I have been assisting people with family and marital law problems for over 25 years. I offer representation to people experiencing such problems in Hamilton County, Clermont County and Warren County. The types of marital and family law problems for which I offer assistance include dissolutions, divorces, child custody matters, shared parenting issues, visitation, child support, alimony/spousal support and division of property and debt issues. I am also available to represent both mothers and fathers in paternity cases.

DIVORCE WITHOUT WAR/COLLABORATIVE LAW
I am a member of a select and specially trained group of family law attorneys trained in collaborative law. The idea and purpose of collaborative law is for both parties to work together with their attorneys to peacefully resolve by agreement all issues incident to the termination of the parties' marriage. These include the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities between the parties (custody, visitation, shared parenting, child support), division of all property and debts and, if applicable, spousal support/alimony. The collaborative process requires a commitment by both spouses and their attorneys to settle all disputes without resorting to adversarial litigation or the threat of such litigation. The collaborative process allows the parties to maintain control of the process and to resolve all issues themselves rather than having the issues resolved by the Court.

Divorce/Dissolution in Ohio
There are two ways a marriage can be terminated in Ohio. One is dissolution, the other is divorce. If the parties agree that they wish to end their marriage and are able to agree as to the manner in which they wish to resolve all issues incident to the termination of the marriage, including those related to their children, property and support, the parties may proceed by way of dissolution. In most cases the dissolution process will result in a final conclusion of the case in a shorter period of time and will involve less expense than a divorce.

In the event that spouses cannot agree on how to resolve one or more issues related to the ending of their marriage, then the parties must proceed with a divorce action. The divorce process is initiated by the filing of a formal Complaint in the Domestic Relations Court. Any issues that the parties do not agree upon themselves will be resolved by the Court following a trial involving the presentation of witness testimony and other evidence. Depending on the issues that are in dispute, the docket of the Court and a variety of other factors, the divorce process may last several months if not a year or more. In addition, the divorce process is likely to result in greater expense, both for attorney's fees and court costs, than will a dissolution.

Whether the matter proceeds by dissolution or divorce, all cases involving the termination of marriage require the resolution of a variety of issues which are incident to the marriage relationship. These issues include all matters related to the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities between the parties, including custody, visitation and support; the division between the parties of their property and debts; and whether either party will have a right to receive and/or an obligation to pay support to the other during the court process or following the ending of the marriage (known as spousal support/alimony).

I am available to represent people with family and marital problems in both Domestic Relations Court and Juvenile Court in Hamilton County, Clermont County and Warren County.

Please call to schedule an initial consultation at either one of my conveniently located offices. I am here to help.

Fees
There are minimum fee charges for divorce and dissolution proceedings, but for the most part fees for these services are charged on an hourly rate basis. Retainer payments are required. There is an initial consultation fee which will be applied to the total fee if you decide to retain my services.

HYDE  PARK: 3536 Edward Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208

BLUE ASH : 9000 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236

Telephone: (513) 321-3940

After Hours:(513) 300-6847