A view of Parker, CO is shown, where residents seeking family lawyer services can find local guidance.

At Jones Law Firm, PC, we family law cases across Parker and Colorado. Since 2000, our team has handled more than 3,500 family law cases, backed by Avvo 10.0 and Super Lawyers recognition for April Jones since 2024.

Family law covers the legal decisions that reshape your household: how your home equity and retirement accounts get divided, how parenting time (Colorado’s term for custody) is allocated, and what support gets paid. As the respondent, you have 21 days after service in Colorado to file a response, and what you file, or fail to file, shapes the case from that point forward.

Parker cases are heard in Douglas County District Court in Castle Rock, and we work in that courthouse regularly. Contested domestic relations cases can take 12 months or longer to resolve, compared to as few as 90 days for uncontested matters, according to the Colorado Judicial Branch Office of the State Court Administrator.

We choose sides. Yours. Every case runs through our Round Table Brain Trust, where multiple attorneys strategize together, so you get senior-level thinking instead of a file handed to whoever is free. Start with a free 45-minute consultation, available by video or evening appointment.

What Clients Say About Jones Law Firm

“It takes a truly talented firm to represent a father and ensure full custody of his daughter remains intact.”- S.D

Fathers who feared the outcome was decided before they walked in have kept their parenting time.

“April is well prepared and understands the law and court processes well beyond anything I have experienced, ensuring success.”- J.M

Preparation is what wins contested hearings, and it is why the firm holds an Avvo 10.0 and Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating.

“Not a day went by when I did not receive a document, a question, or an answer from them.”- A.M

The Communication Guarantee in practice: no silence while your case is moving.

“She is sharp, quick and strong and we won my case decisively.”- S.P

Decisive advocacy in the courtroom, backed by 4.6 stars on Google and an A+ BBB rating.

“It made a difficult time of life softer while maintaining my dignity.”- S.C

Aggressive representation and personal respect are not mutually exclusive, especially when you still have to co-parent for years.

Our Family Law Services for Parker Clients

Jones Law Firm, PC represents Parker clients across the full range of family law matters heard in Douglas County District Court in Castle Rock and throughout the Denver Metro area.

  • Divorce
  • Contested Divorce
  • Uncontested Divorce
  • Collaborative Divorce
  • Military Divorce
  • Child Custody
  • Visitation and Parenting Time
  • Child Support
  • Spousal Maintenance
  • Post-Decree Modifications
  • Contempt of Court
  • Protection Orders
  • Prenuptial Agreements
  • Estate Planning

Areas We Serve in Parker

  • Parker
  • Anthology
  • Pradera
  • Stonegate
  • Stroh Ranch
  • Villages of Parker
  • Idyllwilde
  • Challenger Park
  • Pinery
  • Aurora
  • Castle Rock
  • Lone Tree
  • Highlands Ranch
  • Centennial
  • Elizabeth

Speak With a Trusted Family Law Attorney

For clear guidance through divorce, custody, and family law matters in Colorado, contact Jones Law Firm. Call 303-799-8155 to schedule your confidential consultation.

Schedule A Consultation

Why Choose Jones Law Firm

Respondent-focused representation with a fathers’ rights track record

Responding to a filing is a different job than starting one, and this firm is built for it. The team has secured full custody and expanded parenting time for fathers, including cases where a work schedule or commute was used to paint them as the less involved parent.

Credentials that survive comparison shopping

April Jones has been named to Super Lawyers since 2024, with Jimena Mohedas on Rising Stars for the same years. The firm holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, an A+ with the BBB, and a 10.0 on Avvo, backed by 3,500+ cases and 250+ years of combined team experience.

A free 45-minute consultation, in English or Spanish

You start with a Client Relationship Specialist for 45 minutes at no cost. That is where you get a real read on your case, your parenting time exposure, and what your retainer would actually cover. Consultations are available in English or Spanish.

The Round Table Brain Trust: Every Parker Case Gets the Full Team

Your file is not handed to one junior attorney. Multiple attorneys and staff strategize every case together, so the approach protecting your home equity, your 401(k), and your time with your kids reflects the whole team’s experience. When opposing counsel pushes, the response has already been argued out internally.

Our Communication Guarantee and Client Portal Keep You Informed

This firm guarantees you are never left in the dark: proactive updates and staff who answer. The secure Client Portal gives you round-the-clock access to your documents, filings, and case messages, so you can check where things stand at 10pm without waiting on business hours.

Understanding Types of Modification in Family Law

A modification allows a court to adjust certain orders when there has been a significant change in income, employment, parenting needs, living arrangements, or other relevant factors.

Common types of family law modifications include:

  • Child support modifications: Changes may be appropriate when a parent’s income increases or decreases, parenting time changes, or the child’s financial needs shift.
  • Child custody and parenting time modifications: Courts may reconsider parenting arrangements when a change affects the child’s best interests, such as relocation, scheduling issues, safety concerns, or changes in a parent’s availability.
  • Spousal support modifications: Alimony may be increased, reduced, suspended, or terminated depending on the terms of the original order and changes in either party’s financial circumstances.
  • Relocation-related modifications: A parent’s proposed move may require changes to custody, parenting time, transportation responsibilities, or other provisions of the parenting plan.
  • Enforcement-related changes: In some cases, repeated violations of an existing order can lead a party to seek additional or modified court-ordered terms.

Our Process for Parker Families

1. Intake and consultation scheduling

A quick intake call confirms the basics of your case and gets you on the calendar, including evening and video slots that work around a Denver or Tech Center commute.

2. Free 45-minute consultation with a Client Relationship Specialist

You walk through the facts, your goals for parenting time and assets, and what your response deadline actually requires. You also get a realistic cost picture instead of a vague estimate.

3. Agreement signed and retainer processed

Once you decide to move forward, the fee agreement is signed and the initial retainer is processed so work can start immediately.

4. Your attorney and paralegal team is assigned

You are introduced to the attorney and paralegal handling your file and receive your Client Portal access for documents and messages.

5. Round Table Brain Trust strategy session

The full team reviews your case together, identifies strengths and risks, and sets the approach for Douglas County District Court in Castle Rock.

6. Ongoing support through resolution

Your legal, administrative, and billing contacts stay responsive throughout, backed by the Communication Guarantee, so you are never guessing where your case stands.

7. Case closed and continued access

When your orders are final, we follow up, ask how we did, and stay available for modifications or enforcement down the road.

I Was Just Served Divorce Papers in Parker. How Long Do I Have to Respond?

If you were served divorce papers in Parker, Colorado, you generally have 21 days from the date you received the summons to file a written response.

If you were served outside Colorado or notified by publication, the deadline generally extends to 35 days. Colorado’s current divorce summons warns that if you do not respond, the court may decide the case without your input.

For Parker residents whose divorce is filed in Douglas County, the case proceeds through the district court system. Missing the response deadline can put you at a serious disadvantage because issues involving property and debt division, parenting time and decision-making, child support, and spousal maintenance may move forward without your participation.

If your spouse already has an attorney, acting promptly is especially important. Their lawyer may already be preparing financial disclosures, requesting documents, and developing positions on custody, support, or property division.

Jones Law Firm represents respondents in Parker divorce cases and can help file the appropriate response, review what has already been submitted, address upcoming deadlines, and begin gathering the financial and parenting information needed to protect your position.

Family Law Questions We Hear Most

How long does a contested divorce actually take in Douglas County, CO?

Colorado requires a minimum 91 days from the date of service or joint filing before a court can finalize a divorce. An uncontested case in Douglas County often wraps in four to six months. A contested case with disputed assets or parenting time typically runs nine to eighteen months, depending on the court’s docket and whether outside evaluators get involved.

Can a father get primary parenting time in Colorado, or do courts favor mothers?

Colorado law is gender neutral. C.R.S. 14-10-124 requires judges to decide parenting time on the best interests of the child, with no preference for mothers. Our fathers’ rights track record includes full custody and expanded parenting time awards, and a long commute to Denver or the Tech Center is not a disqualifier when you document your involvement in school, medical, and daily routines.

Is Colorado a 50/50 custody state?

No. There is no presumption of equal parenting time in Colorado, though many Douglas County parenting plans do land at or near 50/50. Judges look at each parent’s historical involvement, the children’s school and activity schedules, geographic proximity, and each parent’s willingness to support the other’s relationship with the kids.

What is the difference between a CFI and a PRE in Douglas County?

A Child and Family Investigator (CFI) is a court-appointed investigator, often an attorney or mental health professional, whose fees are capped at $2,750 per case. A Parental Responsibilities Evaluator (PRE) is a licensed mental health professional who performs a deeper psychological evaluation with no fee cap, often costing several thousand dollars. Courts appoint a PRE when there are mental health, substance abuse, or serious credibility issues in dispute.

How is spousal maintenance calculated in Colorado after the 2019 tax changes?

Colorado uses an advisory formula under C.R.S. 14-10-114: roughly 40% of the higher earner’s monthly gross income minus 50% of the lower earner’s, for marriages of at least three years, with duration tied to the length of the marriage. The formula is guidance, not a mandate, and judges can depart from it.

Since 2019, maintenance is no longer deductible for the payor on federal returns, which changes the real after-tax cost of any spousal maintenance number you agree to.

How does Colorado divide a house we bought during the marriage if the down payment was mine?

Colorado is an equitable distribution state, so the court divides marital property fairly rather than automatically in half. A premarital down payment can be traced and treated as your separate property, but the equity that grew during the marriage is generally marital and subject to division. Bank records, closing statements, and refinance history often decide the outcome.

What happens to my 401(k) and retirement accounts in a Colorado divorce?

Contributions and growth during the marriage are marital property, even though the account is only in your name. Dividing a 401(k) or pension usually requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO), a separate court order the plan administrator must accept.

Offsetting retirement value against home equity is often a smarter trade than splitting every account, and that is a strategy conversation worth having before you agree to anything.

What can I do if my spouse violates our parenting time order in Parker?

Document every violation with dates, times, and messages, then file a Motion to Enforce Parenting Time under C.R.S. 14-10-129.5 in Douglas County District Court. Remedies include makeup parenting time, attorney fee awards, mandatory parenting classes, and in repeat cases a modification of the parenting plan. Withholding child support or refusing exchanges in retaliation will hurt you in front of the judge.

What does a divorce actually cost, and how do retainers work?

You pay an initial retainer into a trust account, and the firm bills hourly against it as work is performed. Total cost is driven by how much the other side fights, whether evaluators like a CFI or business valuator get involved, and how much discovery is required.

The free 45-minute consultation, available in the evening or by video, is where you get a realistic cost picture for your specific case.

Useful Local Contacts in Parker, Colorado

  • Douglas County District Court, Castle Rock
  • Douglas County Combined Courts Self-Help Center
  • Douglas County Clerk and Recorder
  • Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Civil Division
  • Douglas County Child Support Services
  • Colorado Judicial Branch Office of Dispute Resolution
  • Douglas County Bar Association
  • Colorado Legal Services
  • Douglas County Human Services
  • Parker Police Department
  • Douglas County Libraries, Parker Library
  • Douglas County School District Family Support Services

Parker Families Deserve Fierce, Personal Representation

You were served. Someone else moved first, and the response deadline is already running. Jones Law Firm has represented respondents for 25+ years across 3,500+ cases, and we know Douglas County District Court in Castle Rock, its procedures, and how these cases get decided.

Every case runs through our Round Table Brain Trust, so multiple attorneys and staff build your strategy together. Our Communication Guarantee means you are never left wondering what happened after the papers landed. Your home equity, your retirement accounts, and your time with your kids get defended by people who have fought these exact fights before.

Get your free 45-minute consultation with a Client Relationship Specialist. No pressure. No commitment. Just answers.

Call us or book online.

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Meet our attorneys

Jones Law Firm is led by April D. Jones, Founder and CEO. With more than 30 years of legal experience, April has spent her career guiding Colorado families through complex family law and life transitions with clarity, strategy, and care.

April is widely respected for her leadership within the legal community. She has held prominent roles in state and local bar organizations, participated in judicial selection and legal education efforts, and is frequently recognized for her contributions to the practice of family law. Her experience shapes how the firm approaches every case, emphasizing preparation, credibility, and long-term outcomes.

Clients are supported by a team-based representation model. Attorneys, paralegals, and support staff collaborate daily to ensure each case benefits from collective insight and consistent strategy. This structure allows clients to receive thoughtful, coordinated guidance at every stage of their matter.

Our attorneys are committed to professional excellence and community involvement. Their work reflects a shared focus on accountability, steady advocacy, and helping clients move forward with confidence.

Meet them All
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Shana Velez

Senior Attorney III
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April D. Jones

Founder | CEO
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David Ari Collins

Managing Attorney
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Grant Bursek

Senior Attorney
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Jimena Mohedas

Senior Attorney I
Jones_Law-Jessica_Crawford

Jessica Crawford

Associate Attorney
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William Garvey

Senior Attorney
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Hayley Hollands

Senior Attorney

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Client Testimonials

Compassionate & Effective Counsel That Makes a Difference

B.H.

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April and staff were wonderful.

“April and staff were wonderful. It made a difficult time of life softer while maintaining my dignity.”

J.A.

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I will be recommending friends, family, and associates to Jones Law.

“When I needed legal assistance I emailed roughly a dozen law firms that came up in a Google search. Jones Law was the only firm that got back to me with a personalized message about my particular situation. When I arrived for my appointment I was greeted by Emily Sturgill to go over my case. Emily was awesome. She walked through my information & was very empathetic to my situation. I later met with David Collins to address my issue. David was great & completely understood what I wanted & gave me a very quick resolution. I will be recommending friends, family, and associates to Jones Law.”

M.C.

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April always valued how I felt and what I wanted the outcome to be for the case.

“April Jones has represented me very well in my family court case. April always valued how I felt and what I wanted the outcome to be for the case. She understood my concerns and made sure they were kept on the forefront. I feel my cases outcome was positive for me and my family because of that. Thank you.”

S.H.

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We can now open up another chapter of our lives.

“I went to Jones Law Firm, PC , needing help with my children’s custody case. April took my case, even though it was very short notice before the court date. Immediately April and all her staff members started gathering all the details and information from me to prepare for court. Daily April and/or her staff members were in contact with me for any updates on what was going on. I now have full custody of my two beautiful children. My family and I would like to say “Thank you so much” to everyone at the Jones Law Firm. We can now open up another chapter of our lives.”

A.E.

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In the most difficult time of my life, April Jones was there for our family.

“I am SO thankful for April and her team! She personally went well above and beyond the call of duty on my custody and child support case and helped me out of a nightmare situation with my ex-wife and restored balance and fairness in my family. I am happy, and most importantly the kiddos are happy!! Thank you SO much April for all you do!”

S.R.

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“April and her team made my divorce quick and smooth. I would recommend them to any one. Even after my case if I need to call in for anything the team there are always so nice and helpful. I would not be in the life I have now if it weren’t for the help I got from this firm.”

S.C.

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Not only did she do a FANTASTIC professional job, she was caring, understanding and most concerned in a manner that left me knowing and feeling I was safe!

“Having had the pleasure and experience of having Ms. April Jones of Jones Law Firm, PC represent me in my recent divorce, I must say how truly BLESSED I was. Not only did she do a FANTASTIC professional job, she was caring, understanding and most concerned in a manner that left me knowing and feeling I was safe! In the aftermath (or dare I say ‘afterglow’!) of such an emotional separation departure, I graciously and honestly can suggest and recommend Jones Law Firm, PC !”

M.K.

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Ms. Jones’ best quality as an attorney is her ability to take charge.

“Ms. Jones was my attorney in 2002. She is sharp, quick and strong and we won my case decisively. I am currently having Ms. Jones represent me again on another issue in 2010-2011. Based on my observation, Ms. Jones is sharper and stronger and has attained greater knowledge and insight. I have noticed that Ms. Jones desires to win each case with integrity. She cares about her client’s welfare at all times. Ms. Jones’ best quality as an attorney is her ability to take charge. I have recommended Ms. Jones to my friends and co-workers.”

Roswell

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April settled my case literally out in the courthouse hallway.

“April settled my case literally out in the courthouse hallway.I had a landlord that failed to make promised repairs to my apartment. I was paying for a two bedroom,two bathroom place but only one bathroom worked. He said he would repair it when I moved in but 7 months went by and he was still making excuses. He lived in hawaii, the apartment was in california and he used that as his excuse. I decided to stop paying him until he fixed the bathroom I had BEEN paying for. After 3 months of that he arrived at my apartment and decided to take me to court rather than fix the bathroom and collect back rent which I had been holding onto. April negotiated a deal before we went into court for an immediate cash payment for 1 month and I could take a week to move out. My landlord accepted and a possible unlawful detainer ruling was avoided. I was able to use the 2 months rent I still had to find another apartment which would have been much harder to do with a unlawful detainer on my record.”

Alan

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April is very knowledgeable of the law and will not let you down.

“I cannot be more happy with the April Jones Law Firm! I hired her in 2012 for disputes over child support and other items, we had to go to court 3 times on separate matters and every time we were successful. April is very knowledgeable of the law and will not let you down. If I ever need a family law attorney I will call April Jones.”

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