

Maintain Control Over Critical Decisions

Unlike traditional litigation, Collaborative Divorce fosters cooperation rather than conflict. You, your spouse, and your lawyers share the same goal: to find resolutions that work for everyone in your family. This approach gives you the power to decide how to divide assets, plan for your children’s future, and address any other issues that arise. Instead of a judge dictating your future, you together with your spouse maintain control over these critical decisions.

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Cordover Appears on Great Practice Great Life Podcast

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Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of being featured on Episode 114 of the podcast Great Practice, Great Life, where I shared insights into my journey as an international thought leader in Collaborative Divorce and my efforts to revolutionize out-of-court dispute resolution through my law firm, where we virtually represent clients throughout the State of Florida and also have offices in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. This conversation gave me the chance to reflect on some of the key moments and principles that have shaped both my professional and personal life.

Great Practice Great Life Cordover Riley - Family Diplomacy | A Collaborative Law FirmOne of the topics we discussed was the profound impact of Hurricane Helene in 2024, when, like many others, I lost my home from the flood surge. In the aftermath of that challenging time, I found an opportunity to reassess my approach to work and life, leaning into gratitude. The hurricane, like so many challenges we face, served as a catalyst for growth and transformation. My story highlights how adversity can push us to innovate and strengthen our resolve.

 

We also dove into the unique world of Collaborative Divorce, an area of practice I’m deeply passionate about. This process brings together attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial experts to help families resolve disputes amicably, privately, and outside the courtroom. It’s a particularly valuable approach for professionals, doctors, executives, members of the LGBTQ+ community, business owners, politicians, celebrities, professional athletes, and others who place a premium on privacy and self-determination. In the podcast, I emphasized the importance of teamwork and how shifting from a competitive to a collaborative mindset can lead to more fulfilling and effective outcomes for everyone involved.

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Simplifying Divorce for High Net Worth Individuals: Working With Your CPA or Financial Advisor

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The Challenge of Divorce for High Net Worth Individuals

Navigating a divorce is never easy, and for high net worth individuals, the process can feel even more overwhelming. Between managing the complexities of Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285—commonly known as mandatory disclosure—and safeguarding your financial future, it’s natural to want to simplify the experience and delegate much of the work. That’s where a skilled family law attorney can be invaluable. By working closely with your CPA or financial advisor, we can streamline the disclosure process and minimize the demands on your time and energy.

Understanding Mandatory Disclosure

Mandatory disclosure requires each party in a divorce to provide detailed financial documentation. For high net worth individuals, this often includes extensive information about investments, business interests, real estate holdings, and more. The sheer volume of documentation can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. If you already have a trusted CPA or financial advisor, they are likely familiar with much of your financial landscape. Our team can work directly with them to gather and organize the required information, so you don’t have to get bogged down in the details.

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5 Tips for Dividing Mutual Funds and ETFs In a Florida Divorce

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Dividing mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) during a divorce can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. If you’re divorcing in Florida, these five tips will help you navigate the process, protect your interests, and work toward a fair resolution.

1. Consider Your Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Financial Interests

Before you even think about dividing assets, you should take the time to consider and write down your short-term, medium-term, and long-term interests.  For example, are there investment opportunities now where liquidity is important?  Or do you wish to build on the relative stability of a buy-and-hold strategy?  Do you have an employment-based retirement or profit-sharing plan where it will be easier to save for the future?  Or do you need to keep more of the family’s tax-advantaged accounts to secure your long-term plan?  Do you prefer the control of a defined contribution plan or the consistency of a defined benefit plan? Working with a Collaborative Facilitator and Neutral Financial Professional during divorce can help you identify your interests and adjust your strategy to ensure it aligns with your new circumstances.

2. Understand Florida’s Equitable Distribution Law

Florida follows the law of equitable distribution. This means marital property, including mutual funds and ETFs acquired during the marriage, is divided fairly, though not always equally. Yes, both spouses usually end up with approximately 50% of your family’s net estate, but you can agree to divide it however you wish.  Many spouses mistakenly believe that this means that every asset and every account has to be split in half, but that is not the case.  So long as both of you end up with approximately 50% of your net estate, with adjustments particular to your circumstances, you do not have to split every brokerage or bank account in half.

You can begin by gathering detailed statements for all your investment and other accounts. Identify which assets are marital (shared) and which are separate (this is a complicated area of the law, and an experienced family lawyer can help you do this; you can read more about asset protection here). This will help you understand what’s on the table for division.

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Asset Protection and Florida Divorce

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If you are facing divorce in Florida and have accumulated substantial assets, you may be wondering what asset protection strategies are available. Fortunately, there are some steps to consider, both before and during divorce. Florida is an equitable distribution state, meaning the law divides marital assets fairly, though not necessarily equally. Below are some methods to explore (please note that this is just an overview, and you should speak with a lawyer to determine if these apply to your situation and how to employ them):

Asset Protection Before Divorce

Prenuptial or Postnuptial Agreements.

A prenuptial agreement is signed before a marriage, and a postnuptial agreement is signed during a marriage. Both can be legally binding agreements that essentially allow you to make your own law and specify how assets will be divided and spousal support will be handled in case of divorce. These agreements must be entered into voluntarily, with full disclosure of assets, and include other elements that can help ensure that it holds up if challenged.

You can learn more about prenuptial and postnuptial agreements here.

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Video: Cordover Keynotes Family Law Now Virtual Summit

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Family Diplomacy managing attorney Adam B. Cordover recently gave the keynote address at the Third Annual Family Law Now Virtual Summit. The aim of the Summit is to provide legal professionals and those individuals facing separation, divorce, and other family law matters with vital information, strategies, and tools to support them as they navigate through the process.  The Summit was hosted by veteran Canadian lawyer Russell Alexander and benefitted The Denise House, which provides a safe shelter and supportive programs in Canada for women, with or without children, experiencing gender-based violence.

Examining Models of Collaborative Practice

The topic of the keynote address was “All the Ways to Collaborate: Examining Different Models of Collaborative Practice.”  In the keynote, Cordover urged lawyers to tailor the Collaborative Process to meet the needs of their family law clients.

You can view a video of the keynote, which is about 20 minutes long, below.

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