Collaborative Process and Religious Values in Tampa Bay

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.