The POWER List: Family Law 2023

Staff Report//October 12, 2023//

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There is no winning in family law.

At least, not the way there is in most other cases. Unlike a criminal case or a civil lawsuit, in which one party prevails and the other does not, guiding someone through a dissolution is about finding the best solution in a bad situation. Best for the children, best for the family, best for the individuals going through one of the hardest episodes of their lives.

It’s an intimate legal practice, in which lawyers find themselves in the midst of their clients’ personal lives. They must try to resolve highly charged issues while remaining impartial counselors, not therapists. They must tell clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

In this latest edition of Missouri Lawyers Media’s POWER LIST, we examine the most powerful Missouri attorneys in family law. We look at practitioners who handle divorces, child custody, modifications of prior agreements and adoptions. Though they frequently come before judges in court, much of their work takes place behind closed doors and out of the public eye.

Our editorial team interviewed attorneys around the state, reviewed published appellate cases and consulted Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s archives to arrive at a list of what we believe are the 30 most powerful family lawyers in Missouri.

This is a subjective enterprise, and we welcome feedback from our readers regarding lawyers who should have been included or perhaps shouldn’t have made the list. Let us know if you think we got it right, tell us what we might have missed and stay tuned for new versions of THE POWER LIST in 2023.

The POWER List was written by Senior Reporter Scott Lauck and Staff Reporter Rasmus S. Jorgensen. Reach Scott at [email protected], Rasmus at [email protected], or Editor Jordan Yount at [email protected].