Avvo requires JavaScript to function. Please enable JavaScript in your web browser.

Ronald W. Nelson

1 review

Avvo Rating

Overland Park, KS
Licensed since 1981

Practice areas

Family, Child custody, Divorce and separation, Child support, Appeals

Ronald W. Nelson

Call (913) 312-2500

About Reviews Cost Contact

About Ronald

Recognized throughout Kansas and the United States as an accomplished family law practitioner, Ronald W. Nelson frequently speaks on complex issues in family law at seminars for local, regional, and national legal groups. He is a contributing author to the "Practitioner’s Guide on Kansas Family Law," published by the Kansas Bar Association (2011 & 1997 with supplements) with chapters on “Divorce, Separate Maintenance and Annulment” [Chapter 2], and “Child Custody, Parenting Time and Visitat

Practice areas

Child custody: 25%
Complex marital and non-marital domestic relations disputes, including separation and divorce, determination of parentage and associated issues (child custody, parenting time, spousal and child support) as well as the representation of parents in international and interstate child abduction and jurisdictional disputes.
33 years
Family: 25%
Complex marital and non-marital domestic relations disputes, including separation and divorce, determination of parentage and associated issues (child custody, parenting time, spousal and child support) as well as the representation of parents in international and interstate child abduction and jurisdictional disputes.
33 years
Divorce and separation: 20%
Complex marital and non-marital domestic relations disputes, including separation and divorce, determination of parentage and associated issues (child custody, parenting time, spousal and child support) as well as the representation of parents in international and interstate child abduction and jurisdictional disputes.
33 years
Appeals: 15%
State court appeals in complex domestic relations actions (child custody, parenting time, spousal and child support), international child abduction, and interstate child custody and support jurisdiction among other areas.
36 years
Child support: 15%
Complex marital and non-marital domestic relations disputes, including separation and divorce, determination of parentage and associated issues (child custody, parenting time, spousal and child support) as well as the representation of parents in international and interstate child abduction and jurisdictional disputes.
33 years

Resume

License

State	Status	Acquired	Updated
KS	Authorized to practice law	1981	04/01/2017

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

avvo contributions

Legal answers	630
Legal guides	0

Show full resume

Awards

Award name	Grantor	Date granted
Chair's Cup for Meritorious Service	American Bar Association, Family Law Section	2012
Outstanding Service	American Bar Association, Family Law Section	2011
Award of Merit	National Center for Missing and Exploited Children	2008
Award of Merit	National Center for Missing and Exploited Children	2006
Award of Merit	National Center for Missing and Exploited Children	2004
Award of Merit	National Center for Missing and Exploited Children	2003
Chair's Cup for Meritorious Service	American Bar Association, Family Law Section	2001
More

Work experience

Title	Company name	Duration
Principal/Attorney	Ronald W Nelson, PA	2009 - Present
Senior Partner	Nelson & Booth	2003 - 2008
Partner	Rose, Nelson and Booth Law Firm	2001 - 2002
Managing Partner	Rose & Nelson	1993 - 2000
Sole Practitioner	Law Offices of Ronald W Nelson	1987 - 1992
Associate Attorney	Alder & Nelson	1981 - 1986
More

Associations

Association name	Position name	Duration
Kansas Bar Association, Appellate Law Section	Member	2010 - Present
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	Legislative Liaison	2005 - Present
International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers	Fellow	2004 - Present
American Bar Association, Family Law Section Membership Benefits Committee	Member	2001 - Present
Washburn Law School Association	Life Member	2001 - Present
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	Executive Committee	1998 - Present
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers	Fellow	1998 - Present
Kansas Bar Association, Legislative Committee	Member	1991 - Present
Johnson County Bar Association, Family Law Bench/Bar Committee	Member	N/A
American Judicature Society	Member	N/A
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	Member	N/A
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts	Member	N/A
International Child Abduction Attorneys Network	Member	N/A
American Bar Association, Family Law Section	Member	N/A
American Bar Association, Family Law Section	Chair, Scope & Correlation Committee	2011 - 2012
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Scope Committee	Vice-Chair	2009 - 2011
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Custody Committee	Chair	2007 - 2008
Johnson County Bar Association, Family Law Bench/Bar Committee, Subcommittee on Temporary Orders	Member	2006 - 2008
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Custody Committee	Vice-Chair	2005 - 2007
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	President	2003 - 2004
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Technology Oversight Committee	Chair	2002 - 2009
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	President	2002 - 2003
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	President	2000 - 2001
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Long Range Planning Committee	Chair	2000 - 2001
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Long Range Planning Committee	Vice-Chair	1999 - 2000
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	President-Elect	1999 - 2000
Johnson County Bar Association, Family Law Bench/Bar Committee, Subcommittee on Revision of Guidelines on Parenting Time	Chair	1999 - 2000
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Custody Committee	Vice-Chair	1998 - 2001
Kansas Bar Association, Family Law Section	Publications Director	1998 - 1999
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Long Range Planning Committee	Secretary	1998 - 1999
American Inns of Court — Earl E. O’Connor Chapter	Barrister	1996 - 1999
More

Legal cases

Case name	Outcome
Marriage of Hall, - Kan. - (2012)	Won
State ex rel vs. Strotcamp	Won appeal
DeGraeve v. Holm	Won appeal
See all legal cases

Publications

Publication name	Title	Date
Practitioner's Guide to Kansas Family Law (2d Ed.)	Child Custody, Parenting Time, and Third Party Visitation	2010
Practitioner's Guide to Kansas Family Law (2d Ed)	Divorce, Separate Maintenance, & Annulment	2010
Family Advocate (ABA)	Going to Trial — Building Your Case with Facts and Focus	2004
Kansas Bar Association	Revisions to the Kansas Domestic Relations Laws — 2000 Legislative Session	2000
Divorce Litigation	Troxel vs. Granville: The Supreme Court Wades into the Quagmire of Third Party Visitation	2000
Johnson County Bar Association Newsletter	Summary of Changes Made to Kansas Domestic Relations Law by House Substitute for SB 150	2000
ABA Family Law Quarterly	Legal Ethics and the Internet: Ethical Considerations in Electronic Communications Between Attorneys and Clients	1999
American Journal of Family Law	Managing the High-Conflict Child Custody Case	1999
Divorce Litigation	Paternity Support Retroactivity and Statutes of Limitation — A Fifty State Survey	1999
Practitioner's Guide to Kansas Family Law	Divorce, Separate Maintenance, & Annulment	1998
Practitioner's Guide to Kansas Family Law	Child Custody & Visitation	1998
Divorce Litigation	The UCCJA and the UCCJEA: A Side-by-Side Comparison	1998
More

Education

School name	Major	Degree	Graduated
Washburn University School of Law	Law	JD - Juris Doctor	1981
Kansas State University	Political Science	BS - Bachelor of Science	1978

Speaking engagements

Conference name	Title	Date
KCSEA Annual Convention	Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA)	2012
Family Law Update 2011	Family Law Alphabet Soup: Uniform Laws	2011
Divorce 101	Where is the Law?	2011
ABA Trial Advocacy Institute - 2011	ABA Family Law Section Trial Advocacy Institute 2011	2011
The Special Needs Family in Family Court	Special Needs Families, Custody, Support and Psychology	2010
Nevada Family Jurisdiction Judges Conference - 2010	The Impact of Religion in Child Custody Cases	2010
Missouri Judicial Conference	Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)	2010
Missouri Bar Association Annual Meeting	Enforcement Procedures Under the UCCJEA	2010
Divorce 101: Handling Your First Divorce	Divorce 101: Where is the Law?	2010
ABA Family Law Section Spring 2010 Conference	Custody and the Special Needs Child	2010
ABA Family Law Section 2010 Trial Advocacy Institute	ABA Family Law Section Trial Advocacy Institute 2010	2010
4th Annual Domestic Case Management Conference	Representing Clients in the Difficult Case	2010
The Special Needs Family in Family Court	Special Needs Families, Custody, Support and Psychology	2009
Kansas Bar Association Family Law Institute	Practitioner’s Guide to Family Law – Child Custody Legislative and Case Law Update	2009
Kansas Bar Association Annual Conference - 2009	The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction	2009
Johnson County Family Law Bench-Bar Conference - 2009	2009 Kansas Case Law and Statutory Update	2009
American Bar Association Annual Conference - 2009	Hot Tips from the Experts – UIFSA & UCCJEA Modification Jurisdiction	2009
Alabama AAML Annual Conference	Special Needs Families: The Special Needs Family in Court	2009
ABA Family Law Section 2009 Trial Advocacy Institute	ABA Family Law Section 2009 Trial Advocacy Institute	2009
Paralegal Training	Assisting the Family Law Attorney with Child Custody Issues	2008
Age Appropriate Parenting Plans	Age Appropriate Parenting Plans	2008
Parenting Coordinators: What They Do, Can They Help?	Parenting Coordinators: What They Do, Can They Help?	2007
Missouri Bar	The UCCJEA: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You	2007
KCMBA Family Law Seminars - International Law	International Family Law: The Hague Abduction Convention and Other International Family Law Issues	2007
Johnson County Bar Association	Revising the Johnson County Rules: Family Court Rules and Forms	2007
A Kansas Perspective (KCMBA)	The Uniform Acts: UCCJEA, UPAA and UIFSA 2001	2007
Missouri Bar Association, Family Law Section, Annual Meeting	The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the UCCJEA/UCCJA	2006
Johnson County Bar Association	High Conflict Divorce, The Johnson County, Kansas Family Court After One Year	2006
Education Institute — Aspen, Colorado	International Child Abduction and the UCCJEA	2005
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Spring Meeting	Developments in Child Custody Jurisdiction Law — the UCCJEA	2005
More

Reviews

(1)

Review Ronald Nelson

Knowledgeable? Maybe. Helpful. Nope.

Posted by anonymous
March 29, 2017

I hired Ronald to provide a consultation. $500 for one hour of his time. His paralegal required that I submit extensive background information in advance of our telephone consultation. My family law case involves an ex-spouse who abducted our child. When I asked Ronald about a strategic tact for handling the abduction he said that would be illegal and he said that by the tone of my question that I intended to carry forth the plan. This of course was not true.

When I tried to ask him other questions about the case he was reluctant to answer any of the questions. Essentially, he shut down our consultation interview. I was not prepared to pay $500 for 20 minutes of Ronald's time and receive so little information.

I had additional questions I wanted to ask later based on the information he provided in our brief consultation and I had at least 35 minutes of time left. When I tried to contact Ronald's law firm they ignored my requests but they certainly kept my money which they required to be paid in advance by credit card.

I review Ronald with low marks and I question whether he should have taken $500 for approximately 20 minutes worth of questions. Ronald comes across as a judgemental, elitist, arrogant and unresponsive attorney based on my consultation with him. Ronald may, or may not, be a skilled attorney but by no means is he easy to work with and I found he is indulgent in how he assesses his fees based on my experience with him.

In sum, I would not hire him to work for me.

Ronald W. Nelson’s response: “Ronald W. Nelson, PA has a unique approach to its initial consultations. We spend a significant amount of time preparing for each consultation by reviewing information received from potential clients, including existing pleadings, filed motions, out-of-state proceedings, and other documents that our potential clients reference during our intake procedures. We also receive relevant statutes and recent caselaw, so that we can identify any possible complications or issues that might arise during the consultation. We do not consult for a fixed amount of time (we don’t have ‘one-hour consultations,’ because it is often difficult to determine in advance how long any one client conference will take. We often spend more than one hour in our initial consultation — but sometimes less; every situation is different and every client’s needs are different. Our consultation fee (usually at flat-fee based upon who is the attorney conducting the initial client consultation) represents all time spent preparing for and engaging in the consultation, as well as specific advice to the potential client about what to do and not to do in their particular situation. Because we spend an indeterminate time with each potential client so that we can address all concerns brought to our attention, no two consultations are exactly alike. But every person calling in to obtain a consultation is informed about the flat-fee arrangement, the nature of the consultation and preparation for that consultation, and that as a flat-fee consultation, that fee is not based on the amount of time expended in the attorney-client meeting itself, but is so that the client knows how much will need to be paid before any consultation begins. Our goal at the end of a consultation is to answer all possible questions while providing supportive, but honest, legal counsel. We understand that we may not be the right fit for every potential client. We strive to be ‘straight’ with our potential clients about our assessment of the issues in their situation. We don’t ‘sugar-coat’ clients’ prospects, and we strive not to reflect back to clients what they want to hear; our job is to give honest, straightforward, to-the-point advice so that our clients can decide for themselves their realistic chances going forward in the family law matter in which they’re involved.”

Attorney endorsements

(12)

Are you an attorney?
Endorse this lawyer

Michael Dunbar, Divorce and separation Attorney April 19, 2017 1:24pm
Relationship: Co-worker

I endorse this lawyer.

Steven Henry, Divorce and separation Attorney June 28, 2014 3:49pm
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I have known Ron for many years as a fellow lawyer in the community and as a friend. Ron is well versed in all areas of family law. He is intelligent, analytical, diligent, thoughtful, and compassionate. Ron has a passion for best practice standards in the legal profession, and he is always willing to contribute of himself in ways to benefit the legal community. Ron is held in high regard within the Family Law legal community, and it is without hesitation that I heartily endorse him.

See all endorsements

See who Ronald has endorsed