Effective May 16, 2020, the Missouri Supreme Court’s Order established a four (4) phased plan to reopen courthouses across our State. This operational directive applies to all State Courts in Missouri and explains the criteria for how all 46 judicial circuits in Missouri will reopen access to staff, attorneys and the…
As a result of the ongoing pandemic due to the corona virus, on Friday April 17th the Supreme Court of Missouri extended its order prohibiting in-person hearings in Missouri courts, now through May 15th, 2020. However, despite this limitation, most courts have adopted protocols to continue to move forward with…
So, you have an estate plan that was created many years ago. Maybe you know where the documents are, or maybe you aren’t sure. But, what you do know is that many things have changed in your life since you first setup your plan. In this blog we discuss the importance…
As a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri and the requirement that citizens practice social distancing to combat the spread of the virus, by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri, every courthouse in Missouri is closed to in-person hearings, with few exceptions. As of the…
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the direction to increase social distancing, on April 17th, 2020 the Supreme Court of Missouri entered an Order extending its previous prohibition on in-person court appearances through May 15th, 2020. With the exponential increase in the number of the COVID-19 cases in…
The family law system in the State of Missouri has recently seen a significant shift in the potential success of claims of third parties seeking custody rights with minor children. This shift was further defined by a recent decision from the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals. In…
While it is not mandatory in Missouri that a divorced mother and father contribute to their children’s college expenses, Missouri family courts may order either parent to contribute to the cost of their children’s continuing education. This can be done after a contested trial, or it can become an order…
In most cases, child support in Missouri ends when a child graduates high school after his eighteenth birthday. As we have addressed in previous blogs, a parent’s Missouri child support obligation may also continue until a child’s twenty first birthday if that child continues his education beyond high school…
As we have discussed in previous blogs, the method to calculate the presumed child support amount in Missouri Family Courts is dictated by Missouri Supreme Court Rule and through the use of the “Form 14”. Effective July 1, 2017 a new version of the Form 14 will take effect. In…
In today’s blog we discuss the consideration of future pension benefits in the division of marital property in Missouri Family Courts. In previous blogs, we have addressed the entitlement of divorcing spouses to retirement benefits accumulated during the marriage. In circumstances when the parties have accumulated, during the marriage, savings…