Nelson & Booth | Firm Biography

Nelson & Booth
attorneys at law

Nelson & Booth is a Kansas civil trial and appellate law firm emphasizing complex matrimonial and other domestic relations matters (including drafting premarital and non-marital agreements, divorce, legal separation and annulment, determination of parentage, child custody, marital and non-marital property division, and support, and represents parents in international child and interstate child abduction and jurisdictional disputes). The Attorneys of Nelson & Booth are trained in collaborative law and are Fellows in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The firm was established in 1994.

Attorney Profiles:

Ronald W. Nelson, partner

Joseph W. Booth, partner

Paralegal Profiles

Tracie Pressgrove

Partners:

Ronald W. Nelson, born in Salina, Kansas, July 12, 1956. (See full curriculum vitae)

Ronald W. Nelson is a partner in the law firm of Nelson & Booth, of Shawnee Mission, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1978 (B.S. Political Science, minor in Biology) and from Washburn University School of Law in 1981 (J.D., with honors). He began practicing law in Johnson County, Kansas in 1981 and opened his own law practice in 1987, which became Nelson & Booth.

Mr. Nelson is admitted to practice before the Kansas Supreme Court (1981), the United States District Court for the District of Kansas (1981), the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (2004), the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (1986), and the United States Supreme Court (1992). He is a member of the Johnson County, Kansas Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section), The Kansas Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section; Member, Legislative Committee 1991-present), and the American Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section; Member Law Practice Management Section; Member, Judicial Section Council of Appellate Lawyers). Mr. Nelson is a Fellow in both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Mr. Nelson served as President of the Kansas Bar Association Family Law Section during 2000-2001, 2002-2003 and 2003-2004, and served on the Governing Council of the American Bar Association Family Law Section from 2000-2006. He is a member of the Kansas Judicial Council Family Law Advisory Committee.

Mr. Nelson is engaged in a civil trial and appellate practice, emphasizing traditional client representation in complex matrimonial and other domestic relations matters and the representation of parents seeking return of their children in interstate and international child abduction matters. Mr. Nelson has an extensive appellate practice having handled over 80 appeals.

Mr. Nelson is a contributing author to the Practitioner’s Guide to Kansas Family Law, published by the Kansas Bar Association (1997 & supplements) with chapters on “Divorce, Separate Maintenance and Annulment” [Chapter 2], and “Child Custody, Parenting Time and Visitation” [Chapter 6]. Mr. Nelson has written extensively about topics in matrimonial and domestic relations law for local, regional and national legal publications. He has lectured on family law topics at national, state, and local conferences, with emphasis on jurisdictional and child custody issues.

Mr. Nelson participated in drafting important domestic relations legislation including revisions to the Kansas child custody statutes signed into law May 2000, and has presented testimony and other assistance on domestic relations legislation in subsequent sessions of the Kansas Legislature.

Published Appellate Cases:

Teepak v. Learned, 237 Kan. 320 (1985) (comparative negligence and indemnity – inclusion of later tortfeasors in initial action)
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 civil 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 1143 (2002) (grandparent visitation – burden of proof, upholding grandparent visitation)

Graham v. Cirrocco, 31 Kan.App.2d 563 (2003) (physician non-competition agreements – validity and standards for court review)

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

Joseph W. Booth.
(See full curriculum vitae)

Joseph W. Booth is a partner in the law firm of Nelson & Booth, of Shawnee Mission, Kansas. He graduated from Ottawa University in 1985 (B.A. Psychology, cum laude) and received his Master of Divinity from the Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri (M.Div 1990, with Honors). Mr. Booth graduated from Washburn University School of Law in 1995 (J.D., cum laude). He began practice with the State of Kansas Health Care Stabilization Fund in 1996 and joined the firm in 1999.

Mr. Booth is admitted to practice before the Kansas Supreme Court (1996), the Missouri Supreme Court (1996), the United States District Court for the District of Kansas (1996), and the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (1996). He is a member of the Johnson County, Kansas Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section), the Kansas Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section), The Missouri Bar Association, and the American Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section). Mr. Booth is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He serves as the American Bar Association Advisor to the drafting committees for both the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act and Uniform Relocation of Children Act.

Mr. Booth is engaged in a civil trial and appellate practice emphasizing complex domestic relations law. He has taught continuing legal education seminars on various topics in domestic relations law. In addition to his training in the law, Mr. Booth is a trained civil mediator. Mr. Booth has an extensive appellate practice.

Published Appellate Cases:

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 – effect of later dispute on parent’s agreement)

Marriage of Ronen, 29 Kan.App.2d 443 (2001) (child support – defining expenses included in basic child support amount)

Marriage of Jennings, 30 Kan.App.2d 860 (2002) (child custody – effect of later dispute on parent’s agreement)

Marriage of Riggle, 30 Kan.App.2d 967 (2002) (child support – Uniform Interstate Family Support Act [UIFSA] standards for modification of another state’s child support duration; appellate timing standards)

Marriage of Doetzl, 31 Kan.App.2d 331 (2003) (child support – Uniform Interstate Family Support Act [UIFSA] standards for modification of another state’s child support duration; appellate timing standards)

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

Marriage of Ehinger, 34 Kan.App.2d 583 (2005) (spousal support – standards for modification of court ordered spousal support)

Paralegals (not authorized to practice law)

Tracie Pressgrove

Education:

Brown Mackie School of Business, Overland Park, Kansas (Associates Degree, 2001; Paralegal Certificate 2001).

Last updated 5/9/2008 5:36 PM