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Orlando Collaborative Family Law and Professionalism

By Orlando Collaborative Family Law Attorney Tom Marks

I believe that the vast majority of attorneys are caring and professional in their behavior and advocacy for their clients. In our adversarial system it is only natural though that by the end of the case, at least one of the parties will feel like they lost. That is especially true in Family Law, the area I practice in.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way and that is one of the reasons I have developed a Collaborative Family Law Practice where husbands and wives agree to work together to resolve the issues without having to take the case to Court.

Not only are both parties winners in Collaborative Law, because they avoided acrimonious Litigation, but also because both parents together have focused on their kids’ best interests.

I have actually participated in Collaborative Law Cases where both parties have felt like they are not only happy with the final results but that they believe they have done everything they can mutually to protect their children and to ensure that their children thrive even after the Dissolution of Marriage. They have chosen to love their children the most and to continue to be friends in order to co-parent their children in the most healthy and productive way possible.

A Word About “Collaborative” Family Law Attorneys

Attorneys who practice Collaborative Family Law are some of the most professional, ethical and caring lawyers I have ever met. The focus is no longer on litigation and winning at no small expense, financially, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually to the clients. And in  addition to the Collaborative Family Law Attorneys, there are highly professional Neutral Collaborative Professionals like the Financial Collaborative Professional and the Mental Health Collaborative Professional. They assist the clients and attorneys in putting together Equitable Distribution Worksheets and other financial documents as well as the Parenting Plan and other important documents in the case.

I am not saying that Family Law Attorneys involved in the Litigation aspects of Family Law are not for the most part Professional. There certainly are many. But those Attorneys who have decided to focus on Collaborative Family Law, do it I believe, because they care about the process of helping clients resolve their cases in the healthiest and most productive way possible.

Family Law and Attorney Leadership

By Family Law Attorney Tom Marks

I read a great book while on vacation last week on the topic of leadership. You might ask what does leadership have to do with a family law practice. Don’t family law attorneys just deal with divorce, timesharing, children’s issues, equitable distribution, alimony and the like?

Well actually, good family law attorneys are all about leadership. If the divorce attorney is open to new ideas and ways of helping others, then he or she is able to influence, teach and mentor others in the process. When the client arrives in an emotionally and financially vulnerable place, the attorney can exercise integrity and leadership to help the client navigate through the divorce, modification, enforcement or other any other type of family law case.

Good family law attorneys, as leaders, need to have a vision and be able to communicate that to the client. They also need to have good communication skills and to be highly competent in their profession. Great leaders, who happen to be family law attorneys, need to have great people skills and be able to coach their clients through a very difficult process. They need to be open to doing what is in the best interest of the client, even if that means helping them reconcile their marriage and keep their family together. That is called integrity.

I have read a lot of books on leadership and have always tried to exercise the principles I’ve learned not only in my personal and family life but also in my professional life as a family law attorney.

Christian Legal Society National Conference Welcomes The Marks Law Firm

The Marks Law Firm, P.A., is excited to announce that we have been asked to present at the 2010 Christian Legal Society National Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando! The Firm’s presentation is entitled “Pursuing a Family Law Ministry: Helping Families Survive and Thrive at a Critical Crossroads.” We will provide attendees with guidance for navigating the often stormy waters of family law practice.

It is our honor and privilege to share these Biblical principles with Christian attorneys from around the country. We appreciate the prayers of our extended Firm family (you!) as we prepare and present and look forward to reporting back after a weekend full of encouragement.

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Practice Areas

Orlando Family Law – Orlando Divorce Lawyers – Orlando Family Attorney

The Marks Law Firm – Orlando Family Law Attorneys and Orlando Divorce Lawyers focus on providing service and support to families and individuals with family law needs in Orlando Florida.  Our practice areas include the following:

  • Adoption
  • Alimony
  • Assistance with Pro Se Divorce
  • Child Support
  • Collaborative Law
  • Contempt and Enforcement
  • Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)
  • Domestic Violence Injunctions
  • Guardian Ad Litem
  • Legal Separation
  • Mediation
  • Modification (Post-Dissolution)
  • Parental Decision-Making and Timesharing
  • Parent Coordination
  • Paternity
  • Pre-Nuptial and Ante-Nuptial Agreements
  • Support Unconnected with Dissolution of Marriage