Several Cordell & Cordell family law attorneys made radio appearances last week leading into Father’s Day weekend to discuss the critically important role that dads play in their children’s lives.
Cordell & Cordell’s entire mission is centered on fighting to ensure that fathers remain involved in their kids’ lives after divorce. Unfortunately, as the attorneys discusses in their interviews, the family court system often pushes dads to the sidelines for reasons that are not fair or logical.
“You still see it in pockets across the country,” said Cordell & Cordell Executive and Managing Partner/CEO Scott Trout in an interview that ran on several stations in the St. Louis region. “… [Judges] still hold these stereotypes and it creates injustices in cases and court actions. And it’s not intentional. It’s just historical stereotypes.”
Father’s Day is a special occasion to take time and appreciate what fathers do for their families. Mr. Trout pointed to the vast body of research that shows how much better the outcomes for children of divorce are when they are able to have two active parents in their lives.
Not only is the role that dads play vital, Mr. Trout said, but it also is inherently unique.
“You look at both girls and boys, sons and daughters, and there is a transition boys go through around age 11 where they begin, statistically, to look less to their mothers and more to their fathers for identity,” Mr. Trout said. “That vital time of father-son relationship is huge and each parent brings something unique to the development to their children.
“… The studies reaffirm what we’ve all suspected and what we’ve all said for decades, and that’s that dads have a role equally important as moms and individually as important. Meaning dads can’t do what moms do and moms can’t do what dads do, typically, when it comes to development.”
Click below to listen to Richmond divorce attorney Shameka Hall’s interview.
Click here to listen to Virginia Beach divorce attorney Jonah Dickey’s interview.
Written by Joseph E. Cordell
Joseph E. Cordell is the Principal Partner at Cordell and Cordell, P.C., which he founded in 1990 with his wife, Yvonne. Over the past 25 years, the firm has grown to include more than 100 offices in 30 states, as well as internationally in the United Kingdom. Mr. Cordell is licensed to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri and received his LL.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Joseph E. Cordell was named one of the Top 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Missouri.
