PMCW Law

Divorce can be an incredibly stressful time in anyone's life. Relationships must be reevaluated and redefined, and this process can take a heavy emotional toll on everyone involved. Property and assets must be divided, and if children are involved, decisions must be made regarding custody, visitation rights and times, and child support. During this challenging time, having a skilled divorce lawyer on your side can make all the difference. If you are preparing for a divorce, it is important to take the time to find a lawyer who will work well for you. The law offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. want to help you navigate this process by giving you 10 questions to ask your divorce lawyer .  What experience do you have with divorces? How many cases have you handled? Do you know my spouse and his/her attorney? Approximately how long do you think it will take to resolve my case? What experience do you have with negotiating child custody, vis...

Are you an aspiring business owner? If you are considering starting your own business, this blog is designed for you! Owning your own business can be a lot of work, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Everyone at the Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. is committed to helping you achieve that dream. In this blog post, we are going to examine how an LLC is beneficial to your business and how to establish your business as an LLC. Why an LLC?  Limited Liability Companies are one of several forms of business ownership. LLCs provide an advantage in that they can protect the individual owner(s) from personal liability. As the owner of a properly formed and operated LLC, you can be insulated from personal responsibility for business expenses or lawsuits. The LLC essentially creates a buffer between you and your business. If your business begins to struggle with debt, for example, your personal property or savings can be protected, provided you hav...

The Lake of the Ozarks is a wonderful place to spend quality time with your family year-round, but it is especially great in summer!  As we head into the weekend, all of us at the Law Offices of Phillips, Carpenter, McElyea, & Welch, P.C. wanted to give you an overview of some of the great family friendly events at the Lake of the Ozarks ! Lake Race 2014 This weekend marks the second annual Lake Race Powerboat Invitational!  The Bagnell Dam Strip will close to regular traffic on Friday morning, so y ou and your family can watch as the incredible powerboats from the deck of Bagnell Dam.  Friday:  Head out to the Lake Race Street Party on the Bagnell Dam Strip at 6:00pm, where you and your family can meet and greet the drivers! Beavers at the Dam will have live music from 8:00pm-midnight. Saturday:  Head out to Beavers on the Dam early to see the crane lower the magnificent boats into the water at 9:00am. The official race will begin at noon, right...

News media in the courtroom: one of the debates that has surrounded our legal system for many years. The laws surrounding news media and cameras within the courtroom have always been complicated and difficult to understand. The Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter & Welch, P.C. want to provide you some background and history about news media in the courtroom.  Information was gathered from  www.courts.mo.gov  and www.uscourts.gov .   Background Gaining permission to televise, record, broadcast, or photograph courtroom proceedings has always been difficult, but it became especially challenging after the Dr. Sam Sheppard trial in the 1950s. In this high profile murder trial (the television series and movie The Fugitive  was based on this case), the media grossly exaggerated their coverage and displayed blatant biases in their work. After this case, many courts including, Missouri state courts, firmly closed their doors to the media. Medi...

All of us at the Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpeter, & Welch, P.C. want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy Memorial Day Weekend. The Lake of the Ozarks is a wonderful place to spend this holiday - there are a lot of exciting events taking place this weekend! Here is a quick overview of some of these great activities. Ozark Yacht Club's Parade of Lights Saturday, May 24 at 8:30 PM From powerboats to sailboats, all boat owners are encouraged to participate in this annual event to celebrate Memorial Day. Participants will decorate their boats in creative art displays and cruise a couple miles along the lake, commemorating the men and women who have sacrificially served our country.   Prizes will be given for the Best Decorated Boat and the First Runner Up. Whether you are a participant or a bystander, this is sure to be a beautiful event. Memorial Day Fireworks Displays  Saturday, May 24th at Dusk - Bear Bottom Reso...

The Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter & Welch, P.C . are committed to providing our clients as many options to protect their hard earned assets via good estate planning advice.  If you own a business, a home, investment property, stocks, or other assets, you may need to protect yourself from attack by potential creditors or from exorbitant taxation.  One structure that may help you is a "Family Limited Partnership". What is a Family Limited Partnership ? A family limited partnership (FLP) is designed to pool together a family's assets into a single family-owned business partnership.  This is different from a conventional trust and the family members actually own a share in the business.  There are two types of partners; general and limited.  General partners control all the decisions of the partnership and bear 100% of the liability.  Limited partners cannot participate in the management of the FLP and their liability is limited. FLPs...

At the Law Offices of  Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter & Welch, P.C ., we have a proven investment in our community and the next generation. We care deeply about the lives of those around us and want to help each young person in our community fulfill their dreams. We want to take this opportunity to pay it forward to the next generation of lawyers by compiling a list of tips and techniques for studying and maximizing your LSAT test score. The Test The LSAT is a standardized test that every prospective law school candidates must take. The exam lasts several hours and tests the candidates' reading comprehension and their logical and verbal reasoning proficiencies.  There are five 35 minute sections of multiple-choice questions.   Proper preparation is key to a strong test score! The Tips Determine your baseline. Take a few complete practice tests to determine your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you decide where to start prepa...