Agenda

Registration:                        8:00 – 8:30 am

Morning Session:                8:30 am – 12:00 pm

Lunch (On your own):         12:00 – 1:00 pm

Afternoon Session:             1:00 – 4:30 pm

Assisting with Family Law Case Intake

   Assisting with initial client interview
   Preparing engagement letter, opening file
   Collecting information

Preparing Pleadings and Assisting with Motion Practice

   Preparing initial pleadings
   Requesting temporary relief
   Preparing for the temporary orders hearing
   Preparing the temporary orders

Obtaining and Evaluating Financial Information

   Identifying relevant information on assets, debts, income and expenses
   Obtaining financial information
      • Using financial information questionnaires
      • Using interrogatories, requests for production, deposition testimony,
        private investigators
      • Valuing assets
   Evaluating the information you have obtained
   Working with accountants and financial experts
   Preparing financial statements

Working With Divorce Clients and Opposing Counsel

   Establishing and maintaining good communication with clients
      • Methods of communication and contents of communications
      • Guidelines for responding to client communications
   Working with difficult clients
   Working with the courts and opposing counsel
   Maintaining professionalism

Assisting with Alternative Dispute Resolution

   Assisting in family law mediation
   Understanding and assisting in divorce arbitration
   Assisting in the collaborative divorce process

Handling Ethical Issues in Family Law Practice

   Complying with rules of professional responsibility and ethics guidelines
      for attorneys and paralegals
   Avoiding conflicts of interest
   Maintaining client confidentiality
   Avoiding the unauthorized practice of law
   Working with the secretive or dishonest client
   Handling allegations of abuse or neglect
   Zealous (vs. over-zealous) representation
   Fee agreements, retainers, and collection of unpaid fees

Credits

This seminar offers all paralegals
6.5 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour, that
has been approved by NALA and NFPA.

 Continuing Education Credit Information

This seminar is open to the public and offers 6.5 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour, to all paralegals. The National Association of Legal Assistants and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations have each approved this seminar.

Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.

Speakers

Maggie Anderson

The Law Office of Maggie L. Anderson, LLC

Managing Attorney, The Law Office of Maggie L. Anderson, LLC
Ms. Anderson is the managing attorney at The Law Office of Maggie L. Anderson, LLC, in Kansas City, Missouri. She focuses her practice exclusively in the area of family law, and has extensive experience in both litigating and negotiating complex family law matters such as divorce, paternity, child support, adoption, guardianships and cohabitation issues. Ms. Anderson has spoken on topics concerning the welfare of children in custody proceedings and same-sex divorce and litigation. She has written articles for, and had her work published with, The Urban Lawyer, a national quarterly on State and Local government. Ms. Anderson is an active member of the Domestic Law Committee of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City, and the Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Prior to opening her own practice, she was a senior associate attorney with The Reynolds Law Firm, LLC, focusing her practice primarily on family law. Before that, Ms. Anderson worked as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Edith L. Messina, the first female judge to take the bench at the 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, Kansas City. She is admitted to practice law in both Missouri and Kansas.

Abraham Kuhl

Law Office of Young, Jakobe & Kuhl, LLC

Member of the Law Office of Young, Jakobe & Kuhl, LLC
Mr. Kuhl is a frequent presenter on a variety of family law issues, and is an active member of the Family and the Law Section of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. Having served two terms as the chair of the Domestic Relations committee, he has also served as the president of the Family and the Law Section. Additionally, Mr. Kuhl is on the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation, a member of the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law Alumni board, and an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law. He volunteers his time with the Volunteer Attorney Project, is a member of the Association For Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City, and serves as the executive director of the Eastern Jackson County Bar Association. Mr. Kuhl, like all members of his firm, has dedicated his practice to family law and represents people in dissolution of marriage (divorce) actions, modification of custody and child support actions, establishment of child support actions, adoption matters, paternity actions, and guardianship proceedings. Having completed the guardian ad litem and advanced guardian ad litem trainings, Mr. Kuhl serves as a guardian ad litem in multiple counties, including Jackson, Cass and Clay. In addition, Mr. Kuhl serves as a mediator as well as a special master.