Family Law

• Divorce
  To file for divorce in Kansas, one of the spouses must have been a resident of the state for at least 60 days prior to filing. Also, there is a 60-day waiting period between a divorce filing and a court hearing. Additionally, Kansas divorces are categorized into two distinct categories: contested and uncontested divorce.
• Child Support
  Though the divorce rate in Kansas continues to fall — standing now at 2.3 per 1,000 residents, down from 5.0 in 1990 — there are still a lot of families facing custody and child support issues, either from past divorces or from new ones.
• Child Custody and Visitation
  Here at my firm, Cornerstone Law, LLC, I can help walk you through this process. As your Kansas family law attorney, I will offer you the comprehensive legal counsel, advocacy, and support you need to settle all facets of your divorce, including child custody matters. I’m also proud to serve clients throughout Newton, Kansas, and the surrounding areas of Wichita, Harvey, Hillsboro, Hutchinson, McPherson, and Marion, Kansas.
• Adoption
  Stepparent — This type of adoption is generally less complicated and more straightforward compared to others. A stepparent adoption occurs when the spouse of a biological parent adopts their child from a previous spouse or partner.
• Paternity
  According to a recent study by the American Association of Blood Banks, over 300,000 paternity tests are conducted annually in the United States to determine a child's biological father. In Kansas, establishing paternity is important for any father who wishes to gain parental rights and privileges for their children. Establishing paternity allows the father to fight for custody and participate in the child's life and upbringing. If you live in Kansas and you are trying to establish paternity, it is crucial that you speak to an experienced family law attorney for detailed guidance.
• Premarital Agreement
  According to the American Psychological Association (APA), about 40 to 50 percent of first marriages in the United States end in divorce. However, only 5% of these divorces have a prenuptial agreement in place to settle the divorce proceedings. Prenuptial agreements help define expectations, protect assets and children, provide financial security, and help couples achieve peace of mind. When a couple is planning to get married, a prenuptial agreement can benefit and protect both parties.
• Guardianship
  For children and adults who experience incapacitation due to injury, intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness, or dementia, the impact a guardian can have on their lives is extremely significant. The consequences for the ward can be a matter of life or death, which is why the National Guardianship Association espouses that all guardians care for their wards with the “highest allegiance to the person.â€
• Spousal Support
  When a couple decides to get divorced, issues of alimony often arise during divorce negotiations and need to be addressed appropriately. In a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 243,000 people received spousal support payments in 2016, of which 98% were women. If you are considering filing for divorce and would like to understand your options regarding spousal maintenance, it is critical that you consult with an experienced Kansas family law attorney for reliable legal guidance.
• Legal Separation
  Kansas Department of Health and Environment, there were 6,398 marriage dissolutions in Kansas in 2019, including 6,303 divorces and 95 annulments. A divorce or legal separation can have significant long-term effects on your family, your finances, and your assets. Considering the emotional and psychological toll that divorce can have, a person can easily make irrevocable mistakes during the legal process, especially without detailed guidance or representation.
• Annulment
• Child Abuse
  Paternity. The results of your paternity case can determine your child custody and visitation rights.Domestic violence or child abuse. Violence within a family is heartbreaking. Family law cases can help the victims get the protection they need.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  If you’ve been arrested for criminal trespassing, you may be confused about what these charges mean or why you were even arrested in the first place. Many times, people don’t even know they’ve entered land or property that’s protected under these laws, and because of this, it’s not often clear what the best line of defense should be. However, these charges should be taken seriously to avoid any unwanted consequences or penalties. Working with an experienced criminal defense attorney can help.
• DUI/DWI
  As in other states, it is against the law in Kansas to drive or attempt to operate a motor vehicle while having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of.08% or greater. Kansas law also provides for other situations in which you can be charged with a DUI, including...
• Traffic Violations
  Crimes can range from traffic violations to misdemeanors to felonies. In the state of Kansas, misdemeanors are the most common — and they can reap serious consequences. Though they typically result in less jail time than a felony would, they do appear on your criminal record for the rest of your life and can limit your job opportunities and even your ability to buy a home.
• Sex Crimes
  Kansa law protects family and household members from domestic violence and abuse. Domestic violence and abuse can be physical, emotional, or sexual. It includes slapping, shoving, punching, beating, kicking, threats of harm, sleep or affection deprivation, sexual assault, harassment, insults, and any other verbal abuse that causes emotional harm.
• Fraud
• Robbery
  In Kansas, a person can be convicted of theft if the prosecution can prove that the accused had the intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property or services of the possession or use of the property/services. Unlike robbery, theft does not involve the use of physical force. An example of theft would be for an individual to take someone else’s laptop with no intention of giving it back to its rightful owner.
• Burglary
  Burglary involves unauthorized entry of someone else’s dwelling, motor vehicle, or non-dwelling structure with the intent to commit theft or another felony.
• Theft
• Misdemeanors
  Class C Misdemeanors can result in up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine of $500. Common misdemeanors include disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and minor in possession (MIP).
• Drug Crimes
  At CornerStone Law, LLC, I am dedicated to providing comprehensive legal guidance and vigorous representation to clients facing drug crimes charges. As your legal counsel, I can help investigate all the surrounding facts of your case and seek to strategize an effective defense to maximize the best possible outcome for your unique situation.
• Assault
  In short, an assault and battery charge is when you intentionally harm another person. Though you often hear the two terms used together, they each represent their own legal designation. Assault can include threatening behavior or attempting to cause harm even if it doesn't cause an injury, while battery covers the actual physical contact of another person.
• Probation Violation
  A practiced Kansas probation violations attorney can evaluate every aspect of your case, identify the parole conditions that were violated, and inform you about what to expect during the parole revocation hearing.
• Shoplifting
• Restraining Order
  Once you have trespassed, you also must meet one of three criteria to be legally charged. The first possibility is that you remained on the property after you were told by the owner (or someone representing the owner) that you needed to leave. The second possibility is that there were conspicuous “no trespassing†signs posted (or fences and locked gates), and you entered the property regardless. Lastly, you may have entered a property in violation of an existing restraining order.

Employment Law

• Severance Agreement
  Income is both earned and unearned and includes all sources — salary, wages, commissions, overtime pay, royalties, tips, rents, dividends, severance pay, and pensions.

Health Law

• Social Security Disability
  If you have a child, spouse, or other dependents with physical, developmental, or emotional challenges, your estate plan should provide for their ongoing care after you’re gone. A special needs trust funds a dependent’s ongoing care and helps preserve their benefits such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Disability.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  A Google analysis of search trends for 2020 shows the State of Kansas ranked fourth nationally, behind the District of Columbia, New York, and Delaware, in searches using the term “estate planning.†The search term peaked between the beginning of February and the end of May, with activity in the Wichita-Hutchinson metro area outpacing the Kansas City, Missouri metro area by more than two to one.
• Wills
  The key difference between a will and trust is that wills are subject to probate, which makes them public documents and subjects them to legal challenges.
• Trusts
  The two basic types of trusts in Kansas are revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts. A revocable trust can be changed from the time it is created until the settlor dies. An irrevocable trust cannot be changed once it has been created and signed.
• Power of Attorney
  Although all guardians must be appointed by the court in Kansas, who becomes one may be informed by other legal documents. This could include a parent’s preference for a guardian of a minor child expressed in a will or the naming of an attorney-in-fact in an estate plan’s durable power of attorney.
• Probate