Joseph John Piatchek
Managing Attorney, The Piatchek Law Firm, LLC
Hello, my name is Joe Piatchek. I was born in Springfield, Missouri, where I attended elementary, middle school, and high school. In fact, I have lived here in Springfield my entire life, except for seven years spent in Columbia, Missouri: four years undergraduate and three more in law school at the University of Missouri – Columbia.
After graduating from Mizzou with my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I returned to Springfield to work at Lakeland Regional Hospital, where I worked with adolescents who were suffering from various forms of mental illness, abuse, and neglect. I also worked at The Burrell Center in Springfield as a Community Support Worker (social worker/case manager) for senior adults with persistent and acute mental illness. During this time, I first began exploring a professional role as a counselor to others. Rather than pursuing graduate work in psychology, I instead decided to attend law school.
Upon graduating with my law degree and passing the Missouri Bar Exam, I returned to my hometown of Springfield and began my own law practice in 2004. Today, I am the Managing Attorney at Piatchek Law Firm, which currently has four attorneys and employs about 15 staff members overall. I am proud of our growth, but I am even more proud of the cast that I have assembled. I am a member of many community and professional organizations, including Southeast Rotary here in Springfield, and I have regularly donated my time and expertise to local churches and non-profit agencies. I have previously volunteered time for Legal Services of Southern Missouri, served on the board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Ozarks, and the board for Birthright.
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- Business Law
- Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
- Real Estate Law
- Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law
- Family Law
- Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law
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Free Consultation
Many, but not all, of our initial consultations are free. During a free consultation clients are typically requesting general information about how a case works, what options are available, how long a case takes, how much it costs, etc. - such as clients interested in creating a new will or trust, setting up a new business, inquiring about a divorce or bankruptcy, or having received a traffic ticket or been charged with a crime, among many other topics. However, if you already have a court case going on, or if you need us to review already existing documents, or need very specific advice specialized to your exact situation, we may charge for our consultation time. In any event, there is never a charge for contacting our firm to ask about whether you qualify for either a free or paid consultation. - Credit Cards Accepted
- Contingent Fees
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Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
Many of our services are done on a flat fee. Some are done hourly. Some contingent.
- Missouri
- The Missouri Bar
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Managing Attorney
- Affordable Legal Services
- - Current
- Managing Attorney
- The Piatchek Law Firm, LLC
- - Current
- Managing Attorney of Law Firm
- University of Missouri - Columbia
- J.D. (2004) | Law
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- Honors: Special Advanced Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution; Dean's list multiple semesters.
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- University of Missouri - Columbia
- B.A. (1999) | Psychology
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- Honors: Graduation with Honors
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- Client Champion Award
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Top 10 Estate Planning Attorney
- Attorney and Practice Magazine
- Top Attorney in North America
- Who's Who Legal
- 10 Best Estate Planning Attorney - Missouri
- American Institute of Legal Counse
- 2016 Trusted Adviser Award
- Springfield Business Journal
- The Missouri Bar # 56580
- Member
- Current
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- Home Court Advantage: How Basketball Prepared Me to Run a Business
- Boys and Girls Club of Springfield Newsletter
- 5 Mistakes Business Owners Make
- Ozarks Law Blog
- 5 Things to Consider If You Have Aging Parents or Family Members
- Ozarks Law Blog
- Spotlight Attorney
- Thumtack.com
- Insurance Planning, Benefits Consultants Group - 2010
- On Law: Preparing for Law School, Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Informational Presentation - 2010
- Succession Planning, Buy-Sell Arrangements, and Key-Employee Planning, Business Killers 2011
- Estate Planning Overview, Bradford Park Neighborhood Association 2013
- Estate Planning, Probate, and How to Avoid Probate - 2017, Lunch and Learn Series, Highland Springs
- Advance Dispute Resolution
- University of Missouri
- Website
- The Piatchek Law Firm, LLC
Piatchek Law Firm - 12/14/18
How to Avoid Probate ?
Uncontested Divorce in Missouri: How to get a Cooperative Divorce
- Q. COVID19 stimulus check made to both me and spouse arrived, he died 3 months ago,how/can I cash this check?
- A: May likely require filing a case with the local county probate court where you live. There are several ways this can be done, perhaps even a "small estate", among other ways. In any event, you likely need some sort of authority to sign on his behalf, and probate courts is where you can get that authority. You are welcome to contact me for a more in depth discussion.
- Q. Is it legal for a lawyer to ask for a SSN online through an email address?
- A: My biggest concern is the first sentence of your question - why would he have to be married to get an inheritance? I have been doing this about 15 years, and have never seen anything like that, sounds a bit like the plot to a Hollywood movie, "must be married, so I must pretend to be his fiance to get the money" - in any event, pretending to be his fiance would not be the same as even pretending to be married, which is what is required (to be married) according to your question... the whole things sounds fishy, if I were you I would want to know a whole lot more before doing anything! Also agree with previous attorney's answer, don't lie!
- Q. My husband passed away, the estate is insolvent
- A: To fully answer the question, I have several questions that would need to be answered. How was the house titled,k in his name only, or both your names as husband and wife? Was an actual estate opened on his behalf in your local county probate court on his behalf, or not? Who are these other creditors, and are these debts only in your husband's name, or both of your names? Are any of the debts medical debts?
The urgency or requirement to pay these other creditors is going to be heavily dictated by your answers to the above questions. You are welcome to contact me if you want to have a more in depth discussion, if I knew more I could be far more helpful and give some exact answers. ... Read More
