The standard for divorce in Missouri is if there is no reasonable likelihood that the marriage of the parties can be preserved, and, as a result, it is irretrievably broken. The standard for legal separation, on the other hand, is that the marriage of the parties is not irretrievably broken and that therefore there remains…
Legal Articles
Saint Louis Divorce Attorney
The divorce process in Missouri can be quite exhausting, emotionally and legally. From a purely legal perspective, a detailed division and separation of the assets must take place. This includes debts — not just bank accounts, real estate, brokerage accounts, cars, etc. This asset distribution is made more complicated when assets like 401(k)s, IRAs, and…
Maintenance (Alimony) in Missouri Divorce
Maintenance — formerly known as alimony — is what a court can award from one spouse to another spouse in a divorce proceeding so that one spouse’s reasonable needs are met after the divorce. Missouri statutes list a number of factors the Court must consider in deciding whether to award maintenance: (1) The financial resources…
Guardianship, Parental Rights
Guardianship refers to the legal authority to care for a minor child or legally incapacitated adult. Natural parents automatically have this legal right over their children. When a natural parent’s passes away, or if his/her parental rights are terminated, an interested party (usually an extended family member) may petition the probate court for guardianship over…
Missouri Divorce
We offer free divorce consultations for divorce proceedings in Saint Louis County, Saint Louis City, Saint Charles, Jefferson County — and all other nearby counties in the Saint Louis region. For a couple to be divorced in Missouri, it must be shown that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” This point is usually one that goes…
Parenting Plan: Missouri Child Custody and Support
Parenting Plans are required in Missouri in cases of divorce, legal separation, etc. The Parenting Plan is, as you might expect, comprehensive. Courts will enter a weekly physical custody schedule, which even includes details regarding custody arrangements during holidays. Education choices, health care decisions, and extra-curricular decisions also need to be addresses. Are these decisions…
Missouri Divorce Attorney/Lawyer
In Missouri, Courts grant a divorce if a marriage is irretrievably broken. As a practical matter, parties in a divorce proceeding are usually in agreement as to this point, turning instead to the finer details that are involved in equitable distributing property and debts, while also (when necessary) trying to reach some common ground on…
Child Custody Relocation of a Child by a Parent/Legal Guardian
Under Missouri law, once a child custody order is in place by a Missouri Court, that Court has jurisdiction over the child for purposes of determining custody. As such, you are usually “locked in” to that County’s Court for some time. Accordingly, special procedures need to be followed if one parent wants to move a…
Qualified Domestic Relations Order: Support and Maintenance
In divorces in Missouri, a Court is empowered to make an equitable division of property if the parties cannot come to an agreement. Things such as savings accounts and brokerage accounts are easy to divide. On the other hand, things like a home, retirement accounts, IRAs, and other types of pensions are not easy to…
How is Maintenance (Alimony) Calculated in Missouri?
Maintenance is a monetary award entered by a Court ordering one spouse to pay another spouse. A Court may order maintenance after a divorce proceeding or legal separation. It may also be order during the pendency of a divorce/legal separation suit. What is required for a Court to enter maintenance? The Court may only grant…