When family disputes rise to the level where legal intervention is necessary, it is important to have knowledgeable and dedicated attorneys. These attorneys represent your interests and protect your family. We understand that every family and their respective family law case is different. That’s why we approach every family law case with your specific goals and concerns in mind.
At St. Charles-based Flesner Wentzel, our family lawyers handle everything from divorce and child custody disputes to termination of parental rights and adoption.
The end of a marriage is often highly emotional and stressful. Ending a marriage is full of decisions that have lasting consequences on all parties involved. And, we know that the divorce process has the potential to quickly become contentious. At Flesner Wentzel, we help make the divorce process as smooth as possible for our clients.
Our attorneys understand our divorce clients will have issues arise suddenly. We know that you need to be able to discuss them with your attorney as soon as possible We have an online client system with an iPhone/iPad app that allows you to send messages to your attorney. In addition, you can share documents with your attorney. Our family law attorneys check their messages regularly and will get back to you quickly.
In some situations, divorce is not the only choice. Some couples realize that they need to separate legally, but do not wish to get divorced. Legal separations happen for many reasons. These reasons include that the parties hope they will be able to reconcile in the future and for religious reasons.
In the state of Missouri, the court can grant couples a legal separation. The court can divide marital property and debt, order maintenance (commonly called alimony), and make orders with respect to child custody and support. Although the court handles most of the same issues as in a divorce, there are some differences. In a legal separation, the parties remain married to each other. Additionally, they cannot get married to another person. However, each family law case is different, and legal separation is no different. At Flesner Wentzel, we will keep that in mind as we approach your case.
The state of Missouri knows that father-child relationships are important. There is no presumption that children are better off with moms. In fact, after a divorce or break up, many fathers share custody 50-50 with their ex-spouses. Additionally, they may even become the primary caretakers of minor children.
At Flesner Wentzel, we are here to help fathers protect their rights. We want to make sure they can have meaningful relationships with their children. We work to ensure that fathers can get the visitation and custody time that is so important in establishing a solid relationship. Throughout the divorce process, we are here to protect those important parenting rights.
Many children are born outside of marriage in the world today. However, even when parents agree on the paternity of their child, unmarried parents must take steps to gain legal rights to child custody, visitation, and child support.
Taking these steps to establish legal paternity is important to not only gain legal rights. It is also there to ensure that your child has the right to inherit from you. It also helps your child have access to Social Security and health benefits you may have. Flesner Wentzel can help sort out these issues and make sure that the proper rights are in place.
Stepparents often play an important role in a child’s life. Children and stepparents develop bonds with each other that are just deep and meaningful as the bonds between children and their biological parents. At Flesner Wentzel, we help new families come together. We help with stepparent adoption to create the necessary legal bonds that will help solidify their places in their children’s lives.
Often, after an initial family court order, circumstances change. These circumstances make the order no longer be in the best interest of the involved children. The changing circumstances may include a move by one parent, the loss of a parent’s job. In addition, it includes abuse or neglect of the children when in the custody of one parent. You can file a Motion to Modify the current custody or support order. Our family lawyers at Flesner Wentzel are well equipped to help get the necessary modifications made.
Through the use of a Premarital or Prenuptial agreement, couples are allowed to clarify their rights to the other person’s property. These agreements would be valid in the event that a marriage ends either by divorce or death. Due to the increase in marriages later in life, pre-marital agreements or prenups are becoming increasingly important. Oftentimes, premarital agreements of prenups are signed when one or both of the parties have already accumulated significant assets. They are also signed in the case that the parties had children from a prior relationship who need to be protected. In addition to protecting existing assets, these agreements are useful when the couple plans to keep separate finances.
It is important that counsel be involved in the creation of premarital agreements. This ensures the validity and fairness of the agreement. Counsel can advise both parties in making informed decisions. At Flesner Wentzel, we can help!
There is nothing that is more important than your relationship with your child. At Flesner Wentzel, we are here for you and your family. We will help you protect the parent-child bond that you share with your children. In addition, we are here to fight against involuntary parental termination that happens as a result of a report to the Children’s Division (CD) hotline.
Flesner Wentzel also wants to help protect the children that you love. From guardianships to the relinquishment of parental rights, our family lawyers will be here to help the necessary course of action be taken.
