Missouri courts follow the American Rule, which holds that each party pays for their own attorney

An order of protection is the phrase used by Missouri law, but it is essentially synonymous with the phrase “restraining order.”

Most couples don’t choose divorce the way they choose, say, a vacation. For every pair that drifts apart gracefully and calls it a day, there are plenty more who spend years locked in cycles of conflict before anyone files. But there’s another kind of split that’s becoming harder to ignore, one where nobody’s fighting because one person already checked out months ago—the blindside divorce. Often one spouse had been mentally checked out for years, filing away every unmet need

A Kansas City area divorce or child custody dispute can be an emotionally taxing and heart wrenching process, particularly in a situation where one party is suspicious the other party is guilty of infidelity (marital misconduct). Questions you bring up that go unanswered, inexplicable physical absences..... can cause one spouse to want to do a little digging and play detective. For some suspicious parties, the idea of planting a GPS tracking device to monitor their spouse’s

men who travel abroad seeking romantic relationships, typically with the goal of finding a spouse or long-term partner.

Missouri's new divorce during pregnancy law expressly mandates that the fact that one spouse is pregnant cannot be the sole reason why a court refuses to enter a judgment for dissolution of marriage or legal separation.

Parents who are members of the United States Armed Forces can face unique challenges when it comes to parenting, especially in the case of divorce or never married parents who have separated. When these service members are ordered to deploy, obviously it substantially affects their ability to parent their children during their deployment. All 50 states have these Deployed Serviceperson’s Protection Laws to protect parents who are service members and Missouri is no different.

What do you do if you've been served with divorce paper? 1. Contact a local family law attorney immediately In essence your spouse is suing you, so you MUST take getting served with a petition for dissolution very seriously. It’s imperative that you seek help to learn your obligations and rights under Missouri law, and how you should proceed. In Missouri divorce filings, you must respond with a notarized answer to the petition for dissolution of marriage within 30 days afte

In Missouri, the amount of child support is subject to reconsideration when financial circumstances have changed to such an extent that the child support amount is changed by at least 20%.

You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase men’s rights or father’s rights, but what actually is men’s rights? The Men’s Rights Movement (MRM), also called Men’s Rights Activism (MRA), is a movement supporting various causes benefiting men originated in the 1970s. Men’s Rights Activists focus on societal issues which disproportionately affect men, including homelessness, addiction, suicide and various types of perceived discrimination toward men. For our purposes, which is the rig

Johnny Depp has been a superstar actor for nearly 4 decades. From his jump to stardom on the police drama 21 Jump Street, to his breakout box office role in Edward Scissorhands, to the uber popular 6 Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you undoubtedly know who Johnny Depp is. Several years ago, on the tv and internet, there was no shortage of clips of Johnny Depp’s defamation trial with Amber Heard. Johnny Depp first met Amber Heard while filming The Rum Diary, an unheralded

a parent does have the option to petition the court to modify the original judgment of dissolution or child custody by filing a motion to modify.

Missouri law has long recognized a trial court’s discretion to impute income in family law cases

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Unfortunately, all too often in representing men in divorce and child custody disputes, our office hears from men whose children are being wrongfully withheld from them. Now, without a doubt there are times when children should be protected from their fathers, such as when Dad has abused the children, acted inappropriately toward the children, or has an addiction or substance use disorder which potentially puts the children in jeopardy when they are around him. However, when

Employability thwarts maintenance (aka "alimony") Traditionally, in past decades, most women did not formerly “work” at a job, but rather stayed at home as homemakers, taking care of the home and the children. Although as anyone who has raised children will attest to, it is undoubtedly a lot of work. In the sense of this classic example, when spouses separated or divorced, it was only fair that the man help support his ex-wife, who typically had little to no ear

When it comes to child custody and parenting time determinations, Missouri law recommends joint custody according to Missouri State Statute RSMo § 452.375 . Judges in Missouri are urged by the statute to award custody in accordance with what is in the best interests of the child. What is joint custody? There are two types of child custody, legal custody and physical custody. In joint legal custody, both parents share the decision-making authority when it comes to matters

It’s an unfortunate reality that substance abuse and addiction play a paramount role in the demise of families and relationships. Addiction causes people to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do, and behave in ways they otherwise would not. Often, when those with harmful addictions recover, relationships can begin to mend, and families can begin to heal. Unfortunately, many addictions do not have happy outcomes. In Missouri divorce and child custody cases, courts take evidenc

C ourts in Missouri are not required by law to divide marital assets equally, but rather only equitably, thus making Missouri an “equitable distribution state.” The State Statute concerning property division in dissolution of marriage (divorce) is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 452.330 “Disposition of property and debts, factors to be considered.” According to the statute , a Judge shall divide the marital assets and marital debts in such proportions as the Judge deems just after consi

Traditionally, during the 1950’s through the 1980's when divorce became more common, and for a variety of reasons, courts favored mothers when it came to child custody and child support because during this time period most fathers worked and supported the family while the mother stayed at home and raised the children. Because society often changes faster than state legislatures and court opinions, more recently men who have desired to be a bigger part of their children’s live