Same-sex divorce in Missouri

You may have heard today that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.  This is great news for the lesbian and gay citizens of Missouri for two reasons.  One, they'll be able to get married and enjoy the same rights as everyone else.  And two, a portion of them will also get to experience the unparalleled service that Linnenbringer Law provides in handling uncontested divorce cases.

Even though Missouri may have not recognized same-sex marriage prior to today's holding, I have nonetheless had a number of individuals contact me regarding an uncontested divorce for their same-sex marriage.  These individuals married in Iowa or some other progressive state, and then moved to Missouri.  They now want a divorce, but many of the Missouri judges were understandably unsure whether they even had the legal authority to grant the dissolution (however, where there's a will, there's a way - I have had success in moving a number of same-sex uncontested divorces through our courts, even prior to today's ruling).

Either way, these issues should now be a thing of the past.  If you're a Missouri resident in a same-sex marriage, your marriage is now legally recognized here and, if and when you are ready, you will be able to take advantage of the low, flat-fee uncontested divorce service that Linnenbringer Law has to offer.

Learn more about uncontested divorce at www.LinnenbringerLaw.com.

Thank you,
Gerald Linnenbringer

Cheap Missouri divorce? How much does an uncontested divorce cost in Missouri?

Cheap Missouri Divorce?

For anyone who has suffered through a "traditional" divorce case, the term "cheap Missouri divorce" may seem like a misnomer.  But, I'm here to tell you, your divorce can be completed at a relatively inexpensive rate if you and your spouse can come to an agreement on all aspects of your case.

So, first, how inexpensive is "inexpensive"?  I charge flat fees for my uncontested divorce cases.  That flat fee varies, case-to-case, of course, but generally falls in the ballpark of $700 to $1,000.  The factors that go into determining the exact price include the volume of property being addressed in the settlement agreement and whether or not the parties have children.

I provide my clients with their final price quote after I've had a discussion with them in regards to these factors.  Since uncontested divorce representation involves very little legal advice (ie, I'm not advising the client how to "win" his or her case), what I'm really trying to determine is how long it will take me to draft their paperwork.  The longer I anticipate the drafting will take, the higher the fee.  It's not much different than traditional attorney billing in that sense, except the flat fee is not a retainer and the client does not pay a single dollar over what they are quoted.

Besides attorney fees, what other fees will your uncontested divorce consist of?  You'll have a filing fee, of course, which will be paid directly to the court when the case is filed.  The filing fee is generally in the $150 ballpark, but varies court-to-court.  If you have children, you may also be required to attend a parenting class, where you'll learn how to recognize if your child is having issues dealing with the divorce, among other things.  That class is usually in the $50-100 range but, again, varies depending on what county court your case is filed in.

Take a look at my website at www.LinnenbringerLaw.com for more uncontested divorce pricing details, as well as a good deal of other information pertaining to divorce in Missouri.

Thanks for reading

Gerald Linnenbringer

It's been awhile - where have I been?

Parties interested in uncontested divorce in Missouri know, it's been a couple of months since I've been able to provide entries for my Missouri Uncontested Divorce Blog.  I promise that haven't been slacking off though, I've been busy at work with not only my actual job, but also creating the new Linnenbringer Law homepage.  The new site brings better organized content, a quick, streamlined presentation, and a more appealing design.

It's been a good amount of work, so I hope you enjoy the new site.  Now that the update is complete, or at least substantially complete, I'll be sure to get back to bringing you the regularly updated Missouri uncontested divorce information you've grown to expect from Linnenbringer Law's blog.

Check out the new Linnenbringer Law homepage and the famous Linnenbringer Law Missouri Uncontested Divorce FAQ.

A Missouri Divorce in a Nutshell

Whether you are proceeding with a contested divorce or an uncontested divorce (through Linnenbringer Law, naturally), you are bound to hear terms and come across court-related documents that you are not familiar with. This is nothing to be embarrassed about, unless you're a divorce attorney, I suppose, and I'm pretty sure I've met one or two of them who didn't seem to understand much about divorce law either.

So, without further ado, let's get into it. You, the client, hires your attorney, leading to the following exchange:

Your New Divorce Attorney:
Thank you for hiring me and for paying my retainer. Please remember that it is essential that you keep your trust account replenished and full at all times. We need to get this case on file quickly, set some PDL motions, and get some discovery motions out. Eventually we'll have the information we need to develop an informed, reasonable settlement proposal. If we cannot reach a settlement, however, please remember that a trial will be required.

Loose Translation:
This is probably going to be pretty expensive. I'll be billing you by the hour, like nearly all attorneys do, so make sure each time I look to your trust account, there is money there to pay myself with. If you don't pay, I can withdraw from your case.

Getting your case on file requires, of course, that your case be filed with the courts. What does this consist of? As the Petitioner (the person filing the case / bringing the action), you will file, at a minimum, three pleadings: your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, a Statement of Income and Expense, and a Statement of Property and Debt.

Petition for Dissolution of Marriage

The Petition for Dissolution of Marriage basically lays out the "facts" of the case, as according to the Petitioner, and tells the court what the Petitioner wants (i.e., a request for maintenance, joint custody of the kids, attorney fees, etc).

Statement of Income and Expense

The Statement of Income and Expense provides a run down of how much money you make and what your anticipated post-dissolution expenses are. If your spouse is looking for maintenance, or you think they will be, you will want to make sure to not leave out any of your expenses. Why? Because part of what the court looks at when deciding whether maintenance is appropriate is the ability of the obligor to pay. In other words, if your Statement of Income and Expense shows that you have $2,000 left over at the end of each month, your spouse's attorney will probably have success arguing that you have an ability to pay some maintenance.

On the other hand, the court will factor in a party's need for maintenance when that party requests such. So, if you are requesting maintenance and your Statement of Income and Expense shows you can easily pay all of your monthly expenses with the income you currently have coming in, your spouse's attorney may be able to argue that you do not need maintenance as you can cover your reasonable expenses without financial assistance from your soon-to-be-ex spouse.

The proper course and safest bet, of course, is to be thorough and 100% truthful when it comes to filling out your Statement of Income and Expense.

Statement of Property and Debt

The Statement of Property and Debt outlines what the parties have, in terms of assets (homes, cars, investment accounts, retirement accounts, furniture, other stuff) and liabilities (who they owe money to). The Property and Debt Statement will also have the party's estimate on what each asset is worth and how much is owed for each liability.

For right or wrong, a party's Property and Debt Statement often "favors" them. You may see a party over-estimate the value of assets they don't want, or at least don't see themselves taking, in the divorce. Conversely, the party who anticipates receiving the property could undervalue the asset on their Statement of Property and Debt. Attorneys see this quite often, and generally remedy these disputes in value with an appraisal of the item in question.

Proposed Parenting Plan

If there are children involved in the divorce, the Petitioner will file not only the Petition for Dissolution, Statement of Income and Expense, and Statement of Property and Debt, but also a proposed parenting plan. This proposed parenting plan does what it sounds like - it proposes a custody and support plan. The Petitioner may choose to file a parenting plan that is truly reasonable and fair, or they may propose their "best case" parenting plan - i.e., a plan that, in their view, "favors" the Petitioner - as to not give away negotiating points with their initial filing. Only the Petitioner and his or her attorney can choose the best course of action when it comes to how to write up a proposed parenting plan, of course.

Service of Process

With the filing of the Petition for Dissolution and the accompanying pleadings outlined above, the case has begun. Nothing can really happen, however, until the Respondent (your spouse) is notified. This notification, in a legal sense, is accomplished by having your spouse served by a sheriff or process server (note that in a cooperative situation (uncontested divorce), the spouse will not be served, but will sign a Waiver of Service).

Respondent's Answer

Once your spouse is served, he or she is on the clock. If they don't file an Answer or hire an attorney within 30-days of being served, they are in danger of being in default. Once in default, your attorney can run into court and set the case for a default hearing. Assuming your spouse continues to ignore the fact that he or she was served and does not hire an attorney or file an answer, you will be granted your divorce at the default hearing.

Getting divorced through a default situation is less than ideal. You get your divorce, true, but there are often post-dissolution duties (i.e., refinancing jointly titled loans, removing a party from an asset they do not take in the divorce, etc) that are much, much easier if both spouse's are around and cooperating.

The more likely situation, of course, is that your spouse hires an attorney after they are served. At that point, your spouse's attorney will file his or her entry of appearance and, if they need additional time to file an Answer, they will request it (and generally get it) when they file their entry of appearance.

Your spouse's Answer will, well, answer the claims you made in your petition. If your Petition, in paragraph 7, says "Petitioner is in need of maintenance," for example, your spouse's answer will probably say something to the tune of, "Respondent denies the allegations made in paragraph 7 of Petitioner's petition." Fancy ways of saying, "I need maintenance" and your spouse responding, "no you don't."

With their answer, your spouse will probably file a Counter or Cross Petition, which will look a lot like your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, although it will have your spouse's "facts" and requests, as opposed to yours. Your spouse will also, just like you, file a Statement of Income and Expense, Statement of Property and Debt, and, if children are involved, a proposed Parenting Plan. Once each side has filed their initial pleadings, the case is off and running. If you've ever been through a contested divorce, you know this is a misnomer, as the case rarely feels like it's running anywhere. Crawling, maybe, but usually not running.

PDLs

Now, as for the PDL your attorney mentioned at the onset of this posting… PDL is short for, Pendente Lite, which is Latin for "pending litigation." These motions allow a party to request the court order something during the pendency of the case. Maintenance and child support PDLs are commonplace in cases where financial assistant is necessary for a party to maintain the status quo. For example, if the breadwinning spouse files for divorce and then moves out of the home, the party staying at home with the kids would probably file a PDL requesting child support and maintenance. Assuming these PDL motion were granted, the breadwinning spouse would then be obligated to pay child support and maintenance to the stay-at-home parent pending the litigation of the case. This helps maintains the status quo and brings a little consistency to what would be an even more difficult time for the stay-at-home spouse, in the event these PDL motions did not exist.

Discovery

Sometime during these initial months, your attorney and your attorney's spouse will file some discovery motions. These motions will request information from your employer regarding your pay, retirement accounts, etc., as well as requests for past bank records, statements regarding your debts, and stuff like that. Appraisals will be requested on the assets in which there are disputes in value. Depositions and written interrogatories can also be used to get answers to particular questions your attorney or your spouse's attorney have for the opposing party.

Wrapping Up

Eventually, your attorney and your spouse's attorney will have all the information they need, hopefully, to guide you to an appropriate settlement offer. If the two sides cannot agree on what is appropriate, the case proceeds to a trial, where the Judge will decide what is appropriate after the two party's and their attorney's present the evidence in a formal court setting.


Thanks for reading,
Gerald W. Linnenbringer

Maintenance in Missouri Rundown

What is maintenance?

Maintenance is another word for alimony, which is simply post-divorce spousal support.  Payments made from one ex-spouse to another for the support of the receiving spouse.

What are the types of maintenance?

Missouri has two types of maintenance obligations, modifiable and non-modifiable.  Modifiable maintenance, just like it sounds, can be modified by the court at a later date if one party files a Motion to Modify Maintenance.  A party attempting to modify a maintenance obligation will have to show a "continuing and substantial change in circumstances" that makes the terms of the original arrangement unreasonable and therefore, a change is warranted.

For example, let's say Husband and Wife divorce.  Husband is a professional soccer player and is ordered to pay $1,000 per month in modifiable maintenance. Two years after the divorce, Husband is attacked by a pack of feral bulldogs, not unlike the beast pictured here:

Husband loses both of his legs in the attack but manages to escape.  The first thing Husband would want do, after applying pressure to his wounds, of course, is to file a motion to modify that maintenance obligation.  His motion to modify would be based on the continuing and substantial change that he is no longer able to practice his craft and earn the income the original maintenance obligation was based off of.

A non-modifiable maintenance cannot be modified by the court at a later date.  It's more like a payment obligation that you'd see for a traditional loan:  Husband pays to Wife a sum of $500 per month for a term of 5 years, or something along those lines.  For non-modifiable maintenance, the payor is agreeing to pay whatever terms are agreed upon.  If the obligation is for $500 per month for 5 years, the paying party better plan on paying $500 per month for 5 years.  A non-modifiable maintenance obligation can be terminated by law, of course, like in the event that the party receiving maintenance re-marries.

How is maintenance handled come tax time?

The party who receives maintenance will claim it as income and pay taxes on it.  Naturally then, maintenance payments are a tax deduction for the party paying them.


You can read more exhilarating commentary about maintenance in Missouri over on my uncontested divorce F.A.Q. page.

Thanks for reading
Gerald W. Linnenbringer

Missouri Uncontested Divorce Timeline [Infographic]

I hope this uncontested divorce infographic is as fun to read as it was to make.

See my webpage's divorce FAQ for more Missouri uncontested divorce information.

Thanks for reading

Gerald W. Linnenbringer, Missouri Uncontested Divorce Attorney

GWL@LinnenbringerLaw.com
www.LinnenbringerLaw.com

Can one lawyer handle an uncontested divorce?

Can one lawyer handle your uncontested divorce?

Those looking for an uncontested divorce are generally price conscious people, so they often ask if their spouse will be needing to hire an attorney or, alternatively, whether the uncontested divorce lawyer that they hire will be representing both parties.  The answer to both of those question is no.

As to the first question, no, the Respondent (spouse of the client) does not need to hire an attorney in order to get your uncontested divorce done.  I can't ever tell a Respondent not to hire an attorney, of course, as that is their right.  However, I do not consider a divorce uncontested - at least not uncontested to the degree that allows a low, flat fee - if another attorney is involved.  

As to the second question, no, your attorney does not represent both parties in the divorce, as that would be unethical and against the lawyer's code of professional conduct.  

In my opinion, a good uncontested divorce lawyer, while not representing the Respondent, can put all of the parties' minds at ease by explaining the scope of representation involved in an uncontested divorce case.  In my practice, uncontested divorces involve a limited scope of representation.  That scope involves preparing the paperwork pursuant to the agreement reached between the client and their spouse, and pointing out where the parties need to address an issue or clarify something.  Never am I going beyond that scope and providing legal insight or guidance as to how my client can "win" or get one over on the non-represented party.  That would not be ethical nor fair nor good for the reputation of my business, honestly.  If a client is looking to slip a line in the settlement or parenting plan that I know is not agreed upon but may go unnoticed by the non-represented party, I simply decline representation.  

Uncontested divorces require a certain degree of trust by both parties, and certainly more from the Respondent than the client.  I understand this and do my best to make sure the unrepresented party - while not receiving any advice, legal or otherwise, from me - knows that I am representing Petitioner (but, on a limited scope basis, as explained above) and that they understand his or her right to get an attorney if they wish.

So yes, one lawyer can handle your uncontested divorce and, as my previous entry indicates, often without the need to ever step foot in court.  Feel free to call or email me to get your uncontested divorce started.

Thanks for reading

Gerald W. Linnenbringer, Missouri Uncontested Divorce Attorney

GWL@LinnenbringerLaw.com
www.LinnenbringerLaw.com