Helpful Kansas Family Law Links

• Kansas Unified Payment Center
• Kansas Child Support Guidelines
• Johnson County, Kansas Family Law Guidelines (2005)
  (including property, spousal support, & parenting time)
• Shawnee County, Kansas Family Law Guidelines (2003) (including property, spousal support & parenting time)
• The Kansas Supreme Court provides instructions on the preparation of parenting plans at its web site.
• The Johnson County, Kansas Law Library provides forms on its website for those wishing to file a very simple divorce proceeding without the assistance of attorneys. We recommend this resource for those who have no disputes at all. These forms should not be used by married persons having any disputes between themselves or who do not completely understand their rights to property division and support.

Kansas State Information

Kansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions on the Web by date of decision. The Kansas Appellate Courts issue their decisions in appeals every Friday.

The State of Kansas has various resources available on the World Wide Web with access to all Kansas government agencies and services.

·       The Kansas Legislature has a large amount of information available to the public via its web site, including current bills being considered, bills recently passed, and "enrolled" bills (bills that have been passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor).

• The Executive functions of the state are handled by the Kansas Governors Office
• William J. Cutler’s History of Kansas, first published in 1883, was transcribed to hypertext markup language (html). This exhaustive essay on the history of Kansas includes descriptions of much of the early history of the state, including eye-witness accounts of most of the significant historical moments of “Bleeding Kansas” when the Civil War came to Kansas.
• The Kansas Child Support Guidelines govern calculations of child support in Kansas and are available at the Kansas Supreme Court web site. These guidelines are revised every four years as required by federal law.
• By federal and state law, all child and spousal support payments must be made through the Kansas Unified Payment Center.
• The Kansas Department of Vital Statistics provides annual summaries of statistical data for Kansas on marriage, divorce and other information on the Kansas population.

Federal Law and Information

• The United States Supreme Court makes its decisions available as soon as they are released through the Legal Information Institute (LII). Because these Supreme Court decisions determine the "law of the land," this web resource provides ready access to the most recent pronouncements on that law.
• Although the United States Supreme Court is the final court of review on issues of federal law, many decisions are made by the intermediate courts of review in the federal system, known as the United States Courts of Appeal. At present, there are 11 federal Courts of Appeal, each responsible for determining appeals from the United States District Courts within that particular region.
• The United States Congress web site, “Thomas,” provides ready access to a full range of information on current and historical legislative information.
• The United States Senate web site provides access to Senators websites and other valuable information.
• The United States House of Representatives web site provides access to Members of Congress and other valuable information.
• In addition to access to current and historical statutes and legislation from Congress, Cornell University School of Law presents a searchable version of the United States Code (the federal statutes).
• The President is the head of the Executive Branch of the federal government with offices at the Whitehouse.
• The Internal Revenue Service provides forms, information and other resources at its web site.
• The United States Social Security Administration web site allows you to request various types of information about your own earnings and income history and information on amounts of social security income you would receive upon retirement or disability.

Legal Research and Resources

• The Washburn University School of Law at WASHLAW is one of the best web sites related to legal research. Washburn presents multiple links to research tools, both for the attorney and for the layperson interested in the law, including listservs, discussion groups, and other links to statutory and case law.
• The law libraries of the Washburn School of Law and the Kansas Supreme Court can be accessed via the Washburn Law Library On-Line Card Catalogue.
• The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University School of Law maintains large amounts of specialized information on federal and state law.
• Many state and federal legal research resources can be obtained through FindLaw.

Other States' Information

• Information on the law and court decisions of other states may be accessed through Washburn University Law School extensive listing of state resources.

Bar Associations

• The American Bar Association (ABA) has a wide variety of resources available at its web site.
• The American Bar Association Family Law Section (ABA FLS) is an organization of family law attorneys from around the United States and Canada.
• The Kansas Bar Association (KBA) presents information regarding Kansas issues and Kansas attorneys.
• The Kansas Trial Lawyers Association (KTLA) is an organization of the trial lawyers of the state of Kansas.
• The Johnson County, Kansas Bar Association (JoCo Bar) is the bar association for lawyers practicing in Johnson County, Kansas.

• The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) is the premier organization of lawyers involved primarily in complex matrimonial and domestic relations matters.
• The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML) is the premier organization of lawyers involved in international family law matters, including international child abduction cases and other complex matters.

• The United States Chapter of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML-US) is the premier organization of lawyers involved in international family law issues in the United States.
• One of the best web sites of all bar associations in the country is hosted by the Wisconsin Bar Association (WisBar)

Collaborative Law Groups

• Collaborative Law Institute of Kansas (Eastern Kansas Collaborative Law Group)
• Central Kansas Collaborative Law
• Collaborative Law Institute of Missouri (Western Missouri Collaborative Law Group)
• Kansas Collaborative Law Groups
• International Academy of Collaborative Law Professionals (IACP)

Other Legal Organizations

• The American Judicature Society is dedicated to the improvement of the process of justice and cooperation between the legal and lay communities.
• Although not an organization of licensed attorneys, the Kansas Paralegal Association (KPA) has a helpful web site put together by the state organization of paralegal professionals.
• The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) is the premier organization of lawyers involved primarily in complex matrimonial and domestic relations matters.
• The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML) is the premier organization of lawyers involved in international family law matters, including international child abduction cases and other complex matters.

Family Law Resources

• The American Bar Association Section of Family Law presents various resources regarding section activities.
• The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) was founded in 1962 to improve the practice of law and the administration of justice in the area of divorce and family law. It is the preeminent association of family law practitioners in the United States.
• The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML) is an organization of family law specialists in the area of International aspects of family law, including international child abduction.
• The AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts) is an international association of disciplines dedicated to the constructive resolution of family disputes, with a membership consisting of judges, lawyers, psychologists, child custody evaluators and other professionals involved in child related matters.
• The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement provides various information to the public about child support in all fifty states, including reports, newsletters, and other links and resources for attorneys and lay people.
• The only web site dedicated to providing information to lawyers about the child support guidelines of all fifty states is SupportGuidelines.com. This web site has garnered numerous awards and praise from some of the top family lawyers in the country.
• By federal and state law, all child and spousal support payments must be made through the Kansas Unified Payment Center
• The American Psychological Association (APA) provides Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings

Resources on International Child Abduction and International Child Support Recovery

• The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was adopted by international conference in 1980 and was ratified by the United States in 1988. This convention governs enforcement of child custody and remedies for unlawful abduction of a child between those countries that are signatories to the convention.
• The US State Department provides an International Child Abduction Booklet for use by parents whose child may have been abducted
• Resources for recovery of abducted children are available at the United States State Department, US Office of Children’s Issues
• The Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) is a service for the parents and legal guardians of minor children. It enables the Department of State's Office of Children's Issues to notify a parent or court ordered legal guardian before issuing a U.S. passport for his or her child.
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) acts as a clearinghouse for resources and information on children who have been abducted or are otherwise missing.
• A listing of those countries that have signed the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is available.
• The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML) is an organization of family law specialists in the area of International aspects of family law, including international child abduction.
  
• The Hague Conference on Private International Law provides the International Child Abduction Database (INCADAT) database of cases and other resources for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
• The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML) is an organization of family law specialists in the area of International aspects of family law, including international child abduction.
• The United States Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues provides resources for collecting and establishment of support in International situations.
• The Hague Conference on Private International Law is in process of drafting a Treaty to Enable Recovery and Collection of Child Support (Hague Convention on Enforcement of Maintenance Obligations).

 Law Schools

• Washburn University School of Law
• University of Kansas School of Law
• University of Missouri School of Law
• University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law
• Other law schools can be accessed through the web resources of the University of Kansas School of Law.