Nelson & Booth
attorneys at law

Nelson & Booth HOME

 

Click for firm biography

Click for FAQ

Click for legal information and links

Click for a description of our services

Click to contact us

 

 

NELSON & BOOTH is a law firm engaged in a family law practice emphasizing complex domestic relations actions, including divorce and determination of parentage, property division, child custody, parenting time, spousal and child support and representation of parents in cases of international child abduction. The lawyers at Nelson & Booth are trained in collaborative law.

 

The attorneys at NELSON & BOOTH are licensed to practice only in the
states of Kansas or Missouri.

E-mail: Ronald W. Nelson or Joseph W. Booth

 

CURRICULUM VITAE

 

RONALD W. NELSON

Partner

 

LAW OFFICES OF
NELSON & BOOTH

11900 West 87th Street Parkway; Suite 117

Lenexa, Kansas 66215

(913) 469-5300 telephone

(913) 469-5310 telecopier

Internet: ronels@nelsonbooth.com

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

Partner (January, 1994 - present) –
Nelson & Booth Law Offices, Suite 160, 10990 Quivira Road, Overland Park, Kansas 66210-1281 –
private law practice.

Civil Trial and Appellate Practice, with emphasis in the practice of complex domestic relations law. Previously engaged in practice in the areas of constitutional law, employment law, real estate and general litigation matters. Significant involvement in appeals before the Kansas appellate courts and in the federal courts.

 

Sole Practice (January, 1987 - December, 1993) –
Law Offices of Ronald W. Nelson,
Suite 160, 10990 Quivira Road,
Overland Park, Kansas 66210 –
private law practice.

General Civil Trial and Appellate Practice, including domestic relations, constitutional law, insurance, employment law, commercial and real estate and other general litigation matters.

 

Associate (January, 1985 - December, 1986) –
Alder & Nelson, Suite 690, 9300 West 110th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66210 –
private law practice.

General Civil Trial and Appellate Practice, including product liability, personal injury, automobile negligence, insurance, municipal liability, real estate, labor and employment law, business and commercial -- plaintiff and defense.

 

Associate (May, 1981 - December, 1984) –
Alder, Nelson & McKenna, Suite 690, 9300 West 110th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66210 –
private law practice.

General civil trial and appellate practice, including product liability, personal injury, automobile negligence, insurance, municipal liability, real estate, labor and employment law, business and commercial -- plaintiff and defense.

 

Law Clerk (May, 1980 - May, 1981) –
Speer, Austin, Holliday, Lane & Ruddick, Chtd.,
PO Box 870, 201 North Cherry, Olathe, Kansas 66061.

Responsible for general research and writing assignments in civil and criminal litigation,
including matters pertaining to municipal liability, business and commercial litigation, and personal injury.

 

Research Assistant (August, 1980 - May, 1981) –
Professor William Rich, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas.

Responsible for general research and writing assignments pertaining to civil procedure, constitutional and civil rights, primarily involving renewed litigation before the United States District Court (District of Kansas) in the desegregation case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

 

Law Clerk (January, 1979 - May, 1979) –
Alder & Zemites, Suite 690, 9300 West 110th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66210.

Responsible for general research and writing assignments and fact investigation pertaining to municipal liability, employment law, constitutional and civil rights litigation matters.

 

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

 

Law School

Washburn University School of Law (Topeka, Kansas)(1981)
– Juris Doctor, with Honors.

 

Undergraduate Education

Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas) (1978)
– Bachelor of Science in Political Science, minor in Biology.

Kansas Wesleyan University (Salina, Kansas)

 

COURT PRACTICE ADMISSIONS

 

Supreme Court of the State of Kansas (Admitted 1981)

United States District Court – District of Kansas
(Admitted 1981)

United States District Court – Western District of Missouri
(Admitted 2004)

Tenth Circuit United States Court of Appeals (Admitted 1986)

United States Supreme Court (Admitted 1992)

 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

 

The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

–Elected Fellow in 1998

 

The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

–Elected Fellow in 2004

Kansas Bar Association

Member, Family Law Section

–Legislative Liaison – 2005- present

–President – 2003-2004

–President – 2002-2003

–President – 2000-2001

–President-Elect – 1999-2000

–Publications Director – 1998-1999

–Executive Committee – 1998-

 

Member, Legislative Committee (1991 - present)

Johnson County, Kansas, Bar Association

Member, Family Law Section

Member, Family Law Bench/Bar Committee

            - Chair —  Subcommittee on Revision of Guidelines on Parenting Time (1999-2000)

American Bar Association

 

ABA Section Officers Conference Technology Committee – Liaison from Family Law Section (2000-present)

Member, Law Practice Management Section

Member, Appellate Attorneys Conference, Judicial Division

Member, Family Law Section

–Scope and Correlation Committee – 2006 - present

­–Governing Council – 2000-2006
–Technology Oversight Committee
                 –Chair – 2002-

–CLE Committee – 2001-2003
–Long Range Planning Committee
                 –Chair – 2000-2001

                 –Vice Chair – 1999-2000

                 –Secretary – 1998-1999

–Family Law Section Liaison to Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) – (2000-present)
– Custody Committee

                 –Vice Chair – 1998-2001, 2005– present

–Marital Property Committee

–International Committee

–Child Support Committee

–Membership and Publicity Committee

–Council of Family Law Sections (2000-2001, 2002-2003)

­–Chair, 2001 Kansas City Host Committee (Family Law Section Spring Meeting)

Board of Trustees, Johnson County, Kansas, Law Library
(1994 - present)

–Chair (1998-99, 2003-04, 2007-08)

–Vice Chair (1997-98, 2002-03, 2006-07)

–Member (1994-present)

International Child Abduction Attorneys Network

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

–American Bar Association Family Law Section Liaison – (2000-2004)

American Inns of Court – Earl E. O’Connor Chapter
–Barrister, 1996-1999

American Judicature Society

 

ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS

 

Chapter Author – “Civil Rights Act of 1871” (Chapter 17)
Kansas Employment Law Handbook (Kansas Bar Association)(1995)

Chapter Author – “Divorce, Separate Maintenance & Annulment” (Chapter 2) Practitioners’ Guide to Kansas Family Law (Kansas Bar Association)(1997) (with supplements)

Chapter Author –          “Child Custody” (Chapter 6)  Practitioners’ Guide to Kansas Family Law (Kansas Bar Association)(1997) (with supplements)

Chapter Author –          “Child Visitation and Access” (Chapter 7)  Practitioners’ Guide to Kansas Family Law (Kansas Bar Association)(1997) (with supplements)

Author – “The UCCJA and the UCCJEA: A Side-by-Side Comparison,” 10 Divorce litigation, Issue 12 (December, 1998)

Author – “Legal Ethics and the Internet: Ethical Considerations in Electronic Communications Between Attorneys and Clients,” 33 ABA Fam.Law Qtrly. No. 2, at 419 (Summer 1999)

Author – “Managing the High-Conflict Child Custody Case,”
13 Am.Journal of Family Law No. 4, at 207 (Winter, 1999)

Author – “Paternity Support Retroactivity and Statutes of Limitation – A Fifty State Survey,” 11 Divorce litigation, Issue 12 (December, 1999)

Author – “Revisions to the Kansas Domestic Relations Laws – 2000 Legislative Session,” 2000 Kan.Bar Assn. J. (June/July, 2000)

Author – “Troxel vs. Granville: The Supreme Court Wades into the Quagmire of Third Party Visitation,” 13 Divorce litigation, Issue 7 (July, 2000)

Author – “Summary of Changes Made to Kansas Domestic Relations Law by House Substitute for SB 150,” Johnson County Bar Association Newsletter (June/July, 2000)

Author – “Going to Trial – Building Your Case with Facts and Focus,” 26 Family Advocate No. 4 (2004)

 

SEMINAR AND CONTINUING EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS

 

Presenter – Employment Discrimination Issues in the ’90s in Kansas (National Business Institute)(1993)

Presenter – Kansas Employment Law (Public Employment Law) (Kansas Bar Association)( 1994)

Presenter – A Practitioners Guide to Kansas Family Law (Child Custody & Visitation) (Kansas Bar Association)(1997)

Presenter – The Nuts and Bolts of Child Custody for Kansas Paralegals (Institute for Paralegal Education) (1998)

Presenter – Case and Legislation Update 1998 (Johnson County Bar Assn. Family Law Section)(1998)

Presenter – Panel Discussion Regarding Parental Relocation in Kansas (Kansas Bar Association)(1999)

Presenter – Family Case Management - Statutory Provisions and Legislative Changes (Johnson County Bar Assn. Family Law Section)(1999)

Presenter – Kansas Domestic Legislation Update 1999 (Johnson County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference, Spring 1999)

Presenter – Ethics and the Internet (American Inns of Court – Earl E. O’Conner Chapter)(April, 1999)

Panelist – Ethics and the Internet (American Bar Association-Family Law Section)(Spring Meeting, 1999)

Presenter – Psychological Issues in Child Custody and Visitation Cases (Kansas Bar Association)(Annual Meeting, June, 1999)

Presenter ­– Third Party Child Custody and Visitation in Kansas (Kansas Paralegal Association)(Annual Meeting, June, 1999)

Panelist ­– Child Support A to Z (trial practice portion)(American Bar Association-Family Law Section)(Fall Meeting, October, 1999)

Producer-Presenter – Managing the High-Conflict Child Custody Case Parenting Coordinators and Domestic Case Management (American Bar Association-Family Law Section)(Spring Meeting, April, 2000)

Participant – Splitsville Redux: Issues in the Second Divorce (American Bar Association-Family Law Section) (Spring Meeting, April, 2000)

Presenter – The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (Johnson County Bar Association)(April, 2000)

Presenter – Domestic Relations Legislative Changes in the Year 2000 (Kansas Bar Association) (Annual Meeting, June 2000)

Presenter – Domestic Relations Legislative Changes in the Year 2000 (Leavenworth County, Kansas Bar Association) (June Meeting, June 2000)

Presenter – Domestic Relations Legislative Changes in the Year 2000 (Johnson County, Kansas Bar Association – Family Law Section)(Semi-Annual Meeting, August 2000)

Participant – Wingspread Conference: High Conflict Custody Cases: Reforming the System for Children
(Johnson Institute and ABA FLS, September, 2000)

Producer-Presenter – The High Conflict Divorce: Issues in the Child Custody Case (American Bar Association-Family Law Section)
(Fall Meeting, October, 2000)

Presenter – Domestic Relations Practice for New Lawyers 2000 (Kansas Bar Association)

Presenter – A Practitioners Guide to Kansas Family Law – The 2000 Update (Child Custody & Visitation) (Kansas Bar Association)(December, 2000)

Presenter – Domestic Relations Legislative Changes in the Year 2001 (Johnson County, Kansas Bar Association) (Herbert Walton Conference)(April, 2001)

Presenter – Advising Clients on Mediation of Domestic Relations Matters (American Bar Association-Family Law Section)(Spring Meeting, April, 2001)

Presenter – Handling Your First Divorce in Kansas (National Business Institute)(June, 2001)

Presenter – Division of Property in Non-Marital Relationships (American Bar Association-Family Law Section) (Fall Meeting, October, 2000)

Presenter – Domestic Relations Practice for New Lawyers 2001 (Kansas Bar Association)

Presenter – A Practitioners Guide to Kansas Family Law – The 2001 Update (Child Custody & Visitation) (Kansas Bar Association)
(December, 2001)

Presenter – The Basic Divorce in Kansas (Child Custody, Parenting Time and Visitation; Post-Decree Motion Practice; Family Law Ethics) (Kansas Bar Association)(April, 2002)

Presenter – 2002 Kansas Legislative Update (Johnson County, KS Bar Association)(April, 2002)

Presenter – Long Distance Visitation and Parenting Time After September 11, 2001 (American Bar Association-Family Law Section) (Spring Meeting, April, 2002)

Producer – Debunking the Myths: Uncovering the Mystery Behind Psychological Evaluations (American Bar Association-Family Law Section) (Spring Meeting, April, 2002)

Presenter – Family Law Legislative and Case Law Update – 2002 (Kansas Bar Association-Family Law Section) (Spring Meeting, April, 2002)

Presenter – Registration, Enforcement and Modification of Orders Under UIFSA and UCCJEA (Leavenworth, Kansas Bar Association) (June, 2002)

Presenter – Parental Alienation in High Conflict Cases (Kentucky AAML)(June, 2002)

Presenter – Ethical Issues in Domestic Relations Alternate Dispute Resolution (Kentucky AAML) (June, 2002)

Moderator – ERISA Issues: Have Faith in the Power of QDROs and QMCSOs (National Child Support Enforcement Association)
(Annual Meeting, August, 2002)

Presenter – Child Custody Jurisdiction – Hot Topics In Family Law (American Bar Association-Family Law Section)(Annual Meeting, August 2002)

Presenter – Case Law and Legislative Update 2002 (Kansas Bar Association)(Family Law Section Annual Meeting)

Presenter – Child Custody Jurisdiction Law (American Bar Association General Practice Section) (Annual Meeting, August, 2002)

Producer – When Parents Act Like Children: The Impact of Alienating Behavior on Custody and Timeshare (American Bar Association-Family Law Section) (Spring Meeting, May, 2003)

Presenter – Family Law Update: Kansas Appellate Cases 2002 (Kansas Bar Association Family Law Section

Presenter – Child Support: Guidelines and Case Law 2003 (Leavenworth County, Kansas Bar Association)(June, 2003)

Presenter – Family Law Update: Kansas Appellate Cases 2002-2003 (Kansas Bar Association-Annual Meeting 2003)

Presenter – The High Conflict Child Custody Case: Representing and Protecting Clients in the High Conflict Case (Washburn University School of Law)(September, 2003) [photo]

Presenter – Alternate Dispute Resolution in Domestic Relations Cases: Domestic Relations Case Management (Kansas Bar Association)(ADR Conference, October, 2003)

Producer – Using Age-Appropriate Parenting Plans:  Development and Presentation (American Bar Association, Family Law Section)(Fall Meeting, October, 2003)

Presenter – A Practitioners Guide to Kansas Family Law – The 2003 Update (Jurisdiction for Child Custody & Child Support) (Kansas Bar Association)(November, 2003)

Presenter – The High Conflict Custody Custody Case (Johnson County Bar Association)(Walton Conference, April 2004)

Producer – Business Valuation – Beyond the Basics (American Bar Association, Family Law Section)(Spring Meeting, April, 2004)

Moderator – Hot Issues in Child Custody Jurisdiction (American Bar Association, Family Law Section)(Spring Meeting, April, 2004)

Presenter – International Child Abduction and the UCCJEA (Law Education Institute – Aspen, Colorado)(January 2005)

Presenter – Developments in Child Custody Jurisdiction Law – the UCCJEA (American Bar Association, Family Law Section)(Spring Meeting, April 2005). 

Presenter – The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the UCCJEA/UCCJA (Missouri Bar Association, Family Law Section)(Annual Meeting, August 2006)

Producer-Moderator – The Indian Child Welfare Act (ABA FLS)(Fall Meeting, 2006)

Panelist – High Conflict Divorce, The Johnson County, Kansas Family Court After One Year (Johnson County Bar Ass’n)(December 2006)

Panelist – Revising the Johnson County Rules: Family Court Rules and Forms (Johnson County Bar Ass’n)(March 2007)

Presenter – The Uniform Acts: UCCJEA, UPAA and UIFSA 2001. A Kansas Perspective (KCMBA)(May 2007)

Presenter – The UCCJEA: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You (Missouri Bar)(September 2007)

LEGISLATIVE TESTIMONY AND OTHER PRESENTATIONS

 

Testified to 2007 Kansas Legislature, House and Senate Judiciary Committees, on child abduction prevention

Testified to 2006 Kansas Legislature, House Judiciary Committee, on amendments to Kansas domestic relations statutes

Testified to 2006 Kansas Legislature, Senate Judiciary Committee, on amendments to child custody statutes

Testified to 2005 Kansas Legislature, Interim Joint Special Judiciary Committee, on amendments to child custody statutes

Testified to 2004 Kansas Legislature, House Judiciary Committee, on Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Domestic Violence Protection Orders

Testified to 2002 Kansas Legislature, Senate Judiciary Committee, on Protection from Abuse and Stalking

Assisted in Drafting Protection from Stalking Act and changes to Protection from Abuse Act for 2002 Legislature

Testified to 2001 Kansas Legislature, Senate Judiciary Committee, on Protection from Abuse

Testified to 2000 Kansas Legislature, Senate Judiciary Committee, on enactment of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act

Testified to 2000 Kansas Legislature, House Judiciary Committee, on Domestic Relations Legislation

Assisted in Drafting Changes to House Substitute to Senate Bill 150 involving child custody, residency and parenting time and UCCJEA.

Testified to 1999-2000 Kansas Legislature Interim Judiciary Committee, on enactment of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act

Testified to 1999 Kansas Legislature, House Judiciary Committee, on enactment of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act

Testified to 1999 Kansas Legislature, House Judiciary Committee, on Domestic Relations Legislation

Testified to 1998 Kansas Legislature, House Judiciary Committee, on Domestic Relations Legislation

AWARDS AND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

 

Member – Kansas Judicial Council, Family Law Advisory Committee (2006 – present)

Recipient – National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Award of Merit (December 2004)

Recipient – ABA Family Law Section Chair’s Cup for Meritorious Service (July, 2001)

Member – Kansas Supreme Court Parenting Plan Drafting Committee (2000-2001)

Member – Ad Hoc Group on revision of Kansas Domestic Relations Case Management Statute (2002)

Member – ABA FLS Drafting Committee on Guardian Ad Litem Standards (1999-2003)

Participant – Wingspread Conference: High Conflict Custody Cases: Reforming the System for Children (Johnson Institute and ABA FLS, September, 2000)

 

PUBLISHED APPELLATE DECISIONS

 

Teepak v. Learned, 237 Kan. 320 (1985) (comparative negligence and indemnity)
Gould v. Taco Bell, 239 Kan. 564 (1986) (comparison of intentional fault)
Summers v. Montgomery Elevator, 243 Kan. 639 (1988) (attorneys fees  – standards for assessment in frivolous action)
Santaniello v. Santaniello, 18 Kan. App. 2d 112 (1992) (grandparent visitation-burden of proof requirement)
Ellis v. Berry, 19 Kan. App. 2d 105 (1993)
(non-marital property division and trial procedure)
Marriage of Welliver, 254 Kan. 801 (1994)
(service of process requirements and considerations in granting default judgment)
Barnett v. Barnett, 24 Kan. App. 2d 319 (1997) (protection from abuse standards for children)
Marriage of Scott, 263 Kan. 638 (1998)
(child support – imputing of income to residential parent)

Sokol v. Kansas S.R.S., 267 Kan. 740 (1999) (administrative standards on allegations of child abuse)
Marriage of Gordon-Hanks, 27 Kan.App.2d 987 (2000) (domestic relations case management standards)
Johnson v. Stephenson, 28 Kan.App.2d 275 (2000) (child custody – binding effect of parental agreement when there is a later dispute)

Marriage of Ronen, 29 Kan.App.2d 443 (2001) (child support – defining expenses included in basic child support amount)
Trolinger v. Trolinger, 30 Kan.App.2d 192 (2001) (protection from abuse standards for adults)

Marriage of Kopac, 30 Kan.App.2d 735 (2002)
(spousal support – considerations in termination on basis of “cohabitation”)

Marriage of Jennings, 30 Kan.App.2d 860 (2002) (child custody – binding effect of parental agreement when there is a later dispute)

DeGraeve v. Holm, 30 Kan.App.2d 865 (2002) (grandparent visitation – burden of proof, upholding grandparent visitation)

Skillett v. Sierra, 30 Kan.App.2d 1041 (2002) (child support – “financial considerations” adjustment; award of retroactive child support in parentage cases)

State ex rel. SRS v. Strotkamp, 30 Kan.App.2d – (2002) (grandparent visitation – burden of proof, upholding grandparent visitation)

Graham v. Cirrocco, 31 Kan.App.2d 563 (2003) (standards for assessment of physician non-competition agreements)

 Magstadtova v Magstadt, 31 Kan.App.2d 1091 (2003) (assessment of attorneys fees and expenses under Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction of 25 October 1980)