Francis Family Lawyers

Ryan E. Simpson is a partner with Ascent Law. He’s a native of Utah, and he’s licensed to practice law in both State and Federal Courts in Utah. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from University of Utah. After completing his undergraduate studies, he went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law. Ryan’s area of expertise is in bankruptcy, asset protection, real estate transactions, construction law, collection law, and estate planning. He has helped thousands of Utah residents obtain debt relief through Bankruptcy.

Douglas D. Adair, Attorney at Law, has the distinction of being a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He is actively involved in the Family Law Executive Committee of the Utah State Bar. He earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the S. J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 1993. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah in 1989. He founded Adair Law Firm in 2006 after many years of practicing law in prominent law firms. His Family Law...

JEFF D. RIFLEMAN, Attorney at Law, Mediator Mr. Rifleman holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (J.D.) from St. Mary's University School of Law of San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Rifleman completed his undergraduate work by earning his Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Consumer and Community Studies from the University of Utah. Additionally, Mr. Rifleman received training and certificates in Mediation and is qualified as a court appointed mediator in Texas courts, trained in peer-school mediation, family dispute/divorce mediation, domestic violence, and has volunteered time mediating small claims cases in Utah courts. Admitted: Utah Supreme Court U.S. District Court for the District of...

One of the best attorneys in Utah. He handles Divorce, Paternity, Custody, Child Support, Alimony, Protective Orders, Stalking Injunctions, DUI, Assault, Possession, and all other Felony and Misdemeanor Criminal Cases. Spencer has been able to secure favorable outcomes for his clients given his experience. Spencer fills in as a Pro Temp Judge as well as his normal legal practice, which brings a different perspective to the cases he handles. He brings a lot of experience to the table when dealing with alimony, child support, custody and property division. He is aggressive in criminal defense and knows most of the prosecutors...

John W Christiansen has many places to call home; living in Arizona, California, Virginia, and Utah while growing up. After graduating from high school in Salt Lake City, Utah he attended Brigham Young University and studied communications and marketing. While at BYU, he was a member of the Deanâs advisory board and the Marriot School of Businessâ representative to the Student Advisory Council. Following graduation, he worked for an Inc. 500 company as a manager in the marketing department and doubled as a graphic designer. During law school, Mr. Christiansen received high marks including an S.J Quinney Outstanding Academic Achievement Award...

I work mainly in the area of chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies. I have been practicing in bankruptcy for over 41 years and have handled thousands of cases.
I have also handled many adoptions.
I do uncontested divorces.

I have practiced law since 1984. In my years of experience, I developed my approach which considers each client's individual and legal needs. While I prepare each case for litigation, my aim is to spare the expense and emotional toll of litigation and to help my clients achieve the best result as quickly as possible. Because my clients come from all walks of life, I choose to practice in a broad range of legal matters. Some of the issues I handle are family law, including divorce, personal injury matters, probate and estate administration, estate...

Melanie Cook is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Utah. She volunteers as an advocate for the Domestic Violence Pro Bono Initiative (Davis County) each Wednesday morning. Melanie is an adjunct professor at Broadview University and teaches law to paralegals. Also, Melanie mentors paralegal students with career goals and academic advice, providing volunteer opportunities at law firms and pro bono clinics throughout Salt Lake, Davis and Weber County. In 2012, Melanie received her Certificate in Advocacy and Problem Solving from Hamline University School of Law. In 2011, Melanie published an article entitled “Third Party Rights and Child Custody” in...

Mr. Laird practices in several areas of law including civil litigation, contract drafting, business law, bankruptcy and probate (i.e., wills and trusts). His clients benefit from the breadth of his experience. He provides excellent service and advocacy for his clients, while also giving them honest and practical advice. Away from law, Mr. Laird enjoys time with his family, participating in church activities and sports.

Andrew Fackrell has been practicing Family Law in the the State of Utah since 2011. In that time he has appeared in countless court hearings and mediations throughout the state, and has represented scores of men and woman in a wide variety of domestic relations matters, including divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, step-parent adoptions, protective orders, enforcement and contempt proceedings, and modifications of existing court orders.


Andrew is licensed to practice law in the federal and state courts in Utah, and is a member of the Utah State Bar's Family Law and Constitutional Law sections. He received his Bachelor of...

Brian Craig has 19 years of experience as a lawyer. Before starting his own law firm, Brian worked for several years in the legal publishing and legal information services industry as an attorney for Thomson-Reuters and as a legal writer/analyst for Wolters Kluwer gaining experience with contracts, employment law, real estate law, tax law, privacy law, and other practice areas. Besides helping clients, Brian teaches online legal courses at Purdue University Global and Brigham Young University-Idaho, including courses in civil litigation, business law, criminal law, and media law. He previously taught at the University of Minnesota Law School. Brian is also...

Topham Family Law is owned and managed by a second generation family law attorney. Jaime Topham’s passion for the law started at a young age, growing up watching her father practice law out of the family home. That experience has led her to establish a firm that is passionate about helping parents reclaim their lives and reduce uncertainty for their children as they move through the divorce process, and other challenging family law scenarios. It is very important to the firm that children be treated with respect and dignity as their parents work through the struggles of restructuring their lives.

Mr. Marker graduated from Weber State University with a Bachelors and double major in History and English. At Willamette University College of Law he received his law degree and a certificate in dispute resolution. At Bond University School of Law in Gold Coast, Australia, he concluded his studies by receiving a Master of Laws in dispute resolution. He organized the first “Literature and the Law” conference as a member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s chapter in St. George, Utah, in October 2011. Since that time he has worked with law societies and bar associations...