Hartwell & Rowe is a small family law firm in Columbus. We help with divorce, custody, support and mediation for people in German Village, Upper Arlington, Dublin, Westerville and Grandview. Your first 20-minute call is free and confidential, and you will hang up knowing your options and what each one costs.
No documents needed. We can call from a blocked number. The request form is open all night, and we call back by 10 a.m. the next business day.
Every case is different, but most fall under one of these. If yours does not, call anyway. We will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm.
Ohio has two ways to end a marriage. If you and your spouse agree on the terms, it is a dissolution, and it can be quick. If you do not, it is a divorce. We tell you which one fits and why.
Ohio calls it parental rights and responsibilities. In plain words: where the children live, who makes the big decisions, and a schedule that works in an ordinary week, not only on paper.
Support in Ohio follows a formula built on both incomes and the parenting schedule. We run the numbers with you before anything is filed, so nothing comes as a surprise.
Whether it applies, how much and for how long depends on the length of the marriage and what each of you can earn. We explain the likely range and the trade-offs.
The house, the mortgage, retirement accounts, a family business. We list everything, value it properly and work toward a split you can both live with.
You and your spouse meet with a neutral mediator and work out the terms together. It costs less than court and you stay in control. Daniel Rowe mediates, so he cannot advise either of you. Each of you can have your own attorney review the agreement.
A job ended, someone moved, a child's needs changed. Court orders can be updated when life changes, and enforced when they are ignored.
If you are afraid for yourself or your children, tell us at the start of the call. We can move quickly, and we will plan the safest way to reach you.
It is short, it is private and it is free. Most people tell us they were more nervous before the call than during it.
You can take the call anywhere you feel comfortable. Many people choose the car.
Use the form or phone us. We need your first name, a number and a time that suits you. We do not ask about your case yet. Calls run weekdays, with evening times on Tuesday and Thursday.
One of our attorneys asks a few plain questions. How long have you been married? Are there children? Do you own a home? You can say as much or as little as you like.
We tell you how Ohio handles your situation, the routes you could take, roughly how long each one takes and what it costs. We use everyday words and stop whenever you want to ask something.
You leave with two or three things to do, and a few things to leave alone for now. There is no pressure to hire us and nothing to sign.
If you decide to work with us, we send a fee agreement written in plain English. If you do not, you keep our guides and our number.
We quote before you commit, in writing. The amounts below are what we charge today. Court filing fees and any outside experts are paid separately, and we tell you the amounts up front.
Flat fees can be paid over up to six months, with no interest. Phone calls under six minutes are never billed.
For a contested case you put $5,000 into a trust account. We bill our time against it each month and send an itemized statement. If it is running low, we tell you before it does. Anything unused comes back to you.
A mediated agreement usually comes to $1,500 to $3,000, often split between two people. A contested divorce that settles before trial usually runs $9,000 to $18,000. A trial costs more. We agree a budget with you at each stage and ask before going past it.
Founding partner. Admitted to the Ohio bar in 2003.
Catherine opened the firm in 2011 after eight years at a larger Columbus practice. She handles contested custody, complicated property and the cases where a calm voice matters most. She grew up in Westerville and still lives nearby, with two dogs and a garden the rabbits are winning.
Partner and family mediator. Admitted to the Ohio bar in 2008.
Daniel joined in 2014 and became a partner in 2018. He is a trained family mediator and handles dissolutions, support and changes to existing orders. Clients say he explains legal ideas the way a patient friend would. He coaches youth soccer in Upper Arlington.
Associate attorney. Admitted to the Ohio bar in 2019.
Elena works on divorce, parenting plans and protection orders. She came to law after five years as a school counselor, which shapes how she talks with parents and teenagers.
Client coordinator. Not an attorney.
Danielle answers the phone, books your call and keeps your file moving. She will never ask about your case, only when and how to reach you.
I called at eleven at night expecting a voicemail. Someone called back at eight the next morning, and by the end of the call I knew the next three things to do.
They quoted $3,800 for our dissolution and that is what we paid, plus the court filing fee they had warned me about. Nobody pushed me to hire them.
Our mediator never took a side. We agreed on a parenting schedule in four sessions, and my ex and I can still sit in the same row at the school play.
Written by our attorneys for people reading at the kitchen table. Open one for the short answer, or call us for the full one.
If you and your spouse agree on everything, a dissolution is usually faster, cheaper and more private. You both sign a separation agreement and attend one short hearing. If you disagree on something that matters, such as the children or the house, a divorce lets a judge decide what you cannot.
The school-year schedule, holidays and summers, who decides about doctors and school, how you will pass messages, and what happens if one of you moves. The best plans are specific and a little boring, because boring is what children need.
Ohio uses a formula based on both parents' income, the number of children, health insurance costs and how many nights each child spends in each home. On a call we can give you a rough estimate before anything is filed.
Nothing is required. If you want to prepare, find recent pay stubs, last year's tax return, a rough list of accounts and debts, and the dates of your marriage and your children's births. A guess is fine for anything you cannot find.
Tell them together if you can. Keep it short, say what will stay the same, and leave out blame. Children need to hear that it is not their fault, where they will sleep and when they will see each parent.
If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There is no such thing as a silly question about your own family.
Yes. It is 20 minutes, with no charge and no obligation. We do not ask for a card or any payment details.
Yes. What you tell us is protected in the same way as in a paid meeting, and we do not share that you called with anyone.
Not from us. We never contact your spouse unless you ask us to. If you prefer, we call from a blocked number and do not leave a voicemail.
No. In Ohio you can file while you still live in the same home. One of you needs to have lived in Ohio for six months and in your county for 90 days.
For a dissolution, you attend one short hearing, often about 15 minutes. A contested divorce means more time in court. Most cases settle before a trial.
Yes. We meet in our German Village office, by video or by phone. Evening and Saturday appointments are available.
Tell us when to call and how. We will ask about your situation on the call, not here. If you would rather we call from a blocked number, tick the box and we will.
Or call us on (614) 555-0142
If you or your children are in immediate danger, call 911 first. Then call us when it is safe, and tell us how to reach you.