During several divorce, paternity or child support cases, a long period of time can elapse between the filing of the petition and when the court enters its final judgment and order. It is quite common for cases to last 18+ months, particularly in contested cases. Knowing this, parties will often string a case out as…
Legal Articles
Child Custody Modification/Changes
Judicial child custody orders can be modified if the Court finds that a changs has occurred in the circumstances of the child or his/her custodian and that modification is necessary to serve the child’s best interests. Section 452.410.1. Before a custody can be modified, there must be a significant or substantial change in circumstances. Kinner v….
Custody Modification: Military
Child custody orders are very difficult when one party is in the military and on active service. Section 452.412 sets a number of limits on child custody modifications when a parent is in the military and deployed out of state: A party’s absence, relocation […] shall not, by itself, be sufficient to justify a modification of…
Child Custody & Child Support Attorney
In Missouri, the most important factor a Court considers before making a child support or child custody decree is the best interests of the child(ren). When parents disagree about what is in a given child’s best interests, the Court will often appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the child if he or she is…
Paternity
A pre-requisite to an order of child support or child custody is that a parent-child relationship exists. Under Missouri Statute 210.819, a parent child-relationship is established in one of three ways. One of the more common ways it is established is through paternity proceedings. Missouri Statutes set up a scheme whereby there is either a…