Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative Divorce: A Smarter, Private Approach for Discerning Professionals and Families

A Strategic Alternative to Courtroom Chaos

If you’re navigating a family transition—whether it’s divorce, parenting, or financial separation—you deserve a process that aligns with how you approach the rest of your life: thoughtfully, discreetly, and strategically.

At Family Diplomacy, we work with business owners, professionals, executives, physicians, attorneys, and public figures who want to resolve family matters without the disruption and unpredictability of court. Collaborative Divorce offers a private, team-based alternative that prioritizes your family, your values, your privacy and reputation, and your long-term goals.

A Process Designed to Preserve Dignity—and Relationships

We have found most people going through divorce are not looking to make an enemy of their spouse; rather most people just want to move on with their lives and make sure that they (and their kids, if any) will be okay at the end of the day.

Collaborative Divorce creates space for that mindset. Whether you are co-parenting, leading a business, or maintaining a public profile, how you resolve your divorce can have long-lasting effects. Collaborative Divorce emphasizes respectful dialogue and solution-building—minimizing conflict and helping preserve what matters most.

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Why Professionals and Strategic Thinkers Choose Collaborative Divorce

• Discretion Equals Protection
  Court records are public. Collaborative Divorce is private. Your negotiations around finances, parenting, and other sensitive matters take place in a confidential setting—giving you peace of mind and protecting your personal and professional reputation.  Though at the end of the day you need a judge to ratify your agreements and approve the divorce, we can greatly minimize any sensitive personal and financial information that goes into the court file.  Further, we can file your matter in a county in Florida far away from your home and business, reducing the possibility of prying eyes from competitors and others.

• Control Over the Process and Outcomes
  Rather than turning your future over to a judge, you and your spouse maintain decision-making authority. With guidance from a team of professionals, you can craft creative solutions that reflect your unique circumstances and priorities.

• Restraint of Your Lawyers
  In the Collaborative Process, your attorneys are prohibited from the outset from representing you in contested court hearings. This commitment helps ensure that legal advice stays focused on resolution—not escalation—and that the attorneys are incentivized to keep discussions constructive.

• Efficiency That Respects Your Time and Energy
  Litigation can stretch on for years, interrupting careers and increasing stress. Collaborative Divorce is designed to move at a pace that fits your needs and schedule—often resolving matters more efficiently than traditional litigation.

• A Process That Encourages Resolution with a Stellar Track Record
  If either spouse decides to leave the Collaborative Process and pursue litigation, the full professional team is disqualified and must withdraw. This structure fosters commitment and accountability, while also encouraging everyone to maintain a dialogue even when discussions get difficult (which, in a divorce context, they inevitably do). While no resolution can be guaranteed, studies have found that Collaborative Divorce has resulted in full agreements in 85% or more of cases (and our internal statistics also reflect this high success rate).

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Your Collaborative Team: Thoughtfully Assembled for Savvy Clients

Instead of opposing lawyers battling in court, Collaborative Divorce brings together a team focused on helping you and your spouse resolve matters respectfully and effectively.

Collaborative Attorneys

Each of you has your own separate attorney to provide you each with individualized legal advice. Your attorney is your advisor, advocate, and strategist—helping you understand your options and achieve outcomes that support your goals. Because Collaborative attorneys cannot take the case to court, their role is to help guide you toward resolution, not conflict.  Further, each Collaborative lawyer views the other as a teammate rather than “opposing counsel” as is the case in traditional divorce or even other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Neutral Financial Professional

You’ll work with a financial professional—such as an independent CPA or financial planner—who provides impartial insight into your shared finances. This neutral professional efficiently gathers and explains financial data (rather than have two lawyers do so at two attorney rates), helps analyze long-term implications of potential agreements, and supports both spouses in making informed decisions. Topics may include property division, business valuations, executive compensation, retirement, and support considerations.

Neutral Facilitator

The Facilitator is a licensed mental health professional and team leader who manages the tone and flow of team meetings, ensuring respectful communication and productive dialogue. If you have children, the Facilitator also helps you craft a customized parenting plan tailored to your children’s developmental and emotional needs—not just legal guidelines. This ensures that your parenting agreement supports your family’s unique structure and values.

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How Collaborative Divorce Works

Step 1: Build Your Professional Team

We can recommend a specially-trained Collaborative Lawyer for your spouse or work with a lawyer he or she has already retained.  Typically, the lawyers together suggest which Facilitator and Financial Professional would be the best fit for your family, but you and your spouse are the ultimate decision-makers and will sign separate contracts with each.

Step 2: Engage in Confidential Team Meetings

Everyone works together to identify goals, exchange necessary information, and generate creative solutions in a structured, respectful setting—far from the adversarial courtroom.  These meetings are usually time-limited, so you have time to think in between meetings about options and determine whether they meet you and your family’s long-term interests.  This is in contrast with other forms of alternative dispute resolution, where you might be stuck in a room in one long, drawn-out session where you are more likely to reach an agreement just to get out of the room rather than based on your actual interests.  Further, “offline meetings” occur which only include the professionals who are necessary for that meeting, creating more efficiency.  For example, you and your spouse may meet together with the Facilitator to craft a parenting plan without the lawyers or Financial Professional present (though your lawyers will have the opportunity to review the parenting plan before you sign it).

Step 3: Develop Thoughtful, Customized Agreements

Whether addressing business ownership, parenting plans, real estate, investments, or retirement accounts, the team helps you reach mutually beneficial outcomes based on shared values and realistic goals.

Step 4: Formalize the Divorce Without Litigation

Once terms are agreed upon, the lawyers draft a Collaborative Marital Resolution Agreement and agreements to minimize the filing of sensitive information, as well as other documents necessary under Florida law.  A petition for divorce is filed with the court, which can be done in a county far away from your home or business.  We can then finalize the divorce with the court—possibly without needing a formal hearing. The result: a binding agreement that respects your family, your future, and your finances.

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Experienced Leadership You Can Trust

Adam B. Cordover, founder of Family Diplomacy, is recognized nationally and internationally for his leadership in Collaborative Family Law. He has worked discreetly with high profile clients and others across a range of professional backgrounds and has trained hundreds of professionals including judges, lawyers, financial professionals, and therapists.

His background includes:

• Co-author and co-editor with former Beverly Hills lawyer Forrest S. Mosten of Building a Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice (ABA 2018)

• Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator

• Former Board Member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and former Chair of the IACP Research as well as Ethics & Standards committees

• Recipient of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals’ inaugural Visionary Award for founding and co-instructing the first FACP Leadership Institute

• Founder and Principle Instructor of the Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainers

• Among the first to receive the FACP designation of Accredited Collaborative Professional

Adam brings strategic insight, calm guidance, and deep knowledge to support your family through this important transition.

We know the stakes are high. That’s why we focus not just on legal outcomes—but also on your peace of mind, your privacy, and your ability to move forward with grace.

Let’s Talk—Confidentially

If you’re seeking a divorce process that protects your privacy, preserves your relationships, and respects the complexity of your financial life, we’re here to help. Contact Family Diplomacy to schedule a confidential planning meeting and discover how Collaborative Divorce can help you take control of your next chapter.