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).

2024 04 Cordover Transgender Florida Bar News - Family Diplomacy | A Collaborative Law Firm

April 2024 Florida Bar News Publishes Cordover Letter on Welcoming Transgender Clients

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The April 2024 edition of the Florida Bar News, a monthly newspaper that goes to all lawyers in Florida, published a letter to the editor (click on link and scroll down) submitted by Family Diplomacy managing attorney Adam B. Cordover.  The letter urged lawyers to be welcoming to all, including transgender clients.  You can find the letter reproduced below:

BE WELCOMING

With legislation targeting the transgender community and the general coarsening of public rhetoric, it is important for us lawyers to remember one thing: Transgender folks are people, too. They have hopes and fears, dreams and obligations, just like everyone else. They want to get a driver’s license, graduate from school, build a family, travel, and grow a career without being impeded or having to go into detail about their private lives.

My family law practice has welcomed transgender clients in a non-judgment atmosphere since its founding in 2010. We have done so not only because it is the decent thing to do — which it is — but also because it makes good business sense.

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Sarasota Collaborative Divorce Review: Solid Legal Advice

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Most people going through divorce are not looking to make an enemy out of their spouse.  Rather, they are seeking to move on with their lives and make sure that they — and their kids, if any — are okay at the end of the day.  That is why we specialize in Collaborative Divorce, a private and more humane way to resolve family disputes.

Here is a recent review that a client left on the Google page of our Sarasota office.

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2024 Florida Academy Of Collaborative Professionals - Family Diplomacy | A Collaborative Law Firm

2024 FACP Conference Early Bird Rate Ends This Week

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I am excited to lead a workshop at the 12th Annual Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“FACP”) Conference, taking place April 18-20, 2024, in Boca Raton, Florida.  The Conference, which is dedicated to lawyers, judges, mental health professionals, financial professionals, mediators, and other professionals who want to help divorcing families in a better way, has an early bird registration rate that ends March 8, 2024.

Click Here to Learn More About the Conference and Register

 

From the Conference Website:

The theme of the conference is All the Pieces Matter: Getting the Most Out of Your Team.

Teamwork is the bedrock of the Collaborative Process. Building the right team to lead divorcing clients through difficult decision-making is critical to the success of the Collaborative matter. This year’s conference will look at how teamwork can make the impossible come true. We will share with our FACP membership unique techniques, experiences, protocols and methods colleagues and Collaborative leaders have created and applied, which have promoted more successful divorce outcomes in their Collaborative matters.

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Tampa Bay Times Publishes Cordover Letter on Transgender Matters

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Throughout my legal career, I have been proud to offer a warm and welcoming environment for anyone seeking services related to divorce (including Collaborative Divorce), adoption, name change, and other family law matters.  Pretty soon after opening my practice in 2010, I began working with transgender clients seeking to have their names changed.  Further along, I provided them instructions based on information given by various agencies and entities about how to change their gender marker (e.g., male or female) on birth certificates, driver’s licenses, passports, and social security documents, if they wish.

Why Does a Gender Marker Even Matter?

At first, I didn’t really understood the whole “gender marker thing.” After all, everyone has things we don’t like about ourselves, so why couldn’t transgender folks just live with the gender marker to which they were assigned at birth?

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St. Petersburg Divorce Firm Review: “I am extremely pleased that I hired Adam and Britney”

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When going through divorce, it is important that you have trust and confidence in your attorneys, and that they will be up front and honest with you.  Below and in this link you will find a review that a former client left on our St. Petersburg location Google Page:

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March 2024 Collaborative Divorce Training - Family Diplomacy | A Collaborative Law Firm

Virtual Introductory Collaborative Divorce Training – March 2024

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In the world of family law, where emotions can be overwhelming, imagine helping families go through a divorce peacefully and with a team to support you and the family. What if you could work with professionals you know, like, trust, and respect? Learn to offer Collaborative Divorce services in this highly interactive Virtual Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Family Law training, designed for attorneys, mental health professionals, accountants, financial advisors, mediators, and anyone wanting to help families in a better way.  The training takes place on every Wednesday in March 2024, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern Time.  It is not jurisdiction-specific, and past trainings have included participants from all around the globe.  This training will focus primarily on the One Coach (also known as Neutral Facilitator or Neutral Mental Health Professional) model of Collaborative Practice.

Learn More About The Training And Register Here.

 

Working Together Online

This training happens online, on Zoom. You can join from home, work, or wherever you’re comfortable. It takes place on four Wednesdays in March 2024, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM Eastern Time. This flexibility makes it easy for busy professionals to attend.

Learning from Different Perspectives

The training covers Collaborative Law from legal, emotional, and financial angles. Whether you’re a lawyer, mental health professional, financial expert, or mediator, this training helps you understand how to resolve issues related to family law in a new and supportive way.

Meet the Experts

The training features experts like Adam B. Cordover, J.D., M.A., a collaborative attorney; Jeremy S. Gaies, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist; and Kristin E. DiMeo, CPA, ABV, and J. David Harper, CPA, ABV, PFS, CFF, CBA, CVA, both accountants. All members of Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainers, they bring their vast and diverse experience to help you learn the different ways to help families through difficult issues.

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Collaborative Law Firm Review: Dealing with LGBTQ Matters

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We at Family Diplomacy are grateful to our clients and proud of the work we do on LGBTQ matters.

A client graciously left a glowing review on Google, which you can find below and at this link.

Truly a pleasure working with the entire team at Family Diplomacy. Adam and Britney were fantastic through the entire process. Professional and personal at the same time. Communication was on point. From the very first phone conversation, there was a great comfort level, which is hard to find, especially when dealing with LGBTQ matters. Huge thank you to Family Diplomacy, I would recommend them a million times over!

Five Stars

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Sarasota Collaborative Divorce Office – We Moved!

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We are excited to share the new location of our Sarasota Collaborative Divorce Office.  Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm is now located at 1858 Ringling Boulevard, Suite 110, Sarasota, Florida 34236.  Our beautiful new location is in the Bank of Tampa building right on the edge of Downtown Sarasota.  Our Sarasota office offers, among other services, Collaborative Divorce, Mediation, Prenuptial Agreement, Unbundled Legal Services, Adoption, and Legal Name Change.  We offer a warm, supportive environment for those in the LGBTQ+ community facing family law matters, as well as anyone else looking for private, amicable solutions  when facing tough decisions affecting your family.

Sarasota Collaborative Divorce Office

Our Sarasota office is available by appointment.  We also offer a discounted rate for those who do not feel the need to meet in person and are comfortable interacting via Zoom videoconferencing software, telephone, e-mail, and other virtual means.   This also enables us to represent clients throughout the State of Florida, regardless of location.  Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm practices exclusively in out-of-court dispute resolution, because we care about Florida’s families.

Below are some pictures of our new Sarasota office (click a picture to enlarge):

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Virtual Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce Training September 2023

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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.

This course is intended for attorneys, mental health professionals, financial professionals, mediators, and others who believe there is a better way to help clients through difficult times.  It will focus mainly on the One Coach/Neutral Facilitator/Neutral Mental Health Professional model of Collaborative Practice.  As this training is not jurisdiction-specific, professionals around the world are welcome!

This training meets the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals’ Minimum Standards for Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice Trainings and interim protocols permitting virtual trainings.

 

Where

This is a virtual training that will take place 100% on Zoom.

When

September 6, 2023 12:00 – 4:00 PM*
September 13, 2023 12:00 – 4:00 PM*
September 20, 2023 12:00 – 4:00 PM*
September 27, 2023 12:00 – 4:00 PM*

*Please note all times are listed for Eastern time zone

Florida CLE credits available (and may be transferable to your jurisdiction).

Location:

This will be a virtual training and take place 100% on Zoom.

Event URL:

Click Here to Register or Learn More
Tampa Family Lawyer Review

Tampa Family Law Review: “I Could Not Have Been Happier”

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We are dedicated to helping our clients face challenging family law matters without fighting in court, and we are so fortunate when clients share their experience.  In the review below, a former client discusses how Family Diplomacy lawyer Britney Penaherrera helped in her situation:

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