El Paso County is one of the most active domestic relations jurisdictions in Colorado, and the 4th Judicial District Court handles a substantial volume of family law cases each year. Colorado Springs' population has grown significantly, diversifying beyond its historical military and defense-industry base to include a robust technology sector, healthcare employers, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee headquarters, and a thriving tourism economy anchored by Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and the surrounding natural landscape.

Prenuptial agreements in the Colorado Springs community often reflect the realities of military life. Service members who receive military pensions, housing allowances, and other federal benefits — all of which have their own treatment under federal and Colorado law — benefit greatly from a prenuptial agreement that addresses these assets before marriage. The Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act (USFSPA) governs how military retired pay may be divided in divorce, and a prenuptial agreement can define how these benefits will be handled, potentially avoiding costly litigation over retirement division years later. We also serve civilian clients in the Springs who own property, businesses, or investment accounts they wish to protect before entering a second or subsequent marriage.

Postmarital agreements are sought by Colorado Springs couples for many of the same reasons as elsewhere — but military families often have additional reasons to formalize financial understandings mid-marriage. A service member who receives a significant reenlistment bonus, receives a promotion that substantially increases their base pay, or transitions from active duty to civilian employment may find that the financial dynamics of the marriage have changed meaningfully. A postmarital agreement reached with full disclosure and independent counsel can address these changes without waiting for a crisis to arise.

The allocation of parental responsibilities in military families involves unique and significant challenges. Deployment is one of the most disruptive events a parenting plan can encounter, and Colorado courts recognize this. A parenting plan for a military family must address what happens to parenting time during deployment, whether the deployed parent can designate a family member (such as a grandparent or new spouse) to exercise their parenting time in their absence, and how the plan will be modified upon the service member's return. We draft military-specific parenting plans that anticipate these scenarios and build in clear, enforceable procedures — reducing conflict during an already stressful period.

For civilian Colorado Springs families, parenting disputes often arise in the context of a fast-changing job market, with one parent's career requiring relocation to Denver, Pueblo, or out of state. These relocation disputes are among the most emotionally charged proceedings in family law, and El Paso County courts handle them with the full weight of Colorado's statutory best-interests framework. We represent both moving and non-moving parents in these proceedings, always keeping the child's needs at the center of our advocacy.

Child support modifications are particularly common among Colorado Springs families because income often changes significantly here — military promotions and pay raises, transitions from active duty to civilian employment (which can mean a substantial reduction in total compensation), or the opposite, a civilian spouse who secures employment with a defense contractor at a salary far exceeding prior earnings. Any of these changes may warrant a revisit of an existing support order.

We also assist Colorado Springs families with the full range of family law matters: high-asset divorces where one or both spouses holds substantial military or civilian retirement assets, domestic violence protective orders, adoptions (including stepparent adoptions that are common in blended military families), paternity proceedings, and enforcement of court orders — including cases where a service member has been transferred out of Colorado and issues arise regarding the enforcement of Colorado family court orders across jurisdictional lines.