Mr. Kirk C. Stange is a top-rated licensed family law attorney in Clayton, Missouri, with over 22 years of experience in this field.
As an experienced lawyer, he focuses his practice in divorce, family law, child custody, child support, alternative dispute resolution and estate planning.
Mr. Stange also owns offices in several states, including Missouri (MO), Illinois (IL), Kansas (KS), Oklahoma (OK), and Nebraska (NE), in places like St. Louis in Clayton, Kansas City, Chicago, Columbia, Springfield, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln.
Stange, tell us about yourself.
I am a family lawyer who has been practicing law for more than 22 years. Throughout my career, I have been passionate about everything I do. When I started Stange Law Firm, PC, in 2007, it was a single-office law firm in Clayton, Missouri.
And now, we have more than 20 offices in five states: Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. I am proud to say that we own the second-biggest family law firm in the United States.
What motivated you to become a divorce & family lawyer?
This is an interesting story, or should I say an event that led me to this. When I went to law school, I did not know I would practice divorce and family law. My first job out of law school was in a general practice law firm where lawyers practiced various areas of the law.
One day one of the partners at the law firm who practiced family law went on leave while I was there. I was asked to take on his divorce and family law cases when he was away.
Before I knew it, the clients referred their friends and family members to me. Family law then became a significant part of my practice area. After about five years as a lawyer, I decided to make family law my primary practice area.
What sets you apart from other professional lawyers?
I believe everyone around me is very professional and has exceptional abilities in this field. What sets us apart is having offices in several states, which makes us very different from other divorce and family law firms.
As you know, most firms just have a single office in one location. As part of our family law services, we have opened offices in different locations to help people deal with their respective family matters. As a result of our constant efforts, our firm took off and grew.
In terms of me as a lawyer, I have always taken my clients’ cases very seriously. I understand that what our law firm does for clients impacts the lives of real people, which is humbling. I also diligently work on my client’s cases to ensure that I am prepared for court and provide thorough advice.
I have tried to instill these same virtues in the lawyers at my firm. Presently, Stange Law Firm, PC has close to 50-lawyers at the firm in five states, and all these lawyers are hardworking and professional in their respective areas.
How do you emotionally connect with your clients?
It is no secret that divorce and family law matters can be some of the most emotionally charged and difficult times in a person’s life. So a lawyer must be empathetic to clients who are going through divorce and family law matters.
These individuals literally have their whole lives hanging in the balance. What we do impacts clients and their families for years to come. I’ve never forgotten that fact and tried to instill the same care in the lawyers at my firm. More than anything, the family lawyer does have to put themselves in their client’s shoes.
If an attorney cannot empathize with their client, it can make the already difficult situation even more stressful. The client may feel they are not being understood or their attorney does not care about them. This can lead to the client feeling disconnected from their attorney.
What was the hardest time of your career?
No matter what field you work in, there will always be ups and down. There have been many challenging times throughout my 22-year career.
However, I think getting Stange Law Firm, PC, through the pandemic was particularly challenging as it was for other businesses.
You know, as family and divorce lawyers, we deal with a lot of emotionally charged cases that can be very stressful for our clients, and the pandemic added an extra layer of stress and anxiety for everyone involved.
We had to find new ways to stay in touch with our clients and to get clients’ cases moving through the court system at that time. Many clients were also going through difficult times financially. It was challenging, but we got through it by working together as a team and supporting each other.
Stange, can you describe your hardest family law case?
I have worked on many difficult family law cases throughout my career. It is hard to reference one case. I have dealt with cases involving sexual abuse, physical violence, and tough financial circumstances.
However, in one case that I had years ago, the other party tried to hire a hitman to kill my client in the middle of the case. That cause brought a litany of challenges and complexities.
How do you keep your clients up-to-date on their cases?
As a law firm, it is important to keep your clients up-to-date on the status of their cases. At our firm, we respond to all phone calls and emails left before 5 pm the same day. We also, for many years, have uploaded all client documents to an online portal known as Your Case Tracker.
In a day and age where most desire documents paperlessly, lawyers must utilize technology to communicate with their clients. This allows our clients to log in and view the status of their cases at any time. In addition to providing updates, the portal also answers frequently asked questions and provides other information about the legal process.
How do you envision your next five years? What are your goals for the future?
I envision Stange Law Firm, PC will continue to grow to other locations. This year alone, we’ve opened seed offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Nebraska, and Chicago. In the years to come, Stange Law Firm, PC will continue to grow and expand to help individuals needing divorce and family law representation.
We have seen a lot of success with our seed offices and believe this growth will continue. We are committed to providing the best possible service to our clients and believe this growth will allow us to do so.
The next five years of our law firm will be exciting as we continue to grow and expand our services. We plan to open new offices in other major cities across the country and expand our online presence.
We will continue to offer our clients the highest quality legal services and work hard to keep them satisfied. We are always looking for ways to improve, and the next five years will be no different.
Stange, is there any case you lost and regret to this day?
When you practice in any area of law, there are always cases in which you ponder about the result and wish it may have turned out differently.
Ultimately, it is also hard to call a family law case a win or a loss. These are multi-faceted cases with many different issues in play. In some parts of a case, the client might feel as if they won. In other areas, they might feel as if they lost.
But as their lawyer, my goal is to help ensure that clients can move on with their lives in a way where they can be happy and move into the next phase of their life.
Any advice you would like to give to those who also want to pursue their career as a family lawyer?
There are a few things you should know about a career as a family lawyer.
To be a family lawyer, you need certain specific skills and qualities. First and foremost, you must be able to empathize with your clients. As it is a highly emotional area of law, you need to understand and relate to what your clients are going through.
Secondly, you must also be able to think critically and analytically, as you will need to dissect complex legal issues.
Lastly, you must be patient and detail-oriented, as the legal process can be slow and tedious. If you have these qualities, then you have the guts to be a family lawyer!
How should people connect with you?
I am easily reachable to everyone through my website. We always try to respond to everyone as soon as possible. My Twitter account is another way to get in touch with me.
