Divorcing while facing death has made headlines recently (see Dennis Hopper; John and Elizabeth Edwards) and is now the subject of a Time magazine article that quotes Joseph Cordell, Principal Partner of Cordell & Cordell, P.C.

The article says deathbed divorce is not as uncommon as one may think, and asks the question, “Why would anyone go through (divorcing while dying), considering the irreconcilable differences they already have with their mortality?”

Hopper, the legendary actor, is terminally ill with prostate cancer and is believed to be seeking a divorce from his fifth wife from his deathbed to protect his assets. (Read DadsDivorce.com’s article “Divorcing from your deathbed”) 

Cordell, whose firm is the premier law firm in the country focusing on men and divorce, said in a case like Hopper’s, the adult children of a multiple marrier who develops an illness may try to pre-empt an estate battle by taking care of business before the funeral. 

Why?

“They distrust the new spouse,” Cordell said.

Cordell also recounted the experience of a man dying of ALS whose wife tried to divorce him because she was concerned about the cost of his treatments. 

Click here to read the full Time magazine article.

Joseph Cordell, Principal Partner of Cordell & Cordell, P.C., appeared on The Bill McLeod Show to offer a range of advice for men and fathers facing the divorce process.

Cordell, whose firm is the premier law firm in the country focusing on men and divorce, talks about practical divorce issues, court bias and the special challenges dads face in divorce courts.

“It’s frustrating for guys who went through the process that it seems so obvious that this field is not quite level and yet there is no recognition or acknowledgement of that from mainstream institutions or media,” Cordell told McLeod. “The official position is we’re a gender-blind court system, and all of our processes are based upon merit. But the reality is that they’re not.”

Click here to listen to the whole interview.

As unemployment rises nationwide, many divorced parents are unable to make their child support payments resulting in a surge of payment modification requests, according to an Associated Press article that quotes Joseph Cordell, Principal Partner of Cordell & Cordell, P.C.

With many job cuts coming in the manufacturing and construction industries - and their predominantly male workforce - the sluggish economy's impact is disproportionately hitting men. And because nearly 83 percent of custodial parents are women, men are left to pay most of the child support obligations.

Cordell, whose national firm focuses on men and divorce, questioned the fairness of having men pay for more child support than they can afford.

"With an intact family, everyone ends up having to bear that hardship," he said. "What we're finding too often is judges want to insulate mom and the child from dad's economic nightmare."

There has also been an increase from unemployed custodial parents seeking higher support payments from their kids' employed parent, according to Cordell.

Click here to read more of the story.

Joseph Cordell, Principal Partner of Cordell & Cordell, P.C., a firm focusing on men in divorce, appeared on nationally syndicated radio program The Matt & Ramona Show to discuss common issues of divorce.

Cordell answered questions from listeners and dispensed advice on a number of topics, including maintenance, documentation, the advantages of hiring an attorney first, and why it’s best to stay in your marital home when going through a divorce.

“Divorce is something no one wants to go through voluntarily,” Cordell said. “It’s a deep valley; for some it’s deeper and longer than others.”

Click here to listen to the podcast for more advice.

A recent survey shows 57 percent of lawyers nationwide have seen a decrease in divorce filings compared to last fall, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

That’s on top of a steady plunge of filings since 2007.

“The current economic climate is proving to be far more unforgiving than estranged couples seeking a divorce,” Gary Nickelson, president of the AAML, said in a statement. "Forced to weigh damaged marriages against tight budgets and uncertain financial outlooks, many spouses seem more willing to try to wait out the recessionary storm." 

However, there are those who feel you shouldn’t let the poor economy prevent you from getting a divorce that would inevitably happen. For some guys, divorce may make the most sense when they think they can least afford it.

For those already committed to divorce, family law attorney Joseph Cordell, JD, CPA, LL.M explains strategies that are available in a weak economy.