Virtual Coffee Break
Your place on the web to read and learn more about a variety of legal topics from the comfort of your own office chair. And we’ve kept each topic concise enough that it can be covered in the time it takes to break for coffee!
GRANDPARENT’S RIGHTS IN MISSOURI
Missouri law provides specifically for grandparent visitation and grandparent third-party custody, both by statute. Both statutes have been examined in many different factual situations by the courts, and between the statute and the case law, a somewhat clear picture...
NINE SECRETS TO SUCCESSFUL CO-PARENTING IN ST. LOUIS
Remember that children can only be as happy as their least happy parent. So long as they are not abusive to your children, accept the bonus mom or bonus dad in your children’s lives. Keep lines of communication open. Be honest and respectful of the other parent. If...
MY CHILD IS NOW HEADING TO COLLEGE: WHAT DO I DO NOW TO MAKE SURE MY EX PAYS THEIR PART
Missouri law is very clear and specific about child support after a child reaches 18 or is graduated from high school. By way of background, if a child is 18 and enrolled in and attending a secondary school program of instruction (high school or its equivalent), the...
HAD NO ATTORNEY AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THE OBLIGATION TO PAY FOR COLLEGE IS ENFORCEABLE? FOLLOW THIS FORMULA
I often speak with folks who represented themselves in their divorce or paternity action and are now, years later, finding out that the agreement they made to share the cost of college is not enforceable by the courts. Of course, they only come to see me when the...
The Top 10 Things Your Divorce Lawyer Does NOT Need to Know
1. Anything about your sex life unless it was so extreme that is caused you great emotional distress. So great that you received psychiatric help for your distress. 2. Your political opinions. We don’t care. We have our own. Your political party affiliation...
? Worried that your spouse won’t let you get divorced? Don’t
In Missouri, if the requirements regarding residency are met, the bases for a dissolution of marriage are generally: (1) that the marriage is irretrievably broken AND (2) that there is no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved. On those rare...
WHAT IS RULE 68 IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY FAMILY COURT CASES AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU
Several years ago, the St. Louis County Family Court adopted Rule 68, which acts as a guide to the orderly progression of family law (dissolution of marriage (divorce), legal separation, paternity (unmarried parents, father not named on the birth certificate), custody...
HOW THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY COURT WILL DIVIDE THE PROPERTY IN YOUR DIVORCE
In St, Louis County (and everywhere in Missouri, in fact) the law that controls the division of property is straightforward, although the application involves some discretion on the part of the judge. The law says that the marital property is to be...
DEBT IN YOUR ST. LOUIS COUNTY (MISSOURI) DIVORCE
An essential piece of every St. Louis County divorce is the division of debt, or more accurately, the allegation of responsibility for all debt incurred during the marriage. Technically, this means debt incurred from the date of the marriage to the date of divorce,...
The GAL (Guardian ad Litem) in your court case
In about 40% of my cases involving child custody, a Guardian ad Litem is appointed. This person is most often referred to as the GAL (said as 3 letters, not like an old-fashioned term for a lady) or Guardian. This person is an attorney who has completed special...