Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, whether you're at home, at work, or in a public place. These accidents can result in injuries that range from minor bruises to serious head trauma, and medical bills can add up quickly. If you have been involved in a slip and fall accident, you may wonder if you have a case for compensation. Discover what you need to know about slip and fall cases and how to determine if you have a case. Document the Accident Before anything else, document the accident scene. Take pictures and videos of the hazardous conditions that caused your injury, as well as ..read more

Understanding Missouri’s Regulations on Child Support Payments Parenthood is a cherished, but expensive, gift. To account for the costs that accompany raising a child, parents are often legally required to provide financial support to the other parent. These  child support  payments represent a parent’s obligation to provide for their children. Who Can I Give the Payments to? Child support is named for who it supports, not who it’s given to. When parents are ordered or agree to pay child support, they enter a commitment with the other parent, not the child. Child support is pa ..read more

Understanding the Duration of Missouri Child Support On a child’s 18 th  birthday, they are gifted the status of adulthood, and with it, the right to vote, enter into a legal contract, and even get a tattoo on their own. However, while Missouri recognizes 18-year-olds as adults, it doesn’t always remove from them all of the benefits of childhood. Under Missouri law,  child support  terminates when the child turns 18 unless they enroll in college no later than October 1 following their high school graduation. To remain eligible for child support, the student must: Finish ..read more

“Do-it-yourself” divorce has grown in popularity in recent years. With smartphones and computers offering so much information at our fingertips, individuals nationwide are empowered to learn and do more than they ever could before. While pursuing divorce without any help is plausible in the present day, it’s still fraught with challenges. You have the legal right to represent yourself in any legal proceeding. However, when you pursue this right, you assume the risks involved with forgoing assistance from an attorney. The Risks Regardless of how much research you conduct and how well you ..read more

Understanding the Rules Governing Child Support and How You Can Use It Raising a child is expensive. For primary custodians, that cost is even higher. When a child spends the majority of their time with one parent, that individual is responsible for more food, daycare, and leisure expenses. Luckily, the court recognizes this disparity in costs each parent is subject to and, as a result, will typically order the noncustodial parent to pay  child support . Child Support Expenditures Child support payments account for three main types of costs. The assistance is intended to help a par ..read more

A major concern for  divorcing  couples is the matter of asset and property division. Unless you have a marital agreement that clearly states how your assets will be divided, all marital property will be divided according to state law. Missouri is an equitable distribution state, which means that all marital assets and property are divided fairly rather than evenly. Dividing Property and Assets in a Divorce While all marital assets are subject to division during a divorce, all separate property is not. Anything that you obtained or accumulated before marrying your spouse or afte ..read more

For parents, nothing is more important than their children. If you are getting a divorce, one of the most contentious issues you may deal with during the process is child custody. In Missouri, a written parenting plan is required for all child custody cases. You can either negotiate it with your co-parent outside of court or, if you cannot agree on a parenting plan, you can each submit a plan to the court. After reviewing each plan, the judge will either accept one of the submitted plans or create a new one for you. Parenting Plans in Missouri When creating a parenting plan to submit to t ..read more

Child abuse or neglect is a serious matter that needs to be reported and investigated. While some individuals such as physicians, teachers, and social workers are mandated reporters and, therefore, required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect, any person can report suspected incidents of abuse or neglect 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to the Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline Unit at 1-800-392-3738 . While you can non-mandated reporters can call anonymously, individuals reporting child abuse should consider identifying themselves, so the Children’s Division can contact you to ..read more

It happens all too often. One party in a divorce agrees to take on marital debt, but shortly after the divorce becomes final that same party files a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trying to discharge the debt and stick the innocent spouse with the bill. Understand that third party creditors are not parties to a divorce proceeding. This means that while the court can order one party to pay a joint debt, the creditor who is not a party to the divorce can still seek payment from both parties. Prior to 2005, the Bankruptcy Code permitted the discharge of non-support related debts owed to a former spouse ..read more

The most frequent problem I run into with the practice of law is not in the courtroom, or with complex legal concepts. In fact, the problem is not just one that I have but I would suspect every attorney has, and few have mastered a way around. I first noticed this problem as a younger attorney when I slowly started hearing my old language replaced with a new, more formalized and oft-foreign dialect resembling the jokes about how lawyers speak. It was then that I started recognizing exactly how often my clients would sit in front of me as I spoke, shaking their heads in understanding, but with ..read more