Topeka Family Law Attorneys

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Joseph, Hollander & Craft’s Topeka family law attorneys are experienced advocates dedicated to offering the most effective representation for all of your family law concerns. Steadfast counselors and advisors, we focus on understanding your needs and crafting legal solutions to meet them.

What Sets Our Topeka Family Law Attorneys Apart

When it comes to your family, everything is personal. That is why Joseph, Hollander & Craft’s family law attorneys in Topeka approach every case with a focus on listening to our clients. We want to know your unique circumstances and your specific needs so we can provide the best family law representation for you. We tailor our representation to meet our clients exactly where they are.

All of our Topeka family law attorneys are capable and accomplished litigators, advocates, advisors, and counselors. We know how to effectively advocate for you in the courtroom, negotiate favorable resolutions that limit judicial involvement, and offer solutions that work for our clients and their families.

Particularly when paired with the emotional stress that accompanies many family law matters, the legal process can feel overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be that way. At Joseph, Hollander & Craft, we aim to alleviate our clients’ anxieties by maintaining consistent communication, clearly explaining the law, and providing workable options.

Your Full-Service Topeka Family Law Firm

At Joseph, Hollander & Craft, we pride ourselves with being ready for anything. No matter whether your situation is contentious or amicable, our Topeka family law firm can help you through the legal process so you can focus on the rest. Contact us for help with:

• Divorce, Annulment, and Legal Separation. Divorce, annulment, and legal separation can be difficult to navigate on your own. Our attorneys in Topeka specialize in this area. We can help ensure that the process goes smoothly and represent your best interests during negotiations with your ex-spouse and before the court as needed. We will take all the steps necessary to help ensure that the legal aspects of your divorce, annulment, or separation proceed as smoothly as possible.
• Asset and Property Division. With a separation or divorce, dividing assets and property amongst you and your ex-spouse can be difficult. Our Topeka asset and property division lawyers will help you accurately determine the best way forward that is fair for all parties involved and represent you properly at the negotiating table.
• Spousal Support. It can be challenging to sort out spousal maintenance issues (also known as alimony), including determining when maintenance should be paid, how payments should be calculated, and what amount is fair, etc. Our spousal support lawyers in Topeka will guide you through the steps.
• Custody and Parenting Time. Our Topeka child custody attorneys assist clients with all issues related to legal custody, residency, and parenting time. We know your children are your top priority, so we prioritize them too. We want to learn about your family’s needs and circumstances so we can develop a parenting plan that works for you and your family. Whether you need assistance in a divorce case, a paternity action, or a child custody modification proceeding, Joseph, Hollander & Craft is ready.
• Child Support. In divorce, paternity, and modification proceedings, our Topeka child support lawyers ensure child support orders accurately reflect each parent’s income and each child’s specific needs. We also offer advice about making provisions for care beyond what the Kansas Child Support Guidelines contemplate.
• Paternity Matters. We regularly file and defend paternity actions in Topeka and the surrounding areas to assist unmarried parents seeking to establish and define rights and obligations with respect to the children.
• Adoption and Guardianships. Our Topeka adoption lawyers can guide you through kinship adoptions and stepparent adoptions. We also help to establish guardianships for minors and impaired adults.
• Grandparent Rights. Recognizing the importance of protecting a child’s relationship with extended family, our Topeka family law lawyers secure visitation rights for grandparents and help parents challenge grandparent visitation rights when needed.
• Premarital Agreements. Our Topeka family law attorneys prepare premarital agreements and post-marital agreements; advise clients regarding agreements prepared by a significant other’s attorney; and provide related counsel to ensure you understand how a “prenup” can affect or protect your interests.

Frequently Asked Questions About Family Law Matters in Topeka

What is a guardian ad litem?

A guardian ad litem (GAL) is a court-appointed representative who advocates on behalf of the best interests of a child or incapacitated adult. The GAL is responsible for conducting research and investigating a person’s unique circumstances and informs the court of what would be in the best interest of that person. GALs do not have a permanent or all-encompassing relationship to their wards; they only protect their wards’ interests in a single case.

Why would I want a premarital agreement?

Premarital agreements, also known as prenuptial agreements or “prenup(s),” can protect the financial interests of both partners to a marriage. Prenups outline how assets, debts, and other financial matters will be handled in the event of divorce or death. There are many reasons why you may want a premarital agreement, but generally speaking, most people craft these documents to reduce potential financial conflict should a divorce occur and to protect large assets like inheritances, businesses, etc. One of our Topeka family law attorneys can discuss the benefits of premarital agreements with you to determine how it can help your particular situation. If you and your spouse do not have a prenup, we can craft a post-marital agreement that serves the same purposes as a prenup.

Can you help with a cohabitation agreement?

Yes, our attorneys prepare and advise clients regarding cohabitation agreements. Cohabitation agreements are legal documents that outline the financial and property arrangements between two individuals who are living together but are unmarried. Items that may be addressed in a cohabitation agreement include: how each partner will contribute to expenses and debt, what circumstances would entitle a partner to financial support if a separation occurred, who will be entitled to stay in a shared residence if the relationship ends. It may be in both partners’ interests to consider a cohabitation agreement to establish each person’s rights and responsibilities with respect to assets and debts during the pendency of the relationship and in the event of a breakup or other significant life event.

Which courthouse do I go to?

In Topeka, family law cases are heard in the Domestic Department of the Shawnee County Courthouse located at 200 SE 7th Street, in Topeka.

Joseph, Hollander & Craft’s family law attorneys also assist clients with surrounding counties as well.

Will my spouse have to pay my attorney’s fees in the divorce case?

In general, each party is responsible for paying his or her own attorney fees. However, Kansas statute allows judges to award costs and attorney’s fees “to either party as justice and equity require.” When and whether to require one spouse to pay the other spouse’s costs and fees in a divorce case is within the judge’s discretion. The judge will consider: (1) each spouse’s financial means, (2) each spouse’s behavior (particularly behavior that appears to abuse the litigation process), and (3) the overall circumstances of the situation.

Is alimony available in a Kansas divorce?

Yes, although it is called spousal maintenance. Spousal maintenance is a payment made from one spouse to another for the future support of that spouse. Spousal maintenance is not required or guaranteed in every situation. The court may award spousal support to either party in the amount the court finds to be fair, just, and equitable under the circumstances. To determine whether to award spousal maintenance. It may be ordered in the following forms: (1) a lump sum payment, (2) periodic payments for a set number of months, or (3) a percentage of specific earnings. Spousal maintenance is typically awarded for a set period of time-based on the length of the parties’ marriage.

Are grandparents given visitation rights during the divorce or paternity process?

Grandparents are not given visitation rights as a matter of course, but Kansas law does permit grandparents to request visitation rights and judges to order grandparent visitation. For grandparents to receive court-ordered visitation rights with a child, they must show that: (1) they have a substantial relationship with the child; and (2) having a relationship with the child is in the child’s best interest. Parents have a constitutional right to decide how they raise their children, which includes deciding who the child spends time with. A judge will only grant grandparent visitation rights over the objection of the legal parent when he or she determines the visitation is clearly in the best interest of the child.

Do You Have a Family Law Attorney Near Me?

Joseph, Hollander & Craft maintains an office at 1508 SW Topeka Blvd, between 15^th and 16^th. We have plenty of onsite parking. We maintain additional offices in Overland Park, Lawrence, and Wichita, as well as Kansas City, MO. Our Topeka family lawyers provide strategic counsel and representation in Shawnee, Riley, Geary, Brown, Nemaha, Jackson, Wabaunsee, and Jefferson Counties.