Family Diplomacy Opens St. Petersburg Office
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.
Collaborative Divorce & Family Law
We specialize in Collaborative Divorce and Family Law. Collaborative Divorce is a unique nonadversarial process that preserves a working relationship between spouses and co-parents and reduces the emotional and financial toll of litigation.
In Collaborative Divorce, each spouse has his or her own separate lawyer, and the lawyers are there solely to help clients reach agreements outside of court. The lawyers are barred by Rule 12.745, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, from fighting in court. This means that no time, energy, or money is spent on motion practice, depositions, or opposition research. Rather, the lawyers work with the clients as a team to help find the best resolution for them.
The process is voluntary, so if a client decides that he or she no longer wants to engage in Collaborative Practice, both lawyers must withdraw and the clients can engage trial counsel. Fortunately, Collaborative Practice is usually successful, and a study by the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals showed that 86% of cases ended in full resolution, with an additional 2% ending in reconciliation between spouses.
In our cases, 94% of Collaborative Matters ended in a full resolution, and Adam Cordover is one of the most experienced Collaborative Lawyers in Tampa Bay.
The Collaborative Team
One of the reasons that Collaborative Practice has been successful is that we usually utilize an interdisciplinary team. This is in recognition that divorce is not just a legal process, but also a financial and, especially, emotional process.
We oftentimes retain a neutral Collaborative Facilitator, with a background in family dynamics, childhood development, and/or communication skills. The Facilitator works with parents to develop a parenting plan that meets the specific needs of their children. The Facilitator also helps ensure that discussions remain forward-focused rather than steeped in the arguments of the past. He or she can also work with the spouses to process the emotional fallout of divorce.
Additionally, many Collaborative Teams include a neutral Financial Professional, usually an accountant or financial planner. The Financial Professional helps ensure financial transparency between the spouses so they know what assets and debts there are to distribute. Additionally, the Financial Professional educates spouses and helps them build a budget so they understand what their financial lives will look like post-divorce.
Other Family Law Services
In addition to Collaborative Divorce & Family Law, we offer the following services:
- Mediation
- Direct Negotiations
- Unbundled Legal Services
- Adoption
- Legal Name Change
Adam B. Cordover is an international thought leader of Collaborative Practice and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator. He is co-author of an American Bar Association book on Building A Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Adam is also a member of the Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainers and has taught professionals Alternative Dispute Resolution skills throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, and France.
