Divorce, Custody & Adoption
Family law is one of the most litigated fields given the personal aspects of the issues and the diversity of the issues that can arise. At Grimes, Fay & Kopp, we are proud to assist families in overcoming and working through their domestic issues. Our dedicated attorneys have decades of experience that they will use to help you develop a unique and personalized strategy that ensures a satisfying resolution. We are a client-centered team that can provide you with trusted, non-nonsense legal counsel whether you need help with a divorce, paternity, child custody, child support or adoption.
Our firm handles all are of family and domestic relations including:
Divorce/Dissolution:
The dissolving of a marriage can be one of the most emotional and stressful times in a persons life. Our attorneys have years of experience addressing issues of property division, maintenance/alimony and the allocation of debts. Our team will be there with you step by step through the court process to assist in reducing the stress of this difficult time.
Child Custody:
The issues of custody can arises in several different scenarios, whether it is in a divorce/dissolution, paternity, guardianship or third party custody. Courts in Missouri are required to consider the best interests of the child when determining custody. The “best interests” of a child is not always exactly what a parent wants or what a child wants but most be evaluated by the Court and all relevant factors, including but not limited to: (1) the wishes of the child parents; (2) needs of the child for frequent, continuing and meaningful relationship with both parents and the willingness of a parent to function as parents; (3) interaction of the child with parents, siblings and other individuals who may affect the best interests of the child; (4) which parent is more likely to allow frequent, continuing and meaningful relationship with the other parent; and (5) the wishes of the child. Our attorneys are ready and willing to assist you in analyzing the facts of your particular case to properly explain the application of the law to the facts of your case, provide you with a realistic evaluation of the potential custodial award by our Courts and work with you to fight on your side for custody.
Paternity:
If you are a parent of a child born with a person whom you were not married to you may have to face issues of determining legal paternity, support obligations and custodial arrangements. Whether the Father’s name is on the birth certificate or not, it may be necessary for a parent to seek a resolution within the Court system in order to establish parental rights. A Court Order of paternity will establish significant rights and obligations including an order of child support, custodial schedules and other financial support responsibilities relating to the child. Our firm is dedicated to assisting parents through the difficulty that arises with establishing the rights of each parent as to their child.
Child Support:
Missouri has in place specific guidelines through the use of Form 14 Calculations for the establishment of child support payments. These guidelines provide a basis for calculating support; however, the guidelines contain many deviations that can greatly affect the date included in the calculation. We have attorneys that will assist you in establishing the best strategies to maximize these deviations to aspects of your case in order to predict and negotiate a fair payment for the benefit of your child.
Adoption:
The process of adoption is an emotional time for families. There are many ways that individuals can find themselves seeking legal assistance to navigate through the court system for a private agency, or step-parent adoption. Attorneys in our firm have legal and personal experience in the area of adoption and are happy to represent parents in the creation or expansion of their families.
