Kirk C. Stange

Kirk C. Stange is the President and Founding Partner of Stange Law Firm, PC, a multi-state law firm focused exclusively on divorce, child custody, and other domestic relations matters. He founded the firm in 2007 and has helped guide its growth from a single-office practice into a substantial family law firm serving clients from offices across numerous states. The firm’s mission is reflected in its tagline: “Here to Help You Rebuild Your Life™.”

Throughout his legal career, Kirk has represented clients in complex and emotionally sensitive family law matters involving divorce, child custody and parenting time, property and asset division, child support, spousal maintenance, paternity, prenuptial agreements, and related domestic relations issues. He has substantial courtroom experience involving contested hearings, trials, and appellate matters.

Kirk is trained as a mediator, collaborative law attorney, and guardian ad litem. This training enables him to evaluate domestic relations matters from multiple perspectives, including litigation, negotiated resolution, collaborative practice, and the interests of children affected by family court proceedings.

As Stange Law Firm has grown, Kirk’s responsibilities have expanded beyond direct courtroom advocacy. Today, he devotes much of his time to firm leadership, strategic growth, attorney development, legal education, marketing initiatives, and oversight of the firm’s multi-state domestic relations practice. He remains actively engaged in family law developments and in helping the firm’s attorneys provide effective representation to clients facing difficult family transitions.

Kirk’s personal availability for new representations is limited and determined on a case-by-case basis, with a particular focus on select family law matters in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Prospective clients who contact Stange Law Firm can be connected with an attorney whose experience and location are suited to the particular needs of their case.

Kirk is deeply involved in legal education and professional development. He has presented continuing legal education programs for organizations including The Missouri Bar, the National Business Institute, and other legal education providers. His presentations have addressed family law, trial practice, evidence, legal technology, social media, law practice management, and related topics.

In 2014, Kirk presented at the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, regarding the use of social media evidence by attorneys and judges. In 2017, The Missouri Bar recognized Kirk in its Best of CLE Spotlight for his substantial contributions to continuing legal education, including his repeated participation in MoBarCLE’s Annual Law Update and advanced family law seminars. He has also served as a mentor through The Missouri Bar Mentoring Program.

Kirk has contributed to legal education in an academic setting as well. He has served as an adjunct professor and trial instructor at Emory University School of Law in the Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques. He is also a member of the Law Society at the University of Missouri School of Law.

Kirk serves as President of the Missouri Collaborative Institute, an organization dedicated to promoting collaborative practice as an alternative method of resolving divorce and family law disputes. His professional background in litigation, mediation, collaborative law, and child advocacy gives him a broad perspective on the different approaches families may use to address domestic relations matters.

Kirk earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Fontbonne University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law. While attending law school, he was selected for membership in the Order of the Barristers, a national honor recognizing excellence in courtroom advocacy. He was also a finalist in the school’s fall moot court competition and participated on its regional moot court team.

On the July 2000 Missouri Bar Examination, Kirk scored in the top ten percent of all examinees. He later completed advanced trial training through the American Bar Association Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute.

Kirk is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Honors and Professional Recognition

Kirk’s professional honors and recognitions include:

• Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers for Family Law, selected annually from 2015 through 2026

• Missouri and Kansas Rising Stars, selected in 2013 and 2014

• Missouri Lawyers Media POWER List for Domestic Relations Law, selected annually since 2020

• Missouri Lawyers Media Top 100 POWER List, selected in 2025

• Missouri Lawyers Media Law Firm Leader Award, received in 2026 for leadership in helping grow Stange Law Firm into a multi-state family law practice

• St. Louis Small Business Monthly Hall of Fame, inducted as a member of the Class of 2026

• JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards for Family Law, recognized as a leading family law author each year from 2023 through 2026

• JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards for Family Law, ranked the No. 2 author in the nation for family law in 2025

• AVVO rating of 10.0

Additional information about these and other honors is available on the Stange Law Firm Awards and Recognitions page.

Publications and Legal Writing

Kirk is a published legal author whose work has addressed family law, prenuptial agreements, military divorce, protection orders, child abuse issues in domestic cases, alternative dispute resolution, and law practice management.

In 2014, he authored the full-length book Prenuptial Agreements Line by Line, published by Thomson Reuters/Aspatore Publishing. He also authored the introductory chapter of a 2012 Thomson Reuters/Aspatore book concerning military family law and a chapter in a 2015 Aspatore publication addressing Illinois family law and alternative dispute resolution.

Kirk has also co-authored multiple chapters and updates in Missouri Family Law, published by The Missouri Bar. His contributions include materials addressing adult protection orders, child protection orders, child abuse issues in domestic cases, and the rights of unmarried parents.

Kirk publishes family law analysis through JD Supra and is a member of the Entrepreneur Leadership Network, where he writes about leadership, law firm management, professional development, marketing, and business growth.

Media Commentary and Interviews

Kirk is frequently asked to provide commentary concerning divorce, child custody, prenuptial agreements, law firm leadership, and developments in family law. His media appearances, interviews, and features include:

• “Missouri Couples Can Finalize Divorce During Pregnancy Under New State Law” — St. Louis Public Radio, discussing Missouri’s new divorce law and the child custody questions it may create

• “Missouri Law on Divorce for Pregnant Women About to Change” — KSDK 5 On Your Side, discussing how courts may address custody and other child-related issues before a child is born

• “2026 Missouri Laws Bring Changes Across Legal Practice” — Missouri Lawyers Media, providing analysis of Missouri’s change to the law governing divorce during pregnancy

• “Top Powerhouse Attorneys Leading the Industry in 2025” — USA Today, discussing Kirk’s leadership and the growth of Stange Law Firm

• “Inside the Complicated Rise of AI Divorces Among Gen Z” — Cosmopolitan, discussing the benefits and limitations of using artificial intelligence during a divorce

• “Getting Married When You’re Older Can Be a Financial Minefield—How to Protect Yourself” — MarketWatch, discussing financial planning, prenuptial agreements, and protecting children from prior relationships

• “The Business Side of Law: Kirk C. Stange on Five Things You Need to Create or Lead a Successful Law Firm” — Authority Magazine, discussing law firm leadership, financial planning, marketing, recruiting, and client satisfaction

• “The Truth About Divorce and Family Law: Communication, Costs and Trust Matter Most” — We Chat Divorce, discussing financial clarity, communication, legal expenses, and preparing for divorce

• “Navigating Custody” — Men Rising From Divorce, discussing contested custody matters, allegations between parents, and maintaining the right mindset during litigation

• “Prenups, Narcissists and Parenting Plans: A Family Lawyer’s Candid Take” — Co-Parenting Beyond Conflict, discussing prenuptial agreements, parental conflict, and effective parenting plans

• “The Freedom to Begin Again” — Better Divorce Academy, discussing military divorce and other family law topics

• Drama Free Divorce Podcast, discussing lessons from more than two decades in family law, reducing unnecessary conflict, and common misconceptions about divorce

• Additional family law videos and media appearances

Kirk’s professional activities reflect a long-standing commitment to family law advocacy, legal education, attorney development, and improving the delivery of legal services to individuals going through divorce and other domestic relations matters.

Additional information about Kirk’s professional background, publications, presentations, media appearances, and legal work is available at KirkStange.com and through his professional biography on the Stange Law Firm website.

Disclaimer

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Kirk C. Stange is responsible for this content. The principal place of business for Stange Law Firm, PC is 600 Emerson Road, Suite 110, St. Louis, Missouri 63141.

Past results provide no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be evaluated based on its particular facts and circumstances. Neither the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Supreme Court of Illinois, the Supreme Court of Kansas, nor the bar association of any state reviews or approves certifying organizations, professional honors, awards, ratings, or specialist designations referenced in this profile.

Kirk’s personal availability for new representations is limited and determined on a case-by-case basis. He selectively considers certain family law matters in and around the St. Louis metropolitan area. Other attorneys at Stange Law Firm, PC are available to represent clients in family law matters throughout the fir