Iowa Family Law Attorney

Iowa Family Law Attorney

Family law is a broad area of law which includes issues such as divorce or establishing paternity. These cases are often legally and factually complicated, as well as emotionally draining for all parties involved. If you need help with a family law issue, your choice of attorney will matter a great deal.

Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C., has been practicing family law for over 20 years. Our legal team understands how the legal system works and how Iowa family law has continued to evolve. Please call our firm if you are interested in finding out more about our services. We understand that everyone’s family is unique, so we don’t offer cookie cutter solutions. Instead, we can discuss your goals in a confidential consultation.

Give us a call at (319) 220-0416 or submit an online contact form to request a free, no-obligation consultation.

Success Stories: Client Testimonials

Our Family Law Services

The Iowa family law attorneys at our firm can help with any type of family law issue.

Divorce

Unwinding a marriage is a complicated process which raises sticky issues. Whether you are considering filing for divorce or were blindsided by receiving divorce papers, you should contact an Iowa divorce lawyer to discuss your options. We can help with either an uncontested or contested divorce.

Collaborative Divorce

Not every divorce needs to be a fight. Instead, spouses can commit in writing to work collaboratively. This is a unique approach to divorce, which has gained in popularity over the past decade. Working with their attorneys, couples can resolve critical issues like child custody, child support, alimony, and the division of their marital assets. Couples might also jointly employ experts, like forensic accountants, to help them craft their divorce settlement.

Paternity

A man does not have any legal rights—or obligations—to a child until his paternity is established. That means he has no right to custody, and no obligation to pay child support. Paternity issues arise when parents are not married to each other. We can represent either a mother or father in a paternity suit.

Child Custody

Child custody in Iowa encompasses the power to make legal decisions for your children, as well as the right to have a child physically placed in your home. Parents can adopt a parenting plan on their own, or they can ask a judge to decide custody. One parent might have sole legal custody or sole physical placement.

If you are not a biological parent, we can discuss your rights to visitation or even custody. Some grandparents want to seek visitation, especially after the death of their child.

Family Law Mediation

Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution technique which involves meeting with a mediator to discuss a dispute. The mediator’s job is to get each side to listen to each other and consider possible resolutions to their disagreements. Our firm can attend divorce mediation with our clients and help them think through possible settlement proposals.

Spousal Support & Alimony

Divorce can devastate a person’s finances. Helpfully, Iowa law allows a judge to order one spouse to pay the other alimony after the marriage ends. This is a little-understood area of law. It is a misconception that only women receive alimony, or that a judge always awards it.

Whether you receive alimony—and the amount—depends on many factors, such as the length of your marriage, as well as each spouse’s assets and education. Your choice of lawyer can make a big difference in whether you receive or need to pay alimony. Changes in the federal tax code make alimony very expensive for the paying spouse, so approach this issue in a deliberate manner.

Do You Need a Family Lawyer?

We realize that money is tight for many. You might be tempted to use internet resources and handle your own family law matters. We think that’s a mistake for a few reasons:

• There are few “second chances” in family law. You get basically one shot to win custody or get a fair share of marital assets. If you lose at trial, then it’s extremely hard to get the trial judge’s decision reversed. Technically, you might appeal in a few limited situations, but people are rarely successful. Because so much is on the line, you should hire the best legal help available as soon as you see a family law dispute on the horizon.
• Family law is complicated. There aren’t many hard and fast rules in family law. Consider child custody. When parents can’t agree, a judge will decide custody based on a child’s “best interests.” That is a fairly flexible concept. An experienced lawyer is a big asset at convincing a judge to see a dispute your way.
• Divorce is a critical turning point. Many people are shocked at how expensive it is to live as a single person. Many divorcees in their 50s or 60s even end up postponing their retirements. Many carefully laid plans get upended. You can minimize the fallout by working with our legal team.

Family Law FAQs

Can a child decide which parent to live with?

No. A child cannot make that decision. However, a judge might consider your child’s preference, depending on your child’s age and maturity.

My ex is keeping me from seeing my children; do I have legal rights?

Your rights to visitation are spelled out in the decree. You should review. If your spouse is denying you court-ordered time, then you can bring an enforcement action. Call our law firm to speak about your options.

Do mothers always get custody of young babies?

There is no law guaranteeing custody to mothers. Judges make custody decisions based on many factors, including each parent’s relationship to a child.

Are judges biased against men?

Our lawyers have appeared in front of countless Iowa family law judges. We have noticed no systematic bias against men in family law cases. You can strengthen your case as a father by hiring an experienced Iowa family law attorney for your paternity, custody, or divorce case.

Speak with an Iowa Family Law Attorney

Get the legal representation you need by calling Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C. for a confidential consultation.

Contact us today for a free consultation by filling out our contact form or calling (319) 220-0416.