PRACTICE AREAS
BUSINESS LAW
Articles of Incorporation, Operating Agreements, Contracts, Bylaws, Employer Identification Number
If you are planning on forming a Missouri limited liability company or corporation, our attorneys can help you make the right decision for your business by evaluating the many aspects that need to be considered in structuring your new business rather than just giving you a form like many online legal self-help websites. The success of your business, as well as your personal liability, can largely depend on the choice of your business organization, as well as the proper execution of corporate documents. At Butler & Tomko, we work with clients in choosing the appropriate legal entity, organizing the legal structure and drafting the necessary instruments for any type of business, including partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs) and corporations.
FAMILY LAW
Child Support, Divorce, Paternity, Relocation, Domestic Violence
Family law matters are never an easy process, whether it be an uncontested divorce, a child custody dispute, or a complex property division. It is critical to find a reliable and trustworthy lawyer who understands Missouri law, and someone that knows the landscape of your community. Our attorneys know the communties they serve and the key players in the process. Attorney Kimberly Tomko attends training every year to keep up to date on the latest changes to the Missouri Family Law statutes and case law to ensure that when her clients' cases go to trial she is prepared.
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Family Law is a specialty - please click here for more information.
Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Payable on Death, Healthcare Directives
Deciding what will happen to your home, money, and your personal possessions after your passing can be a difficult process. However, if you don’t take the time to make these decisions now, a court may end up deciding how your property will be divided after your death. Instead of leaving such important decisions to the courts, get the assistance you need to make sure that everything you have worked for is left how YOU want.
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Our team is dedicated to helping you develope the estate plan that is right for you. The decisions you make during this p determine how your property will be divided and what procedures will need to be paid after your passing. Be sure that your wishes are carried out by consulting with us today.
Auto Accidents, Drunk Driving, Dog Bites, Motorcycle Accidents, Wrongful Death, Slip & Fall
We know what it is like when you, a friend or loved one has been injured because of someone else’s actions and we know what it takes to get compensation for our clients. We will handle every aspect of your personal injury matter from investigating the accident and stopping collection calls to trying your case. Because not all clients have the same situation, we take pride in providing a personalized legal strategy that is unique to your situation.
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Personal injury cases are never easy and are never the same. We know how the judges and juries in our community handle personal injury cases and have experience working with them as well as other independent professionals that are often needed in these types of cases. We strive to reach a result that is in our client’s best interest whether it is through trial, mediation or settlement. It is always the clients’ choice.
COLLECTIONS
Foreign Judgment, Wage & Bank Garnishments, Subrogation, Mechanic's Liens
Butler & Tomko is dedicated to business clients throughout the Westplex. Our firm is experienced in locating debtors, enforcing judgments and, ultimately, collecting money they are owed from individuals and businesses. We have developed a reputation for success among large corporate clients, small businesses and individuals who lack the resources to collect debt on their own. We are the go-to firm for your collection matters in Lincoln County and surrounding areas.
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Clients often contact our firm to collect on a specific delinquent account. Mr. Butler's approach and success in maximizing asset recovery in overdue accounts brings satisfied clients back through the law firm's doors for other past due accounts. In addition, Mr. Butler counsels his clients on how to proactively collect past due invoices before they become past due. Through every stage of the collections process, the firm offers up to the minute information about the status of collections, immediate acknowledgment of claims, personal courtesy and economical service.
DISABILITY
Social Security Disability, Application Assistance, Administrative Hearings
If you are disabled and unable to work, you know what a highly stressful and emotional time this is in your life and so do we. However, you may be entitled to receive Social Security disability benefits that can help you in many ways. If you have applied for Social Security disability benefits and have been denied those benefits, you’re not alone. More than 70% of all applications are initially denied. The application process is complicated and the Social Security system is a bureaucracy that is difficult to understand. Being denied after an initial application, however, is not the end of the process. To continue this process, you need experienced, expert legal representation.
Butler & Tomko handles Social Security disability law. From dealing with the bureaucracy of the Social Security
Administration to representing clients in administrative hearings, our experience assures you that we will represent you competently, expertly, and thoroughly. We strive to represent each of our clients zealously and to obtain the maximum benefits possible under the law. We can help take the uncertainty and mystery out of the process. No client is ever charged any fee or costs unless we succeed in getting that client the benefits to which they are entitled.
REAL ESTATE
Titles, Easements & Access Disputes, Contract Review & Drafting
Our firm handles every facet of real estate law. Our attorneys can handle both routine and complex transactions and disputes. We are experienced in analyzing and solving title problems, easements and access disputes, and handling title-related litigation. We can assist you in all aspects of your purchase, sale, or lease, including contract review and/or drafting, making certain that you know your rights and obligations. Because of our experience and reputation, our firm is often consulted by real estate agents and title companies to provide our opinion in real estate matters.
Probate Process, Beneficiaries,
Proper Distribution
It is always hard to lose a loved one and dealing with the probate process is one of the last things a family wants to do. It is important to have an attorney that you can trust to see to all of your legal matters involved in probating your loved ones estate so that you can focus on helping your family through the grieving process. Whether you are the personal representative of an estate, or are the beneficiary of an estate and want to understand if you are receiving a proper distribution, the attorneys at Butler & Tomko can grant you the right advice. Our attorneys will explain and help you comply with every step of the probate process. We have developed relationships with tax and accounting professionals to supplement our efforts if necessary. By maximizing the relationships that we have developed with other professionals in the community, we can help your matter.
MEDIATION
Civil & Domestic Matters,
Creative & Useful Solutions
Kimberly Tomko is a certified mediator having received training in both civil and domestic mediation. Mediation is an alternative to litigation. Mediation allows parties to resolve their matters by finding creative and useful solutions to their disputes. Mediation can greatly reduce the cost of a case by avoiding lengthy, often stressful litigation. Ms. Tomko believes that it is important for clients to control over the process and have a say in the outcome of their case. She prides herself in structuring mediation so that clients can establish a cordial relationship with each other. The mediation process allows important decisions to be placed in the hands of the clients, rather than in the court’s power.
Civil and domestic matters involve many complex matters and legal issues, which a client may not be familiar with. Ms. Tomko will assist the clients in navigating their way through these areas. As a mediator Ms. Tomko does not take sides, but tries to come up with creative suggestions for each side to consider. The goal of mediation is to help both sides come up with an agreement that works for them, as well as all other parties involved.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
City Attorney, City Prosecutor,
Municipal Law
Our firm has represented local governments in the westplex region for many years. Attorneys at the firm currently serve as city attorney and/or prosecutor for several municipalities in the area. We understand the challenges local governments face and bring the experience needed to face those challenges. We are members of the International Municipal Lawyers Association and the Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association, which allows us to keep up-to-date on changes in the law and draw from the experiences of other municipal attorneys. Municipal law can eventually involve every other area of law. Because we have attorneys who practice in most areas of the law, we are able to give the municipalities we represent comprehensive advice on all matters.
Evictions, Lease Drafting, Rent & Possession, Abandonment, Collections
At Butler & Tomko, we help landlords resolve difficult legal disputes involving evictions, litigation and leases. Our firm has handled hundreds of landlord-tenant matters for clients throughout Missouri, including Lincoln County, Pike County, St. Charles County, Warren County, Montgomery County, Audrain County, Adair County, Ralls County and Crawford County.
We have assisted landlords with their landlord-tenant questions and have handled all aspects of landlord-tenant law. Due to our experience, we are often able to effectively evaluate the outcome in a particular case. In addition to handling the eviction process, we will assist the landlords in collecting their past due rent and collecting on judgments.
CRIMINAL DEFENSE
Problem solving is an important part of any area of the law, but especially important in criminal law. We get to know our clients first. Then we analyze best case, worst case and likely case scenarios for the issues the client is facing. Then we decide with our client, not independently, what the optimal outcome would be for him/her. Once a decision is made together, we go to work attempting to obtain that outcome, whether its from a plea bargain, a judge, or a jury. Clients may face many "side issues" along the way (i.e., drivers license, loss of work, need for counseling). Our experienced, compassionate attorneys and staff remain focused on the goal, working the case, while helping the clients deal with whatever obstacles they face.