Blog

Do you need an attorney to form a Missouri LLC?

• January 8, 2022
• Kelvin Birk
• Business

A limited liability company (LLC) is one legal structure you can choose when starting a business. There are several other structures, too. The value of an LLC is that it limits your personal liability like a corporation does while at the same time giving you the flexibility and lack of formality available through a sole proprietorship or partnership.

If you’ve chosen to move ahead with an LLC structure, you may be asking yourself, “do you need an attorney to form a Missouri LLC?” The short answer is no. You can form an LLC in Missouri by filing the legal paperwork yourself or by using a professional, online business formation service like LegalZoom. However, the longe [...]

Can Text Messages Be Used in a Divorce?

• January 5, 2022
• Kelvin Birk
• Family Law

Sometimes both parties agree to file for divorce and can agree on all aspects of divorce, including time-sharing and division of assets. However, some divorces are contentious, and the parties can barely speak to each other, never mind agreeing on everything. One spouse might be so upset over the other spouse's behavior that he or she wants nothing to do with that person. In some cases, you might have to prove that your spouse's behavior is the reason for divorce. In most cases, it ends up being your word against your spouse's unless you can find proof. Can text messages be used in a divorce to prove infidelity or other behavior?

Can My Texts Be Used Against Me in a Divorce?

How child support is calculated in Missouri

• January 5, 2022
• Kelvin Birk
• Child Support

There are many factors that go into calculating child support in Missouri. Not surprisingly, every family is different, and the court will try to match a fair dollar amount to each family’s unique set of needs. Some factors that impact how child support is calculated in Missouri include:

• Number of children
• Income of both parents
• Cost of healthcare
• Cost of daycare
• College costs
• Extraordinary medical costs
• How many annual overnight visits the non-custodial parent has

Missouri uses the

Avoiding Probate in Missouri

• September 28, 2021
• Kelvin Birk
• Estate Planning

Going through probate can be time consuming and expensive, so it’s a good idea to do everything you can to avoid probate or to streamline the probate process. With a little planning, avoiding probate in Missouri is possible, and our skilled probate attorney can show you how.

The most obvious things to do to avoid probate include:

• Work with a professional to create a living trust
• Make your financial accounts “payable on death”
• Make your securities “transferable on death”
• Establish joint ownership of real estate and other property
• Create transfer-on-death deeds for real estate
• Create transfe [...]