Legal Question in Family Law in Missouri

Re: End of Agreement

If you are talking about a child custody agreement which has been included in a court Order here in Missouri, then the terms of the Order would come to an end (become unenforceable) at such time as any child who is the subject of that Order is emancipated. This can occur in several different ways, e.g. the child marries, the child moves out on his or her own and becomes self-sufficient, the child joins the military, etc. The issue of child support is slightly more complicated, although emancipation of a child can be grounds for termination of a court Order for child support. (You should file a Motion to Terminate the child support obligation if that is your situation.)If the child is not emancipated, then the custody and child support Order continues in effect until the child reaches the age of eighteen, unless the child attends college, or another post high school educational institution, on a full time basis by October 1 following graduation from high school and also complies with several other statutory requirements. Under these circumstances the child support obligation can continue until the child graduates from college, or reaches the age of twenty-two whichever occurs first. This age has been reduced to the age of twenty-one by the legislature, but I'm not sure of the effective date of the new law. In any event, if you have a situation where you need legal services or advice you may feel free to call me.