Family Law

The traditional divorce model pits husband versus wife, mother versus father. Collaborative Law is a refreshing team-oriented alternative. Each client retains a separate attorney whose job is to counsel the client and help resolve disputes. The attorneys work together to help both clients meet their needs. 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 agreement 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).

Introductory Collaborative Training

Virtual Introductory Collaborative Law Training August 2021

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What would it feel like to help clients divorce peacefully, privately, and with dignity?  Wouldn’t it be great to consistently work with professionals whom you know, trust, like, and respect?  Learn how to offer Collaborative services and get involved in your Collaborative Law community in this highly engaging Virtual Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Family Law training.

Register here:  https://mycollaborativeteam.com/webinars/ 

Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Family Law Training

This course is intended for lawyers, mental health professionals, financial professionals, mediators, and others who believe there is a better way to help clients through difficult times.  The course will mainly focus on the One Coach/Neutral Facilitator Model of Collaborative Practice.  This training is not jurisdiction specific, and professionals from all locales are welcome to attend.

Training Dates:  August 24, August 26, August 31, and September 2

Training Times:  1:00pm – 5:00 pm Eastern Time/10:00am – 2:00pm Pacific Time each day

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Family Diplomacy Opens Sarasota Office

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Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm is proud to announce that we have opened an office in Sarasota, Florida, to better cater to families in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. We  practice exclusively in out-of-court dispute resolution because we recognize most families facing divorce and other family law matters want to move on with their lives as amicably as possible rather than engage in draining court battles.

And now you can meet us at our Sarasota office, located at 3277 Fruitville Road, Suite F2, Sarasota, Florida 34237.  We are also available to meet at our offices in Tampa and St. Petersburg, and we will continue to provide virtual services to help families throughout the State of Florida.

Collaborative Divorce in Sarasota

We focus on Collaborative Divorce, where you and your spouse work with specially-trained lawyers to reach agreements in a private and amicable setting.  Because divorce can be a traumatic time in your life, we work with Facilitators, trained mental health professionals, to aid in communication and creating a parenting plan tailored for your children’s developmental needs.  And we also work with Neutral Financial Professionals, to ensure that both spouses understand your family’s finances and develop options that meet your future financial goals.

Attorney Adam B. Cordover is a leader in Collaborative Divorce, having been president of the Next Generation Divorce practice group when it expanded into Sarasota and Manatee Counties.  He is a member of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and recipient of the inaugural Visionary Award from the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals.  He has also trained and led workshops for lawyers and other professionals around the U.S., Canada, Israel, France, and Brazil, and is co-author with Forrest S. Mosten of an American Bar Association book on Building A Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice (2018).

Other Sarasota Family Law Services

Family Diplomacy also provides other family law services, including:

  • Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
  • Mediation
  • Legal Name Change
  • Adoption
  • Unbundled Legal Services
Contact Family Diplomacy to Learn How We Can Help You

Recent Tampa & St. Petersburg Family Lawyer Reviews: Professional and Knowledgeable

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We at Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm are dedicated to helping our clients get through tough times and traverse an oftentimes murky legal process.  Whether we are working with families going through Collaborative Divorce, Mediation, Adoption, Legal Name Change, or other family law matters, we put our clients’ interests first.

And we are especially grateful when our clients and former clients take the time to provide us with feedback and let others know about their experiences.

Below are recent reviews of our services left by former clients on Avvo.com.  The headings are written by the former clients (though we have used clients’ initials rather than writing their full names).

Please note that every family law matter is unique and we cannot guarantee the same or similar results for your family law matter.

Professional and knowledgeable

Adam’s approach is thoughtful and very professional. His help was invaluable in getting through the process.

Five stars

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February 2021 Virtual Introductory Collaborative Divorce Training

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Are you a family law professional burnt out by divorce court battles?  Do you want to help families resolve their differences without pitting spouse versus spouse, parent versus parent?  Do you want to work in a team environment that integrates the skillsets of attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial professionals?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then now may be time for you to become trained in Collaborative Family Law.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE TRAINING

 

This course is intended for lawyers, mental health professionals, financial professionals, mediators, and others who believe there is a better way to help clients through difficult times. We will not be focusing on any specific jurisdiction, so anyone regardless of location is welcome. Even those who have previously attended an Introductory Training will learn cutting edge tools for their practice as well as skills and techniques for conducting Collaborative Divorce matters via Zoom.

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Family Law Attorney Review: #DreamTeam

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When you retain Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm to represent you in your family law matter, you hire a team.  Attorney Adam B. Cordover and Florida Registered Paralegal Jennifer Gunnin are here to help you every step of the way.

A former client discusses her recent experience on Avvo.  As required by the Florida Bar, please note that each case is different, and we cannot guarantee the same or similar results for you:

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Lawyer Review: A+

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We at Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm work hard to help clients through some of the most difficult times in their lives.  We recognize that divorce is tough, and that in many ways it can feel like a death.  The death of a relationship.

We are here for our clients to guide and counsel them.  We reassure them that they will get through it, and we advise them as they are making tough choices each step of the way.

We have been fortunate that many of our clients, surprised at how different we are from other law firms, want to spread the word that there is a better way than traditional divorce court battles.  One such review, below, was recently posted to Google for our St. Petersburg office.

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Cordover Receives FACP Inaugural Visionary Award

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At the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals‘ (FACP) 8th Annual Conference, Family Diplomacy managing attorney Adam B. Cordover was awarded the inaugural Visionary Award.  The FACP presented this award to recognize Cordover’s work in developing, co-chairing, and co-instructing the inaugural FACP Leadership Institute.

FACP Leadership Institute

In 2014, Cordover graduated the first ever Leadership Academy of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.  Since that time, he dreamed of bringing a similar program to Florida.

In 2018, he proposed to the Board of the FACP a one-year intensive course of study to develop future leaders of Collaborative Practice.  Collaborative Practice is an interdisciplinary form of out-of-court dispute resolution where professionals work with families in a private, goal-oriented, non-adversarial method.  It is an alternative to traditional court-based divorce and other family law matters.

Orlando psychologist Deborah Day and Barrie, Ontario lawyer Brian Galbraith joined Cordover to build the program.  As conceived, it would come to consist of three in-person meetings (though, due to current times, the last meeting was held via Zoom) throughout the year, and bi-monthly webinars led by leaders of Florida and International Collaborative communities.  Participants (who would come to be known as “Fellows”) of the Leadership Institute would be expected to present a workshop at an FACP conference.

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Cordover Presents at Israeli Collaborative Divorce Training

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Last week, I had the opportunity to present at an Israeli Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce Training.  I was invited by Idith Schaham, a friend and trainer who taught at the first Hebrew-language Introductory Collaborative Divorce Training and a co-founder of many Collaborative Law Community Centers in Israel.

I presented alongside my Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainer colleague, Jeremy Gaies, Psy.D., with whom I traveled to Israel in December 2018 to discuss Collaborative Practice with fellow professionals.

My presentation focused on “Preparing the Client for Team Meetings.”  Below you will find slides from the presentation, along with some explanation.

Introduction

The presentation started with my introduction.

This slide translates as follows:

Attorney Adam Cordover

  • Board Member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP).
  • Co-author of an American Bar Association (ABA) book on “Building A Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice.”
  • Former President of Next Generation Divorce.
  • Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator.

 

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St. Petersburg Family Lawyer Review

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At Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm, we work to help families resolve disputes without fighting in court.  We do this via Collaborative Family Law Practice, mediation, and unbundled legal services.  Most clients appreciate this approach, as we spare them from the trauma and expense of court battles.

A client recently left a review on our Google page.  You can find that review below.

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Family Diplomacy Opens St. Petersburg Office

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Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm proudly announces the opening of an office in the heart of Downtown St. Petersburg.  We do so on June 1, 2020, as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of our firm and the fifth anniversary of our dedication to resolve family disputes exclusively out of court.

Saint Petersburg Family Law Office

Our new office is located at 475 Central Avenue, Suite 205, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701.  We are in the historic S.H. Kress & Co. Building, situated on the corner of Central Avenue and 5th Street South.  The Kress building was built in 1927, influenced by the Beaux-Arts movement, and served as a five and dime store until 1981.  The building is located within the Downtown St. Petersburg Historic District, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 1, 2001.

We also maintain our office in Downtown Tampa, located at 412 E. Madison Street, Suite 824, Tampa, Florida 33602.

Additionally, we are accepting matters throughout Florida. Read more →