FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Here are my tips for minimizing attorney fees: 1. Look for alternatives to litigation. In short, look for the areas of agreement that you have with the other party/other parent, and build on those. Communicate, or attempt to communicate, with the other party. Try to narrowly define the areas of disagreement – in other words, choose your battles carefully. 2. Do my work for me. If I need to copy and organize documents, I will bill you for the time my staff or I spends copying and organizing them. It will cost you much less if you make the copies and organize them into three ring binders. 3. Do not call and email me constantly with daily or minor updates on your case. Keep a diary and record the events there. When you have several weeks of events recorded, or if there is a significant event, then call or email me. In addition, do not call or email me after regular business hours unless it is a real emergency. I am not your therapist, I am your attorney. 4. Do what I tell you to do promptly and keep the lines of communication open. If I have to remind you, I will be charging you for the reminder. Return my calls promptly. When I call you I am working on your case. If I have to wait more than a few minutes to hear back from you, I have moved on to the next case and have lost my train of thought — which I then must spend time(and therefore your money) getting back. 5. Listen carefully to what I am telling you. You are paying me for my legal advice in your case. Read the information on my website and Facebook pages. Do your own research. Ask intelligent questions. Make a decision for a plan of action and follow through with your plan. Changing your instructions to me can be quite costly. 6. Take care of yourself and assist me in preparing for your important court dates. I want to be prepared for your case in court. I need you healthy, focused and able to work with me in order to prepare both of us for the court process. 7. Review your bills when you receive them and bring any and all errors, questions or problems to our attention immediately. Also, if you have not heard from me for a period of time, it may be time to check in with me on the status of your case.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Attorney Anne Kiske: EDUCATION JD, Washington University in St. Louis, 1994 ABA award for Administrative Law, Women’s Law Caucus BA, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, 1989 Graduated Summa Cum Laude and the Honors Program. Majored in History, Minor in Economics JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE Missouri, 1994 Illinois, 1995 (license inactive) Kansas, 2013 PROFESSIONAL & BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS Missouri Bar Association Kansas Bar Association Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts MARCH Mediation American Institute of Family Law Attorney’s Award: Top 10 Best Law Firms in Client Satisfaction AWARDS 2014 Avvo Client Choice Award 2014 Avvo Featured Attorney Family Law 2015 Avvo Client Choice Award 2015 American Institute of Family Law Attorney’s Individual award for client satisfaction. SUCCESSFUL APELLATE CASES England v. England A.B., Appellant v. JUVENILE OFFICER, Respondent. Attorney Amanda Showalter: Education JD, UMKC School of Law, 2009 with honors John R. Specca award for excellence in Family Law BA, Psychology, Truman State University with distinction 2006 JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE Missouri Kansas PROFESSIONAL & BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS Missouri Bar Kansas Bar KCMBA Clay County Bar CASA – Volunteer Attorney of the Year on behalf of abused children for 2013 Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts AWARDS 2015 National Academy of Family Law Attorneys Award for Top 10 (Under 40) Family Law Attorneys
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
If you are a new client of the firm, there are some things you can do to help us efficiently handle your case. The more legwork you can do, the less well have to do which can save you substantial fees and costs. Complete a Client Intake Form available from the firm. You should start gathering the documents the firm will need for your case. Also, if you dont have copies of a relevant document, just let the firm know who does and they can get it through the discovery process. Here are some examples, but it will vary case-to-case: Income Tax Returns Income Information Employment Records Banking Information Financial Statements Personal Property Tax Returns Loan Applications Wills and Trust Agreements General Insurance papers Motor Vehicles Court Documents Traffic Violations