"Putting Children First"No matter what your needs, if they involve children, young and old alike, we are here to serve you. From adoptions and guardianships to wills and estate planning, McDowell Chartered serves every aspect of law that involves children, whether they are minors or adults.We are a service-oriented law firm and recognize that your needs are important and whatever they may be, we are here to help you. Many times legal problems can be eliminated just by asking the right questions and being able to obtain the correct legal advice. That's why we offer initial legal consultations at a reduced rate from our regular hourly rate.Our marvelous support staff and state of the art computerized legal research capabilities ensure that your questions will be answered promptly.

If you need an attorney that will always protect your best interests, call the Oleen Law Firm today. The Oleen Law Firm is committed to defending our clients and ensuring their fundamental rights are always protected. Whether you need a criminal lawyer, a divorce attorney, an estate attorney, or a personal injury lawyer, we offer aggressive and experienced representation.

Joe is a trial lawyer. He brings his litigation skills to a variety of matters, including the representation of people injured in automobile and motorcycle accidents as well as other types of injury cases. Joe has also spent a great deal of his practice assisting people in divorce, custody and other areas of family law. For over 7 years, Joe served on the Shawnee County guardian ad litem panel, handling Child In Need of Care and juvenile offender cases. He often represents grandparents, foster parents and others who are concerned with the safety and welfare of abused or neglected kids. Joe served several terms as chair of the family law section of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association now the Kansas Association for Justice, and organized their family law continuing education programs, in addition to teaching legal continuing education for other organizations. Joe handles major felony cases, including numerous homicides, drug cases, and sex offenses, as well as DUI, property and traffic crimes. Joe has taught continuing legal education on the topic of criminal voir dire (jury selection) for both the Kansas Association for Justice and the Kansas Bar Association. Joe also handles guardianship and conservatorship cases, and represents clients in administrative hearings with DCF and other state agencies.

Kevin E. Dellett is an accomplished trial attorney who handles legal issues including collection cases & landlord/tenant disputes (representing both plaintiffs and defendants), traffic matters, and criminal charges. Since 1995, Attorney Kevin Dellett has represented clients in criminal and civil matters both in and out of court. Our firm is accomplished at handling municipal, state and federal criminal defense; and commercial and consumer collection litigation. We litigate federal cases before the U.S. District Courts for the District of Kansas, and for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City, and Springfield, Missouri, as well as the District of Nebraska, at Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska.

Ted E. Knopp has forty years’ experience in the practice of law, the counseling of clients and the resolution of disputes. Ted previously has represented a Sedgwick County township board in connection with a dispute among the Township board, the Township trustee, and the County attorney; has represented a rural water district in its efforts to protect its territory from City encroachment; and a professional association of surveyors. Ted has a real estate background and is familiar with the critical role of the County Clerks in maintaining property tax rolls and the assessment of property taxes. Ted has a real estate lawyer’s interest in keeping real estate productive and marketable. Ted has a personal interest in legislation that will facilitate the transfer of property of limited value without probate. Too many properties in small towns fall into disrepair and off the tax rolls because the property is not valuable enough to justify probate. There must be a way to pass these properties to a subsequent owner without waiting three years for tax foreclosure. Ted also is thoroughly familiar with the Constitutional due process requirements and the inadequacies in the property tax foreclosure process throughout the state. The procedure used in most counties to find and notify defendant owners that their property will be sold for unpaid taxes does not satisfy the “due process” requirements of the United States Constitution. Purchasers at tax sales are unable to resell the property due to these deficiencies and pay less at tax sale. This results in smaller recoveries on unpaid taxes and serves as a disservice to the citizen owners whose property is being sold for taxes. Ted has an interest in improving the tax foreclosure process in the counties in the state.

Lawyer John W. Thurston is an experienced Northeast Kansas DUI defense lawyer who has successfully completed extensive training that puts him in a unique position to defend people in Kansas against DUI charges. John’s history as both a defense lawyer and previous prosecutor, plus his commitment to education and ongoing improvement makes a significant impact on his ability to effectively represent his clients. Training and accreditation includes: Forensic Lawyer Scientist designation by the American Chemical Society (Chemistry and the Law Division). The requirements for this award include 160 hours of coursework including hands-on lab work, after which one must pass an extremely rigorous written exam. Standardized Field Sobriety Test training developed by NHTSA. This is the DUI investigation training undergone by all Kansas law enforcement officers. John has completed this course multiple times, to include completing the course with actual Kansas Highway Patrol instructors. Standardized Field Sobriety Test Instructor training. This is the course that police officers must complete if they want to become an academy-level instructor in DUI investigations. Drug Recognition Expert training, also developed by NHTSA. This is the training undergone by officers needed to investigate whether or not a citizen is driving under the influence of drugs, legal or otherwise. Few police officers actually receive this training. Very few lawyer do so. Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI/DWI Cases - Certificate (awarded multiple times). DNA for Lawyers I - hands on DNA lab training at Boise State University. Several of the courses and certification programs John has completed are rare for a Kansas lawyer to have taken. When you work with him, you work with someone committed to ongoing education in a way that can make a big difference in how a case is handled and received. John’s early experience includes awards won during competitive mock trial teams while at law school, and these efforts have paid off throughout his career thus far with an overwhelmingly positive track record. John believes his focus on being a DUI and criminal defense lawyer puts his clients at an advantage over the alternative of working with a generalist lawyer who divides his or her time between divorces, personal injury, and other law areas as well as DUI and criminal cases. His continued focus on DUI and criminal defense and ongoing efforts to deepen his skills have made John a sought after lecturer for other DUI and criminal defense lawyers and cases. His teaching and consulting skills are frequently requested in several states as well as for local print media, and he has been asked to consult for out-of-state cases from clients ranging from those charged with multiple priors and first-time offenses.

Thomas Addair graduated from Manhattan High School and Kansas State University. He attended law school at the University of Kansas. This is where Tom first became interested in criminal law. He represented the criminally accused through one of the law school's clinics. This experience showed him early on that he wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer. On the Way to a Passionate Career in Law After graduation, Tom became the City Prosecutor for the city of Manhattan. This position gave him a great deal of experience in criminal law, experience that Tom now puts to use aggressively defending his clients. Not only did he gain a vast amount of trial experience, but he also received training in DUI investigations and other areas of criminal law available only to prosecutors. During his time as the City Prosecutor, the city of Manhattan began prosecuting marijuana charges. Tom developed the policies and procedures of drug prosecution still used by the city today.