Family Law
Family matters are decided under real pressure, and the decisions last. We represent people through dissolution, custody, and support — steadily, without inflaming things that do not need inflaming, and without pretending a bad situation is a good one.
What we handle
Dissolution of marriage
Legal custody and physical care
Visitation and parenting schedules
Child support
Spousal support
Division of property and debt
Modification of existing decrees
Paternity
Mediation
How an Iowa dissolution actually runs
It is no-fault. Iowa dissolves a marriage on a finding that it has broken down irretrievably. You do not prove wrongdoing, and proving it does not change the property division.
There is a waiting period. No Iowa decree can enter until ninety days have passed from service of the original notice, the last day of publication, or the filing of a waiver or acceptance of notice — whichever is later — and until any court-ordered conciliation is finished. A court can shorten it only on a written motion and affidavit showing an emergency or a necessity that warrants immediate action, after a hearing.
Temporary matters come first. Who lives where, who pays what, and the parenting schedule for the interim are usually decided months before the final decree.
Custody and physical care are two different things. Legal custody is decision-making authority over education, medical care, and religion. Physical care is where the children primarily live. Joint legal custody is common even where one parent has physical care.
Property division is equitable, not automatically equal. Iowa divides marital property fairly in light of the circumstances, which is not the same as fifty-fifty.
Common questions
Is Iowa a fifty-fifty state?
No. Iowa courts divide property equitably, weighing length of the marriage, each spouse's contributions and earning capacity, and what each brought in. An even split is a common outcome, not a rule.
Do we have to go to court?
Most cases resolve by agreement, and Iowa courts generally expect the parties to attempt mediation before a contested trial. An agreed decree is usually cheaper, faster, and easier on the children than a decided one.
How is child support calculated?
By the Iowa child support guidelines, which run off both parents' incomes and the number of overnights, with adjustments for health insurance and childcare. It is formula-driven, which means the arguments are usually about the inputs.
If you are trying to decide whether to start, or you have just been served, the first conversation is the useful one.