» Divorce
How to Find the Best Divorce Lawyer for YOU
April 15th, 2019
Divorce is never a pleasant process, but it does not always have to be war. Once the decision has been made—by you, by your spouse, or by both of you—to file for divorce, you must consider how you want to proceed. This includes deciding whether t…
Read More
Which Parent Can Claim the Children on their Taxes After a Divorce in Missouri?
March 19th, 2019
Divorce is a difficult, often messy process that requires many tough decisions. Who will get which assets? Who will be responsible for which debts? Where will the children live, and how often will they see the other parent? The list of questions goes…
Read More
In Missouri, party waives right to appeal when a Judgment is entered by consent/agreement
February 12th, 2019
Party waives right to appeal when a Judgment is entered by consent/agreement. Recent case from the Missouri Court of Appeals: Parties cannot appeal a Judgment that was entered by Stipulation (agreement). Father and Mother entered into a stipulation w…
Read More
Spousal support awarded in 6.5 year marriage
June 29th, 2018
Recent case from the Court of Appeals: Husband appeals from the trial court’s judgment, dissolving his marriage Wife, dividing the parties’ marital property, and ordering him to pay maintenance. On appeal, Husband asserts that the trial court err…
Read More
New Missouri Child Support Guidelines in Effect as of July 1, 2017
July 3rd, 2017
Effective July 1, 2017, Missouri’s New Form 14 and new Child Support Guidelines took effect. Notable changes to the previous law include: Changes to the presumed amounts in the chart, especially at the lower and higher income levels Changed sch…
Read More
Modification of Another State’s Custody Order Depends on The Other State Releasing Jurisdiction
June 24th, 2017
Recent Case from the Court of Appeals: States have continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over their custody judgments until released by the rendering state. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act conditions authority of any State to…
Read More
Modification of spousal support order requires substantial and continuing change in circumstances
December 5th, 2016
Recent Case: From the Missouri Court of Appeals, Modification of Spousal Support vs. Property Division Appellant Husband appeals the trial court’s judgment reducing, but not terminating, his maintenance obligation, retroactive to February 2015, and…
Read More
New Missouri Child Support Guidelines and Amounts to take effect July 1, 2017
November 19th, 2016
From the Supreme Court of Missouri: “It is ordered that effective July 1, 2017, Civil Procedure Form No. 14, entitled “Child Support Amount Calculation Worksheet”, along with the directions, comments for use, and examples for comple…
Read More
New Missouri custody law seeks to maximize time with each parent, takes effect August 28
August 21st, 2016
Governor Jay Nixon signed House bill 1550 into law on July 1, 2016, which takes effect August 28, 2016. This law has been dubbed as an equal custody law, or 50/50 custody law, but that is not an entirely accurate description. Rather than specifically…
Read More
LAGERS Pension divided as a future asset
July 23rd, 2016
Recent Case: LAGERS Pension present value of zero but future payment divided Missouri Statutes require division of marital property, including local government retirement system benefits. The Circuit court treated the defined benefit pension as a fut…
Read More
Mark A. Wortman
Mark A. Wortman is a Missouri family law attorney who handles only divorce and family law matters within the state. Due to this specialty, Mark Wortman has handled thousands of Missouri divorce and family cases and has practiced extensively in front… Read More
