Thomas J Kraus

Thomas J Kraus

5.0
Rating: 8.7

Licensed for 42 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Waseca, MN
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Divorce & Separation, DUI & DWI ... +3 more

1601 S.E. 8th Street, P.O. Box 410, Waseca, MN

About Thomas

Biography

Practice Areas

6

Practice Areas

Child Custody 15%

43 years

15%
Child Support 15%

43 years

15%
DUI and DWI 15%

43 years

15%
Family 15%

43 years

15%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 300-400 per hour

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Minnesota for 42 years

State: Minnesota

Acquired: 1983

Authorized to Practice

Lawyer disciplined by state licensing authority in 2016

Location

Kraus Law Offices

1601 S.E. 8th Street, P.O. Box 410, Waseca, MN, 56093-0410

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Thomas J Kraus's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

9 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (9) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by Holly | December 07, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Family

Tom Kraus is an excellent attorney we highly recommend him!

My fiancé & I have hire Tom several times in family law matters & other matters, he is excellent! Tom is very knowledgeable, well spoken, really listens to his clients and gets the job done and done well! We would very highly recommend him. He also has very professional staff who are easy to work wit...h & very considerate in sensitive matters such as family law and child custody.

Posted by anonymous | November 03, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Marriage & Prenuptials

5 Stars!!!!!

Tom handled my Pre-nup, and it was such a breeze. Tom pointed out things that should be changed, that I would have never thought of. I have called to ask a question and he either answers the phone himself or gets back to me within the day. Hopefully I will not need his services in the future, but i...f I do I know who to call.

Posted by Amy | October 27, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Life Changing Experience

My family started working with Tom in Feb 2015 when we needed a lawyer to gain custody of my step daughter. He was the only person that sat down, listened to us completely and understand how important this was to us. He took our case and from there on out we trusted him completely. He followed up ...on everything he told us he would, he exceeded our expectations with being prepared and figuring out next steps so we stayed ahead of everything. He represented us in court and we could not have been happier, we gained full custody of our daughter only because of Tom!!! He is the person who fought for our rights, he wouldn't back down because it was a difficult case or it would take a long time. Because of the time and effort Tom put into our case our daughter truly has a different life now and so do we as a family. I recommend Tom to everyone that asks about obtaining a lawyer, he was open, honest and upfront. Any time we need an attorney we turn to Tom and we will continue to do so. You couldn't ask for a better attorney. He changed our lives and everyday is a blessing due to the outcome of our case.

Posted by Ralph | October 26, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Family

Exceptionally Ethical, Honest, High Integrity Attorney-Changed lives!

Tom has aggressively and professionally achieved multiple successes in my family law cases. From orders for protection, child custody, child support and veteran's rights protection! Tom's work has positively changed the lives of my family where other attorneys failed to succeed. He gave my family... hope when we truly believed all hope was lost to save and protect my children and to bring sanity to a divorce/custody case that lasted nearly 13 years. Tom was able to save my child from an abusive environment and protect her from harm. He also succeeded in reducing my child support and protected my veteran's benefits. Tom is a fighter for you, will guide you through the process, and support you through tough times. He is more than what one would consider a "lawyer". He actually cares about you, has empathy for your situation, and does all the right things for the right reasons! When you are in a crisis, have had others tell you your case is hopeless, or really need a real person to help you, Tom will be there for you! On my cases, he devoted his own time to help us, always called us right away when we had questions and concerns, and is the best court room lawyer there is! The courts show obvious respect for him, and it felt so good to have Tom on our side in the court room as he was reassuring, positive, professional, ethical and is a champion for your rights!

Posted by anonymous | July 21, 2011 | Divorce & Separation

Family Law

Tom Kraus handled my divorce matter two years ago, and I was extremely satisfied with his guidance and advice. The result was better than expected and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anybody needing help in family law matters or criminal matters. I found him to be ethical and straight forwar...d. His court room skills were superior. He always kept me updated on the status of my case.

See All Client Reviews

Thomas J Kraus's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Thomas
Culver Winston Van Der Jagt headshot
Culver Van Der Jagt

Family lawyer | Jan 27

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. We worked with a common client in a parallel jurisdiction matter. He did an excellent job being willing to charge reasonably to do what was needed to correct another party's misrepresentations and put jurisdiction back where it belongs."

View All Endorsements
Patrick Joseph Casey headshot
Patrick Casey

Family lawyer

Mark Joseph Rahrick headshot
Mark Rahrick

Family lawyer

Renee Cecile Rubish headshot
Renee Rubish

Personal injury lawyer

Gerald L Maschka headshot
Gerald Maschka

Wrongful death lawyer

Perry A Berg headshot
Perry Berg

Bankruptcy and debt lawyer

Carol Maureen Hanks headshot
Carol Hanks

Family lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.7 (Excellent)

Professional misconduct

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2016.

Reprimand/Probation issued in MN, 2016

updated on 10/26/2016

Reprimand/probation means an attorney did something wrong but may still practice law. The State gives the lawyer a public reprimand in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior. The State also monitors the lawyer's activities for a period of time in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior.

Thomas’s comment:

“The focus of this disciplinary action was centered around an improper notarization by a staff member that had notarized an affidavit. The client requested the addition of two paragraphs without resigning the same affidavit. Technically, the affidavit then should have been re-notarized. As of July 1, 2016, affidavits are no longer required to be notarized in the State of Minnesota.”

Honors

2010

Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club

2007

Certified Family Law Mediator, State of Minnesota

2004

Certified Civil Mediator, State of Minnesota

1982

Moot Court - 1st Place, Pepperdine University of Law

Work Experience

2002 - Present

Owner, Kraus Law Offices

1983 - 2002

Partner, McLoone & Kraus Law Offices

Associations

1998 - Present

Waseca County Bar Association

Chairman - Fee Arbitration Committee

1991 - Present

Rotary Club

Member - Director of International Service

1983 - Present

Minnesota State Bar Association

Member

1983 - Present

Minnesota State Bar Association, 5th District Bar Association

Member

1992 - 1993

Minnesota State Bar Association, 5th District Bar Association

President

Sample of Legal Cases

Criminal Defense

Outright dismissal of ALL charges.

Family Law

Sole physical custody was awarded to biological father.

Wrongful Death

Obtained a new state record for the highest recovery in a wrongful death case.

See More Legal Cases

Education

1983

Pepperdine School of Law

Doctor of Law (JD)

1980

University of Minnesota

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
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  • Discipline
    This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2016
    Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
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