A family law case rarely ends at the divorce decree, and our Kirkwood family law attorneys help families handle what comes next.
Key Takeaways:
A divorce decree in Kirkwood doesn’t close the book on family law. Kids grow up, jobs change, and a parenting plan written years ago may not always fit the family it was written for, which is often how people end up needing help again: through a modification, a paternity question, or a custody dispute that’s already underway.
Haefner Law Office is exclusively dedicated to family law, with more than 35 years of combined experience helping St. Louis families through exactly these situations, from first custody orders to complex modifications.
Book a free phone consultation with our trusted Kirkwood family law attorneys to talk through what your situation actually needs.
A few issues tend to bring Kirkwood families back into the legal system, often years after the original divorce is already final.
Each of these issues can surface on its own or alongside a divorce that is still working through the courts. Our knowledgeable Kirkwood family law attorneys help clients figure out which one actually applies to their situation before any paperwork gets filed.
Modifying an existing custody or support order follows its own process, separate from how the original divorce was resolved:
Step 1: Showing a substantial change. Missouri courts won’t revisit an order just because one parent wants different terms, so something concrete has to have shifted since the last order was entered.
Step 2: Filing a motion to modify. If both parents agree on the new terms, the court can often approve the change without a hearing, so cases like this can often move forward without running up additional costs.
Step 3: Contested modification hearing. It becomes necessary only when parents disagree on what should change, and a judge decides based on the evidence, focused only on the specific issue in dispute.
Agreed modifications are often finalized within a matter of weeks. Contested ones take longer, since they follow the court’s hearing schedule rather than the parents’ timeline.
Our strategic Kirkwood family law attorneys will help you figure out which of these your situation actually calls for before anything gets filed.
The best resolution is the one both parents can actually live with. That belief shapes how Haefner Law Office approaches every custody, support, and paternity matter that comes through the firm.
Cost should never be the reason to delay getting legal guidance. That’s part of why flat-rate pricing exists for family law matters when a case qualifies, and why no one on staff is measured by billable hours.
Real experience shows up in how a case is actually handled, not just on a resume. Recognized by Super Lawyers and Avvo, featured regularly on Fox and NBC discussing family law, and the author of Exit Strategy, a book on Missouri divorce, Attorney Mark Haefner brings real experience to every case.
But experience alone isn’t the point. Our dedicated Kirkwood family law attorneys pair that background with a strategy built specifically around your situation.
Waiting rarely makes the legal side of things simpler. Whether you are facing a first custody order, a modification, or a paternity case, getting ahead of the paperwork now often saves real time later.
Haefner Law Office focuses exclusively on family law and has extensive experience guiding Missouri families through these exact situations, with our lead attorney Mark Haefner personally handling over 1,000 cases.
Book a free phone consultation to talk through the specific issue your family is facing right now.