Collaborative Practice and the Economics of Divorce

Facing a divorce is a daunting, sometimes frightening prospect, and “How much will my divorce cost?” is perhaps the most consistent concern among those considering ending their marriages. As with so many other divorce-related issues, the answer is usually, “It depends.”

Aside from issues such as valuation, misconduct, hiding assets, addiction, and dissipation, all of which can add to the cost of a lawyer’s services, the process by which the divorce takes place can play a major role in increasing or decreasing the overall cost.

In a collaborative divorce, each spouse has a lawyer, and other professionals, including a financial specialist and mental health coach, are routinely included as part of the problem-solving team. A child specialist may also participate in the process. With all of those professionals involved, it may sound as if a collaborative divorce is unaffordable for many couples.

There are, however, good, solid reasons a collaborative divorce will likely save you money in the long run. Here are two:

The Right Professional for the Job:

Lawyers know the law and they know about negotiations. They are not, however, as well-versed in financial issues as a financial advisor or CPA. The financial professional assists not only in gathering the financial information but also in analyzing tax consequences, and suggesting ways of saving taxes. The mental health professional keeps the divorcing couple on task by helping them cope with the challenging emotions they are experiencing, and uses their knowledge of child development to help the parents create a workable parenting plan to serve the children’s best interests.

Creating a Positive Track Record Today for Success Tomorrow:

Because the traditional divorce process is based upon the civil courts model of one party opposing the other, divorcing spouses find themselves having both to attack their partner and defend themselves, often at the cost of upsetting and alienating their children. Then, when the divorce is complete, the warring parties have to figure out a way to engage in cooperative parenting. Having spent months or more staring at each other across battlements, they now have to figure out a way to sit together at parent-teacher conferences, cooperate around scheduling changes, and plan birthday parties together.

A collaborative divorce is conducted using interest-based negotiations, a system of coming up with solutions to difficult problems by taking into account what each person needs and wants, rather than by pointing accusing fingers. When spouses learn to listen to each other, a skill that is constantly reinforced in the collaborative process, they discover that, even though they no longer want to be intimate partners, they can learn to work together for their children’s benefit. Then, when changes need to be made to the parenting plan or to the support arrangements, they know that, having worked peacefully through their divorce, they can return to the bargaining table, rather than starting new battles, thereby saving both their financial and emotional resources.

When considering how you want to conduct your divorce, think not just about your immediate pain or anger but also consider what you want your future and that of your children to look like. Avoiding future conflict will bring peace to you and your family, and will save you thousands of dollars as you avoid court battles over enforcement and modification of your divorce judgment.

Navigating and transitioning the divorce process can be daunting.  Certain divorce processes support a better planned transition than others.  To learn about your Missouri divorce process options contact one of our experienced St. Louis Collaborative Law professionals today.

Alan Freed is a St. Louis family law attorney, collaborative law professional and trained mediator.  He is experienced with helping one or both spouses achieve settlement.  To learn more about your Missouri divorce options give him a call or visit his website.

Phone: 314-244-3653

Website: http://pcblawfirm.com

Collaborative Divorce Process: 6 Insights From a Collaborative Divorce Coach

Divorce is on your horizon and having experienced professionals in your corner will make the collaborative divorce process less time consuming and arduous.

If you are seeing a therapist, hopefully you are, your therapist should be one of those helpers getting you through the emotional obstacle course, as well as providing you logistical information.

Even after you decide on the Collaborative Approach to divorce, the idea of sitting in the same room with your soon to be ex is an unnerving thought.

Many clients find comfort in knowing exactly what that experience is going to be like. What can you expect from the professionals in the room? What are you allowed to say? What will that first session be like?

Everyone knows what litigation is like; get an attorney and start the fight, wait, e-mails, extensions…

Collaborative divorce is going to offer you the opportunity to sit in the same room with your spouse which is going to eliminate the grape vine scenario between your attorneys and yourselves. You will know what is going on every step of the way and all the professionals in the room will have the same goals as you which is to come to a timely agreement you are comfortable with.

There's room for your feelings and genuine thoughts in the collaborative divorce process in a way that isn't readily available to you in traditional divorce.

Many counseling clients ask, “Will I be able to say how angry I am or that he/she doesn’t seem to care about my wellbeing at all after 12 years of marriage?” The answer is, yes! These feelings and others are what drive the process or hinder it.  The collaborative divorce process is definitely the place to get it out.

You may be willing to enter into this process, but you are not excited about standing in the elevator with your spouse.

That is quite fine. Details like this are worked out at the very beginning of collaborative divorce process. The professionals guiding you will make sure that you understand what to expect of them, as well as jointly create expectations for how you will interact with each other.

It will get better.

So much support is offered with this style of divorce that you will heal much faster than you’d expect. As you have consistent team meetings it will become easier to meet with, and interact with, your soon to be ex.  All of this lays the groundwork for effective emotional healing and co-parenting if you have children.

Collaborative divorce supports a calmer, better planned transition than others.  To learn about your Missouri divorce process options contact one of our experienced St. Louis Collaborative Law professionals today.

About the Author : Kristin Craren

Kristin is a former member of CFLA.

A Tale of Two Houses

Money has emotion attached to it. Money represents security and safety. Lack of money means insecurity and fear. Divorce means money will be split up. Splitting one pot of money into two pots of money creates emotion, and rarely are these emotions positive.

For many in divorce, it’s a surprise that their 401k is a marital asset. This happened to me. I had worked hard to save the money in my work retirement plan and I was proud of what I had managed to put aside. With an ex who was a small business owner, that retirement nest-egg was critical. When it came time to split up, however, I wanted to hold on to what I felt was my retirement. In my mind, it was mine! In reality, it was not mine, it was a marital asset and subject to being split in the divorce. This misunderstanding on my part caused me to have angst and to feel anger, which complicated the negotiations and created more acrimony.

This is, sadly, an unfortunate and common scenario. For many, the money they have saved in their work retirement account is the bedrock of their retirement plan. Losing any of it causes insecurity and fear, which in turn causes anger, resentment and the possibility of a protracted fight in divorce court, aggravating the process and costing even more money with professionals.

The bottom line is this: be aware that any savings accumulated in the course of a marriage is a marital asset and subject to be split in divorce.

Work to put your emotions aside as you make decisions that will impact your future, your soon-to-be-exes future and possibly your children’s futures.

Money represents security. In the process of divorce, look for the ways to create and rebuild two new foundations for security where there once was just one. Remember, your family is still a family, even when there are two houses.

To learn more about your divorce process options reach out to one of our experienced St. Louis Collaborative Law Association professionals today.

About the Author : Laura Boedges

Laura is a financial professional and former member of CFLA.

Divorce and Disappointment

Unfortunately, we all face disappointment at some point.  It is a part of life.  How you choose to deal with disappointment is what often matters most.  You will face many feelings during a divorce and disappointment is a common feeling that many people face.

The Disappointment

When you focus on the negative parts of a disappointing situation, you cannot see the opportunities you have.  Being angry may cause you to take your feelings out on someone who does not deserve it.  Feeling sorry for yourself causes you to be too busy thinking about yourself.  It is tempting to strike out at the person or persons you identify as the cause of your disappointment.  Anger, self-pity, and revenge will only make matters worse.

Focusing on the Future

While life is full of disappointments, it is good to remember that life is also filled with opportunities.  To move past the disappointment in a positive way, first express your feelings appropriately.  Talk to a friend.  Write down, for yourself, what happened, perhaps in a letter.  Then, destroy the writing.  The writing is meant for you, and no one else.  Put your upset in perspective.  Few disappointments continue indefinitely.  Stop and think about all the things that are good in your life.

Implement Helpful Tactics

You might need to change your plans.  You might need to adjust your thinking.  You do not have to allow someone, or something, to control your future.  Remember, each of us is in charge of our own future, not someone or something else.  Recognizing the disappointment, focusing on the future and implementing helpful tactics will allow you to move forward in a positive way.

The collaborative divorce process often engages a divorce coach. A divorce coach is trained in the emotions of divorce.  To learn more about the collaborative divorce process or the skills of a divorce coach visit the St. Louis Collaborative Law Association's website for helpful resources and information.

About the Author : Gary Soule

Gary is an attorney and former member of CFLA.

Can We Both Use the Same Divorce Attorney?

This is a question many couples ask who are thinking about divorce.   There are many reasons why people want to use one attorney and usually, it comes down to finances.  How can we cut our costs of this divorce since attorneys are expensive,  how can we divorce and not get into a nasty court battle and how can we remain civil because of the children?

Although a divorce can be costly if two attorneys are involved, a lawyer cannot represent both sides in a divorce.  So, even though the simple answer is NO, one attorney cannot represent both parties in a divorce, the complex answer is YES only one party has to hire an attorney.   So one lawyer can be used for a divorce IF they only work for one side.   The next question is how can an attorney work for only one side and still do all the paperwork for the divorce?  The example below explains how the process could work.

Example of Using One Attorney

For example, Wife hires an attorney.  Wife meets with the attorney who will go over the divorce process and what is necessary to get divorced.  Wife’s attorney will prepare the documents for filing the case with the court and sends all of the documents to Husband.    Husband can get the documents filed at the courthouse by service, or by mail if Husband signs a document saying he got the court papers and he does not want a sheriff to serve them with papers.    There are deadlines and timeframes that everyone must follow whether they are represented or not represented by an attorney.

Wife will then meet with the attorney and provide the attorney with her understanding of the agreement between her and her Husband.    The attorney will write up the agreement based on what the Wife tells the attorney.  The Husband will get copies of this agreement for him to review.   If Husband agrees with everything in the paperwork that Wife’s attorney has prepared he does not need to hire an attorney.    If he agrees with most of it he can go back to his Wife and request changes.  And if she agrees, then she contacts her attorney to change the paperwork.  If the agreement reflects what both Husband and Wife want, then the agreement is signed.   In this example only one attorney is used to complete the divorce.  However, the attorney does not meet with Husband.

Sometimes it is confusing to say Wife hires the attorney if Husband pays a part or all of the attorney fees of Wife's attorney.  However, the payment of attorney fees does not mean you have hired the attorney.  Only if you have entered into an agreement that the attorney will represent you have you hired the attorney.      In this example, Husband and Wife used only one attorney but only Wife was represented and the only person to meet with the attorney.

One Divorce Attorney Cannot Represent Both Sides

Many people wonder why the attorney cannot meet with both parties and do work for both of them.  Attorney ethic rules say an attorney cannot represent both sides of a case even if both sides are in agreement.  In a divorce even if everyone agrees on the outcome, the parties are on opposite sides of the case.    The only exemption is if the attorney is serving as the mediator of the divorce and then they can meet with both parties.  In the case of a mediator, both parties would sign an agreement with the mediator and it would be clear the attorney is acting in this case as a mediator and not an attorney for either the Wife or Husband.

About the Author : Sharon Remis

Sharon is an attorney and former member of CFLA.

A Guide to Attorney-Client Communication

Taking the initial step to contact an attorney to talk about a difficult situation isn’t easy.   Discussing the details of your life with a stranger isn’t easy.  It is not unusual to be nervous or anxious.  Attorneys have different styles.  Not every attorney is a good fit for every client.  It may take meeting with more than one attorney to find one that is a good fit for you.  An effective attorney-client relationship is one based on honesty, trust and good communication.

When you find an attorney who is a good fit for you, the expectations for communication should also be established and both the attorney and the client should agree to them.  Among other things, you might wonder:  Can the attorney share things you tell him/her with others?  How will you know what fees and expenses you should expect?  When will phone calls be returned?  What about communication by email?  How will information be provided to you?  Will you need to provide information?  How often will face-to-face meetings take place?  Other than the attorney, who else will be working on your case?  What should you do if you are unhappy with something the attorney has or hasn’t done?

Can the attorney share things you tell him/her with others?  Information you share with the attorney is confidential, and protected by the attorney-client privilege.  When you first meet with the attorney, he/she should explain the privilege to you, including exceptions.

How will you know what fees and expenses you should expect?  Your initial meeting with the attorney should include a thorough discussion of fees and expenses.  The attorney should explain how he/she charges, hourly rates, potential expenses, when you will be billed and payment expectations.  You should also receive this information in writing.

When will phone calls be returned?   If the agreement is that phone calls will be returned within 24 hours, then if the attorney cannot return the call personally within the designated time, he/she should arrange for an assistant/paralegal and/or associate to return the call.   Adhering to this rule allows you - the client -  to trust that a call will be returned and will make it unnecessary for you to leave multiple messages.

What about communication by email?  You should discuss communication by email with your attorney at the beginning of your relationship.  There may be privacy concerns which your attorney should discuss with you.  You should also discuss the time frame for responses to emails.  You should discuss whether you should expect responses after hours, on weekends, during vacations, on holidays.

How will information be provided?  As the client, you should be informed as to everything that is happening during the legal process.  It is reasonable for you to expect to receive copies of everything related to your case that comes into or goes out of your attorney’s office.  Copies can be provided to you by U.S. Mail, by fax or by email, whichever you prefer.  Depending on the type of information it could be provided by email or by telephone.  If you have a preference, say so.

Will you need to provide information?  You will need to provide your attorney with information.  He/she may request that you provide a lot of information at once.  Or you may be asked to provide information as it is needed.  Either way, it is not your responsibility to figure out what your attorney needs.  It is your attorney’s responsibility to let you know what is needed and when it is needed.

How often will face-to-face meetings take place?   It is convenient for information to be provided by email and communication can take place by telephone, but neither is a substitute for a face-to-face meeting.  There may be times that your attorney asks that you meet face-to-face.  There may be times that you want to meet with your attorney in person and you should not hesitate to request a face-to-face meeting.

Other than the attorney, who else will be working on your case?  It is likely that the attorney will have other people in his/her office assisting with aspects of your case.  These may include an assistant, a paralegal, a law clerk and/or other attorneys.  You should expect to be introduced to all people who will be involved in your case.  You should expect to be provided with a description of each person’s role in your case.

What should you do if you are unhappy with something the attorney has or hasn’t done?  Speak up!  Whether it is by phone, email or in person – commit to having an open and honest relationship with your attorney.

No doubt, family law matters are difficult.  Although having an attorney with whom you can effectively communicate won’t solve your problems, it will make addressing them less difficult.

Why do we need a divorce coach? I already have a therapist.

Divorce is one of the most challenging and difficult times of one’s life – and in the midst of this emotional turmoil, people are required to make decisions that will permanently affect their future (and their children’s future). Trying to sort through all of the logistical, legal, financial, and parenting decisions that have to be made is overwhelming. Clear-headed guidance and perspective is tough to find. The person who used to be a partner is now an opponent, family and friends blindly pick sides, lawyers advocate only for their client, and therapists provide good support but don’t have complete information and generally know little about the divorce process.

Using a collaborative approach goes a long way towards addressing these problems – but it is the Collaborative Divorce Coach whose job it is to keep focus on the big picture and the long-term goals (i.e., after everything is over), to make sure that the best interests of the whole family are kept constantly in mind, and that the collaborative team works together to accomplish this objective.

Role of the Divorce Coach

Collaborative divorce coaches are experienced, licensed mental health professionals. The term “Coach” is used to make it clear that coaches in the collaborative process are not acting as therapists. They don’t explore feelings or to try to change who people are. An analogy is that a therapist is someone you bring your luggage to and s/he helps you open it up and examine the contents; a collaborative divorce coach is someone you bring your luggage to and, without opening it, s/he helps you carry it across the street.

Because collaborative divorce coaches are familiar with the divorce process, they can provide a road map of what’s ahead, and help to anticipate and avoid pitfalls. In addition to providing support and guidance, Coaches help families get through through divorce in a reasoned and respectful way, minimizing damage to everyone in the family.

Coaches help to manage feelings, to minimize conflict, and to avoid non-productive issues. Since emotions filter what we see and hear, coaches diffuse ‘hot buttons’ and provide a reality check on negative stories / attributions that spouses have about each other.

Help for Spouses

Because they work with both spouses, coaches are able to facilitate and establish constructive communication. They model healthier ways of talking and listening, which helps to keep lines of communication open and facilitates civil discussions and negotiations. Coaches also help to offset any power imbalances that might exist between spouses as a result of differences in temperament, financial security, emotional stability, social support, knowledge, etc.

A major task of the Collaborative Divorce Coach is to help parents shift from a partner relationship to a co-parenting relationship. Establishing a healthy co-parenting relationship means helping parents develop new family rules, expectations, communications, beliefs, and ways of parenting. It means helping parents focus on averting future problems rather than assigning blame for past problems.

Help for Children

Collaborative Divorce Coaches understand the developmental needs of children, what parents can do to help them, and how to minimize the adverse impact of the divorce. In addition to helping parents maintain emotional stability and communicate effectively, the coach can provide insight into parenting issues not yet experienced by the parents since they haven’t yet had children any older than the ones they have now. Coaches work with the parents to create a Parenting Plan that best meets the needs of the family now and in the future, while fulfilling the document requirements of the court.

Help for the Collaborative Team

As well as assisting parents with emotional issues, the Coach manages the emotional content of the entire collaborative process. This means facilitating communications during meetings and between meetings, for the other professionals in the process as well as parents. During meetings, Coaches often manage the agenda, and, in addition to keeping everyone’s feelings in check, ask questions that a client might feel unable to ask. After every collaborative team meeting with clients, the coaches facilitate a short debrief with the professionals to review how effectively the team functioned in the meeting and to process any difficult situations or personal triggers. This procedure helps to prevent inadvertent alignments or imbalances among team members, contributes to team stability, and assures a reality-based assessment of how the divorce is going and the best plan forward.

The coach also contacts any ‘outside’ therapists involved with a family to inform them about the collaborative process and to clarify the difference in roles between the therapist and the collaborative coach. And if particularly difficult situation arises, the coach can alert the therapist about it so that the therapist can provide additional support.

Summary

Collaborative Divorce Coaches, in many ways, are the glue that hold the entire collaborative process together. They help to provide and maintain the communication skills, emotional management, long-range perspective of each spouse, both spouses together, the family as whole, and the professional team. Coaches are an essential part of the collaborative team and are necessary to achieve a “good” divorce. You can contact a Collaborative Divorce Coach to find out more about this divorce option.

About the Author: John Borders

John is an mental health professional and former member of CFLA.

How To Divorce: What are the steps?

If you are divorcing, chances are it’s the first time you’ve dealt with a lawyer and the court system. Dealing with the unknown can be scary and intimidating. The best way to start managing your fears is to arm yourself with knowledge about how to divorce.

So, what are the divorce steps you can expect to go through?

Initial Divorce Steps

The steps involved in the legal process are:

Additional Divorce Steps

From this point forward, many different things can happen. Depending upon the particulars of your case, the lawyers may want to gather financial or other information through a process called “discovery.” This can include sending “subpoenas” to employers, banks, credit card companies, and other institutions.

In some cases, there is a need to establish temporary orders, referred to as “PDL orders.” These orders can include establishing a parenting schedule, support payments, payments of attorneys’ fees, and other rules to keep things on as even a keel as possible while the case is being resolved. If both sides can’t agree on these, judges will sometimes step in to assist the family.

Some cases will also use a “guardian ad litem,” an attorney whose sole job is to protect your children’s interests. If a GAL is appointed, the husband and wife will generally be ordered to pay for the GAL’s fees.

While all of these steps are going on, the attorneys will try to assist their clients in resolving all of the divorce issues in their case to reach a settlement. Judges will sometimes schedule settlement conferences, both to make sure the case is making progress, and also to help the two sides come together. Most cases are not tried before a judge; most are settled. If your case is settled, you will probably not ever have to go into court. If you can’t settle, you will find yourself in a courtroom.

Some cases, including all cases that use the Collaborative Process, are settled before anyone files any documents with the court. In those cases, you can expect all of the divorce steps listed above, but none of the other divorce steps such as discovery and PDL orders.

Talk to a Collaborative attorney about how to divorce and whether this problem-solving process is a good alternative for you.

Collaborative Divorce: How Do You Know It’s Right For You?

How you divorce greatly impacts your children’s well-being and your own ability to move forward in life. There are many different methods to complete a divorce. So how do you choose the right method? Collaborative divorce is best suited for people who understand the value of divorcing well. Here are some questions you can ask yourself and if you answer yes to most of these questions then collaborative divorce may be a good fit for you.

  1. Do you wish to make life changing decisions from a place of peace and consideration, even though you might be feeling angry or scared now?
  2. Do you want the focus of your divorce to be on future solutions for you and your children rather than past disagreements?
  3. Do you want your children to be at the center of your decisions about separation rather than in the middle?
  4. Do you want a comfortable co-parenting relationship with your spouse?
  5. Do you want an attorney who is trained in interest-based problem solving and focused on settlement rather than an attorney who acts as a hired gun?
  6. Are you able to be in the same room as your spouse to speak about your own legitimate self-interests with the assistance of collaborative professionals?
  7. Do you want to play an active role in creating the outcome of your divorce?
  8. Do you wish to craft a divorce agreement that is tailored to you and your family’s needs?
  9. Do you value privacy in your personal affairs and wish to resolve your divorce outside of a public courtroom?
  10. Do you wish to use a divorce approach that supports and advocates for realistic settlements and transitions?
  11. After your divorce is completed, do you want to be able to look back and feel good about the outcome and how you handled yourself throughout the process?

If you answered yes to the above questions, collaborative divorce may be a good fit for you and you should consider meeting with a collaborative divorce attorney. Divorce is never easy, but when you choose the collaborative approach, you can divorce well and transition into a healthier future.

Jennifer Rench is an experienced collaborative divorce lawyer and mediator handling cases in St. Louis, Missouri.  She offers divorce mediation and collaborative divorce to individuals that want to divorce without going to war.

Reach out to Jennifer to discuss your collaborative approach to a more amicable divorce.  Jennifer can be reached by phone at 314-725-4000, or by email at je******@jr*******.com. You can also schedule a free divorce consultation with Jennifer Rench at https://STLDivorceandMediation.com.

Consider a Collaborative Divorce for Privacy Reasons

Divorce in a courthouse setting isn’t for everyone. If you think about it, who really wants to be sitting in a courtroom? Who wants to witness attorneys in an open courtroom discuss their life? There are many disadvantages of the courtroom from an emotional standpoint. For many parties, the thought of all of this is too much. It leads to stress, anxiety, and angst.

If these were some of your concerns when faced with a divorce, a party may consider a collaborative divorce. In collaborative divorce, parties will meet outside of the courtroom with their selected collaborative attorneys and other professionals in an attempt to reach an amicable resolution.

The collaborative divorce process should not be confused with being a quick fix, inexpensive or easy process. If the parties had an easy time making decisions together, they probably wouldn’t be getting a divorce in the first place. But a benefit that does come with collaborative divorce is the privacy aspect versus potentially airing their life and/or dirty laundry in a courtroom.

Collaborative divorce, since it is in a private setting, can allow the stress, anxiety, and embarrassment to be minimized. The parties can then focus on what is best for themselves and their family in this hard time. Lastly, the parties would also have control over the outcome rather than putting the decision in the hands of a judge who doesn’t know them.

If the parties are able to reach a collaborative resolution, only one court appearance is generally required to conclude the divorce. However, this one appearance allows for much more privacy than the normal repeat visits in and out of the courthouse.  In some jurisdictions, the parties might be able to conclude the divorce by affidavit without either party ever having to step foot in the courthouse.

About the Author : Kirk Stange

Kirk Stange founded Stange Law Firm, PC in 2007 with wife Paola. Since the first location in 2007, Kirk has dedicated himself to flourishing the family law firm into what it is today. In addition to being a Founding Partner of the firm, Kirk also enjoys spending time educating attorneys and other law professionals at CLE Seminars through NBI, the Missouri Bar, and many other organizations. Additionally, Kirk serves as an adjunct professor in the role of a trial skills instructor. Kirk obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law. Kirk is licensed to practice in the state of Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Notably, Kirk has been recognized for his hard work and dedication to the practice of family law. These awards range from: Super Lawyers for Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers for Family Law Magazine, Top 10 Family Law Attorney in Missouri by National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, Lead Counsel Rated for Divorce/Family Law, and many more accolades. The Founding Partner has also been a published author on multiple different occasions. Kirk authored a chapter in a book through Thomson Reuters (Aspatore Publishing) in 2012 titled: Strategies for Military Family Law: Leading Lawyers on Navigating Family Law in the Armed Forces (Inside the Minds). Kirk published a full-length book through Thomson Reuters (Aspatore Publishing) in 2014 titled: Prenuptial Agreements Line by Line. Further, in 2015, Kirk authored another chapter in a book through Thomson Reuters (Aspatore Published) titled: Strategies for Illinois Family Law: Leading Lawyers on Leveraging Alternative Dispute Resolution, Negotiating Alimony and Child Support, and Managing Client Expectations (Inside the Minds). Note: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Kirk Stange is responsible for the content. Principal place of business 120 South Central Ave, Suite 450, Clayton, MO 63105.