- Divorce
- Child SupportPetefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, represents clients in a wide variety of family law related matters, including, but not limited to, divorce, separation, annulment, child custody, parenting time, child support, paternity, and adoption. We have years of experience in family law and strive to represent clients to the best of our ability in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Adoption
- Paternity
- GuardianshipPetefish attorneys possess a unique and substantial blend of experience in both the litigation and probate/trust areas. Our attorneys have decades of collective experience and can provide invaluable insight into litigation matters involving wills, trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, breach of fiduciary duties, and other proceedings involving disputes over management of assets and related matters.
- Annulment
- Criminal Defense
- RobberyPetefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, represents individuals and businesses in governmental investigations and complex criminal prosecutions in federal and state courts. Our experience includes business crimes, bank fraud, counterfeiting, money laundering, embezzlement and theft, as well as sex and drug offenses, murder, attempted murder, assault (including domestic violence), burglary and robbery.
- Burglary
- Theft
- Embezzlement
- Drug Crimes
- Assault
- Murder
- Money Laundering
- Corporate LawIn today’s economy, unique challenges and opportunities exist for businesses in Lawrence, Kansas, and throughout the country. Petefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, provides comprehensive business and corporate legal services, from start-up and business planning to dispute resolution and problem solving. Petefish’s business and corporate attorney services include...
- Mergers and AcquisitionsPetefish is experienced in providing assistance to companies seeking to expand through acquisitions, as well as business owners who have decided to sell. With the understanding that each merger or acquisition is unique, Petefish helps clients obtain favorable results while complying with federal, state and local laws.
- Business DisputesArbitration and mediation–often referred to as “alternative dispute resolution”–can be a cost-effective and efficient way of settling business disputes. Petefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, has deep experience in successfully resolving disputes through binding and non-binding mediation and arbitration in Lawrence, Kansas, and elsewhere.
- Limited Liability CompaniesPetefish provides assistance with forming corporations, limited liability companies and other legal entities in Kansas. Petefish’s services include talking through the pros and cons of the different types of legal entities to find the one best suited for a particular business, drafting the necessary paperwork, such as organizational articles, bylaws, and operating agreements, and handling filings with the state and other governmental entities.
- Employment Contract
- Real Estate LitigationProperty owners’ associations are increasingly common in both urban and rural developments and many property owners are subject to the provisions of restrictive covenants of the owners’ associations. Petefish attorneys have a wealth of experience not only in drafting restrictive covenants and forming owners’ associations, but also in representing existing owners’ associations in their operation and enforcement of the restrictive covenants. Petefish has represented owners who feel that their owners’ associations are not operating in accordance with the law or the restrictive covenants. Petefish attorneys bring their knowledge of real estate law and their significant litigation experience to provide excellent legal service for both owners’ associations and owners. Petefish attorneys have significant experience in helping clients in the construction of new condominium buildings and conversion of older buildings into condominiums, whether the condominiums are commercial or residential or involve multiple-story buildings or a two-unit, single-building condominium. Petefish attorneys also represent owners in the formation of townhome dwellings and lot splits to allow for conveyances of individual townhome dwellings.
- Construction LitigationA successful construction project begins with strong construction contract documents. Petefish prepares, reviews and negotiates prime contracts, subcontracts, design-build agreements, surety agreements, and other common construction documents. We are well-versed in common industry contracting documents such as ConsensusDOCS, AIA, and DBIA, and experienced in preparing client-specific contract documents for a single project or multiple projects.
- Real Estate TransactionsPetefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, provides a wide variety of high-quality and cost-efficient services in the area of real estate transactions and litigation. Petefish represents national, regional and local clients, from buyers, sellers, owners, developers, lenders, borrowers, and investors, in all areas of real estate, including the following areas...
- Eminent DomainWhen real estate transactions go bad, you need an attorney who has experience in both real estate and civil litigation. Petefish attorneys have both. The attorneys have a significant practice in real estate litigation, which ranges from simple cases such as residential landlord-tenant, to complex cases such as multiple-party and multiple-issue real estate issues. Petefish attorneys have the skill and experience to handle both types of cases. The real estate litigation practice can involve numerous real estate areas, including mortgage foreclosures, disputes between property owners’ associations, breach of real state contracts and leases, quiet title proceedings, and establishment of easements and ownerships through prescriptive use or adverse possession. Real estate litigation practice includes eminent domain cases, in which Petefish attorneys have represented property owners against governmental authorities that seek to take land from property owners for a public use.
- Easement
- Land Use and Zoning
- Landlord-Tenant DisputesWhen disputes arise between landlords and tenants, Petefish helps resolve them. Petefish attorneys prepare and defend evictions, claims for unlawful detainer, and other claims stemming from the landlord-tenant relationship.
- Estate PlanningOur attorneys focus on accomplishing our client’s estate planning and business succession planning goals through the use of the most effective and tax-advantaged planning methods available. We service a wide range of clients, ranging from moderate- sized estates to high net worth families. Each family’s personal plan is designed after understanding the family’s overall business plan and personal objectives, and we understand that a client’s personal life or business plan can have an impact on any personal plan.
- WillsPetefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, has extensive experience serving individuals and families with transferring assets to beneficiaries with the least tax and administration costs. We prepare and protect a family’s legacy through drafting of wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, and other planning documents. However, our attorneys are more than “will and trust” drafters. Our attorneys recognize the issues and solve the problems of families and business owners. Our attorneys have the experience and knowledge to develop the best estate plan for our clients by understanding their current assets and personal goals for future wealth accumulation, developing and implementing plans for orderly transfer of assets during lifetime and upon death, taking into account our client’s objectives for the family, and reducing or eliminating estate tax burden or reducing income tax burden.
- TrustsPetefish, Immel, Hird, Johnson & Leibold, LLP, attorneys assist trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, conservators, and other fiduciaries in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities during a trust administration or probate proceeding. Our attorneys work with our clients throughout the period of administration for an efficient and effective process, which items include, but are not limited to, review of the trust, will, pour over will, and other documents to ensure compliance with the terms of the documents, and any tax requirements, compile all probate filings needed and prepare any required notices to creditors and beneficiaries, prepare an inventory of the assets and compile date of death values based on appraisals and valuations, coordinate the preparation of tax returns, allocation and distributions of assets to the beneficiaries, including transfers to subtrusts, prepare reports and communication with the beneficiaries throughout the process. We will work closely with our client to avoid potential disputes among beneficiaries to preserve family relationships and avoid costly litigation.
- Probate
- Bankruptcy
- ForeclosurePetefish has significant experience in the mortgage foreclosure area. Petefish’s attorneys have represented both lenders and borrowers in both residential and commercial foreclosures. When representing lenders, Petefish strives to provide quality representation of lenders at a reasonable rate from the drafting of letters of default through the sheriff’s sale and the conveyance of the property to the lender. Petefish also helps lenders in the collection of deficiency judgments after a sale has been confirmed. If a borrower files bankruptcy, Petefish attorneys have the experience to navigate their way through the bankruptcy process to keep the foreclosures on track. Petefish does not limit its representation to just lenders. Petefish is small enough to take on the representation of borrowers who find themselves subject to a pending foreclosure. Petefish attorneys help borrowers to attempt a resolution of the foreclosure process and when that is not possible, Petefish has the experience to make sure the lenders follow the law and when a lender attempts a short-cut in the foreclosure process, Petefish attorneys are there to help borrowers catch the short cut.
- Tax LawCorporate tax laws are complex and often misunderstood. Petefish offers advice and guidance to businesses regarding tax planning, tax disputes, and the tax implications of mergers, acquisitions and other corporate actions.