Law Firm Focuses on Helping Men

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by FOX Charlotte

Story Created: Nov 11, 2011 at 12:07 AM EDT

Story Updated: Nov 11, 2011 at 12:07 AM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In a hotel conference room in Uptown Charlotte, about 20 people, virtually all of them men, gathered Thursday to listen to one man's divorce strategy tactics.  More than 20 years ago, attorney Joseph Cordell decided to focus his firm on men to help them when, "their basic rights are violated or compromised because of their gender."  "Guys have an uphill battle in divorce court regarding issues such as custody, maintenance," says Cordell.

Some of Cordell's radio advertisements include quotes like "You can minimize the devastation, Cordell and Cordell has represented over 1,000 men like you and me," or "Call the domestic litigation firm of Cordell and Cordell, a partner men can count on," or "Watch the social networking, expect your wife's lawyer to do a thorough online search and Facebook is usually the first stop."

Cordell, who appeared on FOX News Rising, says fighting for fathers' rights motivates him.  "We found that we preferred to sit on one side of the table. There's a much greater sense of satisfaction in representing what is, more often than not, the underdog in the divorce process," he says.

"Yeah, I think that's BS.  I don't think men are the underdogs. From a practical standpoint, more men than not don't want custody," says Charlotte attorney Bill Diehl.  He has handled thousands of divorces and says 90% are amicably settled and that men face no more challenges than women.  "They are not by statute or by case law discriminated against," he says.

Diehl also says "collaborative law," a non-litigation approach to solving problems, is a growing movement in North Carolina.  "I think people are more attune to resolving their differences now than ever before," says Diehl.

Cordell says his firm's position does generate some backlash, but not every wife views them as the enemy.  "There are a lot of women who are our biggest fans. Second wives are the ones who, more often than not, initiate the phone call to our office for their husband," says Cordell.

Cordell and Cordell has more than 50 law offices around the country.  Many of their attorneys are women.  In Charlotte, the Better Business Bureau gives them a "C" rating.
 

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