Cordell & Cordell Co-Founder and Principal Partner Joe Cordell was recently interviewed by Tony Macrini on WNIS 790 AM-Norfolk about a number of family law issues.
In the interview, Mr. Cordell discussed how he got his start in family law, the qualities that most good divorce attorneys tend to possess, why January is considered “divorce month,” how guys often find the deck stacked against them in family court, and more.
When it comes to practicing family law, Mr. Cordell said, attorneys must walk a delicate balance between personally investing in their clients’ cases and not getting so emotionally involved that they are consumed by all the ups and downs.
“I tell our lawyers that you want some personal commitment,” Mr. Cordell said. “You want to feel some skin in the game, and you want to take it personally when our client experiences a failure or experiences an incredible success. At the same time, you’ve got to strike a balance or you just can’t make it through your career.”
Mr. Cordell also touched on the dangers of parental alienation. Even though most states have statutes that forbid one parent from turning their child against the other, Mr. Cordell noted that it still is difficult for courts to do anything about it.
“It’s insidious because it’s difficult to prove,” he said. “It can be as subtle as mom and grandma standing at the sink in the kitchen or somewhere else and mom says something about dad … That is alienation, but it’s occurring in one of those less flagrant ways than when dad is a deadbeat. That is an example of parental alienation, and it’s difficult to prove.”
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.
