Cordell & Cordell

Cordell & Cordell
Headquarters Saint Louis, Missouri
No. of offices 115 offices
No. of attorneys Approximately 200 attorneys
No. of employees Approximately 400 employees
Major practice areas Family Law
Key people Joseph E. Cordell, Yvonne Cordell, Scott C. Trout, Allison Cunningham, Frank Murphy, Spencer Williams, Barbara Johnson-Stern, Kristin Zurek, Kelly Burris, Bryan Abercrombie, Andrew Ordyna
Date founded 1990
Slogan A partner men can count on
Website
CordellCordell.com

Cordell & Cordell is a domestic litigation firm based in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, that is frequently cited as the largest men's divorce law firm in the country[1] with more than 115 offices and 200 attorneys in 30 states. The growth has been rapid: in 2002, the firm had just three offices in two states.[2]

The Wall Street Journal has described the firm as "among the most ambitious of a breed of law firms that has emerged to capitalize on the fathers' rights movement, which believes that courts slight men in divorce and especially in child custody cases."[3]

Legal practice

The law firm exclusively practices family law and primarily focuses on representing men and fathers' rights. Cordell and Cordell has "carved out a niche in cities across the country by almost exclusively representing men in divorce and custody settlements," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.[4] The number of complaints lodged against this firm continues to grow as clients across the country report inadequate and incompetent representation, gouging, charges for services not rendered, and assorted other violations of legal ethics.[5]

Divorce resources

As part of the firm's outreach efforts, Cordell & Cordell operates a network of online properties designed to offer additional divorce resources and information to men going through divorce. In its profile of the firm in the article "Lawyers Carve Out Divorce For Men Niche,"[6] The Wall Street Journal cited several of these websites and their featured articles as striking a chord with men wary of a court system predisposed against them.

History

Cordell & Cordell was founded in 1990 by Joseph Cordell and his wife, Yvonne. What began as a general practice firm evolved into focusing on representing men in divorce and custody cases when the Cordells noticed the challenges consistently facing men when it came to issues of custody, alimony, and domestic violence accusations.[7]

"During the course of that experience I couldn't help but notice the challenges consistently facing the guys side of the table," Mr. Cordell's bio reads. "I found in waging those fights that I enjoyed it more. So we proclaimed ourselves as a firm that devoted itself to representing men in domestic relations matters."[8]

In 2001, the firm expanded into Kansas City, added Atlanta in 2004, Indianapolis in 2005, Dallas and Chicago in 2006, and eventually has worked its way into most major cities.[3]

In May 2015 the firm expanded to the UK and opened its first office in Central London.[9]

Co-founder Joseph Cordell commented on the launch: “Men are still unfairly represented in family courts in the UK. We recognised the need to provide a better service back in 1990 in the US, so it’s great to expand the business and help more fathers, dads, and husbands in need of advice and representation.”[9]

Client-centered approach

In a feature piece on Cordell & Cordell, the Cincinnati Enquirer[4] outlined several reasons for the booming growth the firm has experienced, including how its unique customer service practices are notable to the legal profession. The article explained that Cordell & Cordell reviews social media profiles, communication between couples, and other sources as part of their background information gathering efforts.

The Enquirer described how Cordell & Cordell's client care division is responsible for gauging client satisfaction throughout the divorce process. The law firm also uses a metric system to rate client satisfaction and promotes and rewards its lawyers based on these metrics.[10]

"We have a novel approach to the customer care aspect of our practice," Cordell & Cordell attorney Tifanie McMillan told the paper.

Media coverage

The firm's business practices have been featured nationally in print by outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Time magazine; on TV with appearances on Fox & Friends; on radio with guest spots on Bloomberg Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio, Money Radio and Fox News Radio; and online by CNN, Business Insider and The Huffington Post. In addition, various consumer complaint websites such as Ripoff Report, Complaint Board, and Pissed Consumer have logged hundreds of complaints against the firm for unethical practices and gouging.

Notable topics of interviews include:

References

  1. 1 2 Woodruff, Mandy (10 May 2012). "More Men Are Winning Battles In Divorce Court Today". BusinessInsider.com. Business Insider. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Cordell & Cordell offices". Cordell & Cordell. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 Carrns, Ann (8 March 2007). "Law Firms Pitch Themselves As The Divorced Guy's Guys" (PDF). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 Wallner, Jeff (March 4, 2012). "Law firm growing with niche - men". Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati Enquirer.
  5. ↑ http://www.complaintboard.com/cordell-amp-cordell-l656.html
  6. ↑ Smith, Jennifer (July 23, 2012). "Lawyers Carve Out 'Divorce for Men' Niche". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ "Joseph Cordell Huffington Post bio". Huffington Post. Huffington Post.
  8. ↑ "Joseph E. Cordell".
  9. 1 2 "Cordell & Cordell UK Launch". Cordell & Cordell. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Cordell & Cordell Quality Control Process". CordellCordell.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Do men need extra legal protection in divorce court?". Fox News. 30 July 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  12. ↑ Luscombe, Belinda (4 February 2010). "Facing Death and Divorce at the Same Time". Time. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  13. ↑ Luscombe, Belinda (3 March 2009). "Facebook and Divorce: Airing The Dirty Laundry". Time. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ Romans, Christine (3 March 2009). "Economy prolongs some marriages, ends others". CNN. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  15. ↑ Beil, Laura (1 March 2013). "How To Handle Divorce: The Custody Bias". Men's Health Magazine. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ Cordell, Joseph. "Huffington Post Divorce Column: Joseph Cordell". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  17. ↑ Jayson, Sharon (14 June 2014). "More Dads Demand Equal Custody Rights". USA Today. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Lawyers Carve Out 'Divorce for Men' Niche". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 Interview". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "Economy prolongs some marriages, ends others". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Meet the divorce lawyers standing up for dads' rights". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.