Vanessa Jean Gorden

Vanessa attended the University of South Dakota for college, graduate school, and law school, and earned her J.D. from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2005. She is a member of the Thomas Sterling Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed upon the top 10% of students in each USD Law graduating class. Prior to moving to Lincoln in 2008, Vanessa practiced law in rural northeastern Nebraska. Throughout her career, Vanessa has concentrated on representing individuals in family law, juvenile law, and guardianship/adoption matters in probate court. Vanessa was honored to be part of the 2008-2009 Nebraska State Bar Association Leadership Academy. She has also served as Chair of the Volunteer Lawyers' Project committee for the Nebraska State Bar. Recently Vanessa was honored to receive the "10 Best Client Satisfaction Award" from the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys in 2016 and the "Top 10 Attorneys Under 40" award from the National Academy Of Family Law Attorneys in 2015. Vanessa is also a graduate of the 2019 NITA/ABA Family Law Trial Academy.

Family Law

Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law

Divorce

Collaborative Law, Contested Divorce, Military Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce

Juvenile Law

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  We do charge for initial consultations, because we also provide you some advice you are able to use to protect your goals and interests even if you do not choose to proceed with your matter with our firm.

Nebraska

Since 2006

South Dakota

Since 2005

Attorney/Owner

GordenLaw, LLC

2011 - Current

University of South Dakota School of Law

J.D. (2005) | Law

2002 - 2005

Honors: Thomas Sterling Honor Society (Top 10% of graduating class); CALI awards in Property and Jurisprudence

Activities: R.D. Hurd Pro Bono Society; Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity

10 Best Client Satisfaction

American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

2016

Top 10 Family Law Attorneys Under 40

National Academy of Family Law Attorneys

2015

Nebraska State Bar  # 23294

Member

Current

How to Partner With Your Divorce Attorney

Stress Free Divorce Vol IV

2018

"Filing for Divorce" & "Effective Use of Discovery", Divorce Law Guide A to Z, Omaha, Nebraska

December 8, 2016

National Business Institute, Inc.

Life Coach Certification

New Skills Academy

2019

Family Law Trial Advocacy graduate

National Institute of Trial Advocacy/American Bar Association

2019

Q. So my 18 year old son just went off to college.my parents have guardianship over him I don't know how long they have

September 20, 2023

A: You will want to use the Nebraska.gov/Justice system to pull the public records of guardianship to see if it is still in place or has been terminated (this will cost a nominal fee). Your best bet is to visit with an attorney familiar with custody and guardianship to advise you on next steps. If your child has established residency in another state at 18 years s/he may be a legal adult under that state's laws, for example.

Q. terminate child support, joined the millitary.

September 20, 2023

A: You can try writing in the correct reasoning and having both parents sign off and have signatures notarized. However, depending on how much your child support is each month, your best bet is likely to just hire a lawyer to draft a Stipulated Termination so the lawyer can reference your specific financial orders and prepare a proposed Order for the Court that is more likely to be accepted and signed without hearing. Best wishes to you!

Q. If a child has lived in the same state for 3 years and out of state parent wants primary, how likely is that to happen?

September 20, 2023

A: The person seeking to modify custody and remove a child from a custodial parent in Nebraska typically has a difficult road. They have to prove that (1) there has been a material and substantial change in circumstances since the initial custody order was entered, such as unfitness by the custodial parent, and (2) the best interests of the child require a change in custody. For removing from the state, case law factors known as the Farnsworth factors also apply. These basically require the parent requesting removal to show how the move itself would better the child's quality of life in various areas like housing, education, family connections, etc. If the child is doing well in current environment, it is very difficult to argue there has been a material change or best interests require a change in custody. However, these cases are very fact specific so it would be important for you to meet for a consultation/case evaluation with an experienced custody attorney to discuss (confidentially) your specific facts and child. Best wishes! ... Read More