Reviews

I never write reviews, for anything. The way I look at it, if this review can stop someone from making the worst decision of their life by using this firm, its worth it. DO NOT USE THIS FIRM. I highly suggest you use a local, flat rate attorney. This firm is a huge corporation who doesn't care about you or your situation. Do not fall for the $100 consult. You will not be able to ask questions about your case without being charged at least $50-$100, even for a simple yes or no question. .I did not receive my discovery questions on time, they greatly miscalculated my child support worksheet, told me "there is no way your wife will get alimony" ( guess what? she did ), and had no clue how to answer simple questions of the divorce process. Having been through these cases before and this being their job, one would think they would have basic knowledge of how things go, they do not. After the consult, you'll be charged $200 an hour for mundane, simple tasks. Any email or call will not only cost you $50-$100, they will also charge you $50-$100 to reply to you! You'll then go through discovery which is an awful, tedious process of documenting everything you and your soon to be ex have done. After discovery is mediation. This is the kicker, before a trial can be set, you must go to mediation. If you are a man and you make more money than your wife, PREPARE TO BE HAD. Knowing that you are a man and make more money, your wife's atty and your wife will ask and more than likely get whatever they want ( custody, alimony, child support, you name it ). Sure, you can get up and walk out but you'll only have to return to mediation and start all over again. Your other option is to go to trial but you will continue to pay your atty, your wife's atty ( guaranteed if you make more than your wife ), and the mediator ( just another atty you're also going to be paying $300 an hour ). So basically, you'll be paying $1,000 an hour to argue with your wife over things that she knows you'll cave to bc you are paying $1,000 an hour to dispute them. You'll be stuck between a rock and a hard place and by a hard place I mean a trial that will be at least 6 months down the road and cost an extra $30k ( min ). You'll have to go through depositions which will likely involve everyone you know and cost $10k. You'll be urged to take the deal at mediation, no matter how raw of a deal it is for you. Trust me, even if things are somewhat amicable with your wife, things will get ugly here. Your wife will not care if this process drags out bc she's not the one paying $1,000 an hour, its you! So if you want out and want out fast, you'll cave at mediation or be hit with a mountain of legal fees no one will recover from for what will most likely be the same or worse ruling if your case actually went to trial 6 months down the road. I BEG YOU to go with a local, flat rate atty. This will save you thousands and get you better service. You can be more involved in your case without being nickel and dimed to death. In closing, here are a few simple tips I can give you that no one told me... 1) Use a local, flat rate atty. DO NOT USE THIS FIRM!!!! 2) DO NOT MOVE OUT, this will be held against you 3) Fight for as much custody as you can, this will reduce your child support 4) Do not do anything that can be held against you in mediation or at trial. In the event you go to trial ANYTHING you've done will be held against you and will sway the judge against you. Remember, you are already swayed against bc you are a man and if you make more money, its even more so. 5) Fight hard at mediation, once that day is done and its signed, you'll have to live with the results for the rest of your life. 6) You will not be able to deduct your alimony and child support from your taxes ( recent tax law change, thanks to Trump *sarcasm*) 7) If your wife does not work or has not worked for years, you will be paying alimony until you die. I agree, its a man's world...until its time to get divorced. If your wife doesn't know that already, I assure you her atty will inform her

The lawyers have a quota to meet because Cordell and Cordell is an international corporation and money making machine. So they are only looking for every possible way to bill you in order to fill their quota. They do not care about you, they are not “for dads”. Most of the positive reviews are for Katie zipper, who left Cordell and Cordell a long time ago and started her own practice for this very reason. She is great. They are not. They will ruin your life and accomplish nothing for you. Please find a local lawyer, not this corporation.

They prey on your situation with their "for dad's" slogan and come off with a great $100 consultation where they make you feel a little better. But, once you hire them, the money making scheme begins. The only thing Bethany Brasher did thoroughly and with immense attention to detail was the timekeeping and billing. Don't get sucked in by their slogan like I did. They do not care about you or your family or your situation. My lawyer was basically a robot that loved to round up on time spent doing simple tasks. She consistently performed tasks that I never even knew about or asked for. She drafted and sent a discovery request to my wife's lawyer without even telling me and she never even showed me the questions "I" was supposedly asking and wanting to discover. She billed me three times for the same task - she emailed me asking a question and then also called and left a message asking the same question from the email and billed for both of them. Then my response which was simply "no" was the third charge. I got to the point where I felt like I could never ask her a question because I had to ask myself if it was worth another $50-$100 bucks. They invented unnecessary work in order to make money. Every single document I WAS able to review before it was filed had numerous spelling errors, punctuation problems or completely inaccurate information. I felt like I was being represented by a high school drop out. I got $8,500 in debt with only a temporary parenting plan completed and no end in sight. I finally realized I needed to have them withdraw from the case so I could find a local lawyer. They are a huge international corporation who only cares about money and not helping struggling dads stay close to their kids. It was the worst mistake of my life to hire them and one I will be struggling to pay off for years.

They are no more "for dads" than any other attorney. Horrible experience. Modification of support took over a year and $7,000. Attorney allowed opposing council to walk all over her. The only thing they did timely was draft my bank account. Next time I'll hire a small shop local attorney.

Bethany Brasher of Cordell and Cordell represented my interests in my divorce. She did an outstanding job and allowed me to get this matter completed in very quick fashion. I would highly recommend her and Cordell and Cordell to others needing divorce representation and please keep in mind, if you wait and do not get represented or you get representation after your spouse does, you will be behind the 8 ball. Be proactive, a lot is riding on your legal choices!!

Katie Zipper handled a child support modification issue for me that had been completely bungled by the Tennessee Child Support Enforcement Office for more than a year. She quickly grasped both the gravity of the case as well as the primary issues on which she needed to focus. She consistently kept me informed on progress on my case while she was preparing for a court hearing. On the day of the hearing she was extraordinarily well prepared and demonstrated an adept, effective manner in court. While she wasn't able to accomplish everything she hoped to do on my behalf, I came through the process in much better shape than I was before. I commend Katie to anyone needing empathetic, diligent, and assertive legal counsel.

Katie Zipper is an absolutely amazing lawyer. As a father about to be lost in the system, Katie guided me through the entire process. She's honest, she's reliable, she's extremely knowledgeable. Whether it was good news, bad news, wins or losses, it didn't matter. Katie was there. She was always responsive and paid attention to every detail. I can't say thank you enough to Katie / Cordell and Cordell for everything they've done. I have a beautiful family because of their commitment to me and my children. Thank you.

My attorney addressed every question and concern I had. She was very detailed and organized. I felt She was very sympathetic to my situation and treated my case as if she had made it her personal situation as well. She was my voice. Cordell and Cordell was very professional. They were willing to bend their fee protocol just a little in order to accommodate my financial struggles. They are really "in it to win it" for men and their domestic litigation.