The scornful term of “deadbeat dads” has become increasingly popular in describing fathers who do not uphold their legal responsibility of supporting their children after divorce.
But Cordell & Cordell principal partner Joseph Cordell argues in his most recent Huffington Post column “The Myth of the ‘Deadbeat Dad’ Label” that most of the fathers lumped in as deadbeats are not dads unwilling to support their children — they are simply unable to afford the child support.
When 66 percent of all child support not paid by fathers is due to an inability to come up with the money, calling all the dads who miss payments “deadbeats” is painting with far too broad of a brush, Mr. Cordell writes.
“As someone who founded a men’s divorce law firm almost 25 years ago, I know most of these men are not bad people; they love their kids, they want what is best for their kids, they want to be there for their kids,” said Mr. Cordell.
Click the link to read the full article on “The Myth of the ‘Deadbeat Dad’ Label.”
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.
