Family Law Lawyers Missoula, MT

Missoula and Bozeman Divorce and Family Lawyers Serving Montana

For over 13 years, our attorneys have been committed to providing the best family law, divorce, and child welfare services in Montana. We act in the best interest of you and your family, whether that means negotiating a fair settlement or following through with a contested trial.

What is Family Law?

Family Law covers many legal issues like divorce, annulment of marriage, legal separation, creating or modification of parenting plans, prenuptial agreements, paternity, legal name changes, guardianship, adoption, and several other important areas involving families. For a better idea of legal terms and to research what you may be looking for visit our explanation of family law terms page.

We’re fundamentally interested in using our skills and experience as family law and divorce attorneys in Missoula and Bozeman MT, to help families during some of the most challenging times in their lives.

We understand the stress and anxiety you may be feeling and the challenges you’re facing. We’re here to help you and are on your side. Our lawyers offer excellent family law services at reasonable rates that you can afford. You need to consider your family, your children, your finances, and your future. We’ll help you navigate this challenging journey. Call us in Missoula at (406) 721-3354, or in Bozeman at (406) 602-8700.

Need legal help in Bozeman?

Judnich Law can help. Our compassionate family attorneys in Bozeman provide solutions tailored to your family's needs.

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Do You Need To Hire a Family Lawyer?

The end of a marriage, the breakup of a family, or the fear of losing the care and custody of your children are among the worst times in a person’s life. Protecting our clients’ interests and advocating for their needs is rewarding to us at the Judnich Law Office. Ask yourself this question - if you needed a surgery, would you perform it yourself, or would you hire a doctor? Of course you would hire a doctor. So why would you try to handle complicated and important legal issues such as marriage, money and children by yourself and without an attorney to advocate for you? Our firm understands your concerns and needs and we work with you to achieve your goals. Children are our most valuable asset, so ensure you are protecting them and yourself and invest in an experienced family law attorney and firm such as ours to ensure it is done right the first time, and you are not spending increased time and money down the line to fix mistakes you could make without an experienced attorney.

We get to know our clients, their fears, and their wishes for the future. We value our relationships with clients and work to achieve the best possible outcome for their lives. We don't ignore your calls or your needs and we have the experience in this specific area of law to get the results you need. We are also parents, and know first-hand, what is at stake in a family law case.

You need an advocate for your rights. That’s why you need to hire a family lawyer without delay.

FREE Consultations by Appointment Only

Contact us in Missoula or Bozeman today.

CALL (406) 721-3354

Contested Divorce & Cooperative Divorce — What You Need to Know

Contested Divorce

Cooperative Divorce

What is it

A contested Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the traditional way of hiring an attorney to obtain a Divorce. Each party typically has its own attorney, and the two different sides either negotiate a settlement to end the marriage or the case goes before the court in a trial to settle all the issues.

The Cooperative Divorce Process is where both parties hire a team, such as the Judnich Law Office, to work with both parties together to come to a resolution of the settlement of the end of the marriage. Neither side has their own attorney and instead, the married couple works with the Cooperative Divorce Team to avoid court, reduce costs, and come to a coordinated, reasonable resolution of all the issues.

Costs

Each party must pay for their own attorney, as well as all the time and expenses the attorney must incur to obtain the result the client is looking for. This can take months, if not years, depending on assets, children, and other factors.

Both parties pay equally for one team to resolve all the issues quickly. There is no mediator, just some general filing costs, so the monetary investment for both sides tends to be a fraction of what Contested Divorce costs are.

Pros

If the parties cannot see eye to eye on issues, and if both parties are adversarial to each other, this can be the preferred way to resolve the matters. In very complex cases involving assets and children where the parties are nowhere near agreeing to values and parenting, this is sometimes the only way to resolve all the issues.

We call Cooperative Divorce “Divorce in a Day” because the process can be extremely quick and avoids a contested court process that can be very lengthy. Both parties work together instead of against each other, with the assistance of our Team. The cost of the entire process is minimal compared to traditional divorce as well.

Cons

This process is expensive and can involve the Courts and court hearings, as well as additional money for experts and mediators. This process typically also takes much longer to reach a final resolution than a cooperative divorce.

There are relatively no cons to this process.

Cooperative Divorce at Judnich Law

Let our divorce attorneys assist you with all the legal complexities that come with ending a marriage. Our cooperative approach is designed to simplify this challenging process for you and your family.

Less time, money, and stress

Customized to each individual family

No need to testify in court or go before a judge

A more respectful and dignified process

A better co-parenting relationship

Recent Family Law Cases:

Alesha S. - Dissolution and Temporary Order of Protection issues resolved in client’s favor in 1 hearing.

Stephanie A. – Multi-million dollar estate with multiple businesses and properties resolved to client’s satisfaction.

Sheryl H. – Awarded default judgment against husband, and prevailed in client’s favor.

Chris C. - Dissolution granted and custody and maintenance awarded in client’s favor.

Jonathan B. – Dissolution granted, property, business and child issues successfully granted in client’s favor.

What We Do

Our process is simple: we listen to you and provide you with the best legal representation available. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but that’s the fundamental philosophy of the family law practice at Judnich Law Office.

We encourage you to contact us for a no obligation consultation. Share your story and concerns with us and we’ll help you to understand your options and how you may wish to proceed. Our consultations are always confidential, even if you don't hire us.

We’ll answer all of your initial consultation questions at no charge if you retain us.

At Judnich Law we’re experienced in a variety of family law specialties, including: Divorce, Child Custody, Child Visitation, and Child Support, to name just a few. Keep reading to learn more about our areas of expertise.

How We Can Help You

Divorce

A divorce, also known as a dissolution of marriage, isn’t just the end of your marriage. The results of your divorce can impact the rest of your life, your ex-partner’s life, your living situation and your children’s lives. Divorce can be a confusing, stressful, and contentious process, especially if you and your spouse don’t see eye-to-eye. Having an advocate fight for your interests will ensure you do things the right way the first time and can move on feeling assured you are protected and have received everything you deserve.

No matter how simple and amicable the end of your marriage may seem, you need a lawyer to look out for your rights. Basic issues exist for any divorce such as debt, assets, loans, real estate, life insurance and others that you need an attorney to help you negotiate the division of these issues. As a divorce proceeds, other issues emerge including spousal support (alimony), division of significant assets, and child custody, visitation and child support. Some of these issues are time sensitive, so if you are considering a divorce, contact us to discuss your options.

Child Custody, Child Visitation, & Child Support

Smiling Kid

In any divorce that involves children, it is the children’s well-being that is most important. At Judnich Law Office we represent parents involved in child custody, child visitation, and child support disputes and changes. We can help negotiate agreements between parents or if no agreement can be reached we will fight for your rights in court before a judge.

Child support calculations have guidelines that must be considered and our office can help you rest assured that your children are receiving everything they are supposed to be receiving. In addition to child custody disputes between parents, we represent parents who are facing an investigation by the Department of Family Services, as well as parents whose children have been removed from their custody.

We will work with you to assure the courts that you are the best parent for your children, and do everything possible to ensure the best placement for your children.

Guardian ad Litem Services

We can act as a Guardian ad Litem in Missoula, Ravalli, and Lake Counties.

Guardian ad Litems are appointed by the Court, and/or by the agreement of the parents to:

Investigate a child[ren]'s circumstances
Advocate on behalf of the child
Make recommendations regarding both temporary and final parenting plans that will best meet the child's best interests

Other Family Law Specialties

Family law is more than divorce and child custody, however. Our attorneys at the Judnich Law Office can represent you in a variety of family law situations and conflicts, including:

Adoptions, Step-Parent Adoptions, & Second Parent Adoptions

Adopted Child We help facilitate a variety of adoptions, including both contested and uncontested-- when biological parents relinquish their parental rights. We also work with step-parents who are looking to adopt their stepchildren.

We work with all parents, including LGBT couples looking to secure parental rights for their families. Depending on the type of adoption you’re involved in, we can help you work with the Department of Family Services or a private adoption agency.

If you have any questions about any kind of adoption proceedings, get in touch. We’ll answer your questions, free of charge.

Prenuptial Agreements

A prenuptial agreement helps engaged couples protect the property and finances they are bringing to their marriage. A prenuptial agreement can cover each party’s rights to owned or shared property, how assets will be divided up in the case of divorce or death, and any other matters related to a couple’s assets.

We can help you negotiate a prenuptial agreement, as well as review any prenuptial agreement that you’ve been asked to sign.

Legal Separations

Grandparents

In Montana, prior to filing for divorce, spouses must live separately for at least 180 days. A legal separation can be used as precursor or alternative to filing for divorce. The main difference is that a legal separation does not end your marriage. It does, however, prevent you or your spouse from marrying anyone else.

Some spouses may prefer a legal separation instead when their marriage is stressed but are not certain they want to file for divorce. We’re available to help you file for a legal separation or answer any questions you have about legal separations in Montana.

While these are the most common areas of our family law practice, we’re also available to counsel you on issues related to:

Restraining orders
Annulments
Domestic disputes
Grandparent’s Rights & Custody
Paternity
Legal name changes

Photo Credits: Hernán Piñera, Remus Pereni

We're on Your Side.

We are Missoula and Bozeman-based attorneys focusing on Divorce, Parenting Plans, Child Custody, and Child Support with a history of winning cases.

Client comfort and confidence is our goal.

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Clients Trust Judnich Law

“I cannot recommend Judnich Law Office enough. The Office staff is incredibly attentive, personable and professional. Questions are always met with a warm, timely and knowledgeable response. The ability to recall the details of my case at a moments notice and make me feel at all times that I was his only currently retained client was not only very impressive but also deeply appreciated. They saw my case through with unwavering professionalism and most importantly to a just outcome.”

— Diana Funk

“Living out of state my wife and I were concerned about whether our legal matter would be handled well. We are astonished by how easy working with Judnich Law Office was. Brandi Greer was always prompt to reply to our questions and concerns. We recommend Judnich Law Office for your legal needs knowing they are committed to helping their clients navigate issues of law.”