# Site: sobieskimesser.com # URL: https://sobieskimesser.com # Generated: 2026-08-23 03:02:36 # Version: 1.2 # File Type: llms.txt # Total Pages: 27 --- ## Home URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/ 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 Family law is all we do and we do it exceptionally well. ## OUR EXPERTISE We are effective advocates working to protect what is most important to you — your family and your financial future.... --- ## About Us URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/about-us/ #### Unparalleled Service, Proven Results #### Family Law Focus We do one thing and we do it very well. Our law firm focuses exclusively in family law so you can feel confident that your case is in the most capable hands. #### History Sobieski, Messer & Elledge has been serving families in Knoxville and throughout East Tennessee for 29 years. Wanda Sobieski founded the firm in 1993 with the mission of providing unmatched service and expertise to clients with all of their family law needs. Since then, we have helped thousands of clients successfully navigate the most personal and consequential of legal matters. #### Central Location Our Gay Street office is centrally located in downtown Knoxville for our clients in Knoxville and surrounding areas. Our downtown location allows our lawyers and staff quick access to the courthouses, allowing us to pass cost savings on to our clients.... --- ## Micah Vest URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/micah-vest/ # MICAH VEST #### Associate Attorney --- ## Michael Almaden URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/michael-almaden/ # MICHAEL ALMADEN #### Associate Attorney --- ## Caitlin Elledge URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/caitlin-elledge/ # CAITLIN ELLEDGE #### Attorney ##### Named 2023 and 2024 Best Divorce Attorney by the readers of Knoxville's Cityview Magazine. Read more here  and here . ##### Named one of Cityview Magazine's Top Attorneys in the categories of Family Law, Divorce, and Child Support. Read more here . ##### Learn more about Caitlin's work as a collaborative divorce professional with Divorce Well Knoxville here . Caitlin Elledge is an experienced family law attorney and mediator with a strong commitment to protect and serve her clients, children, and families in all family law proceedings. Caitlin counsels clients with the purpose of helping to ease some of the uncertainty and fear that so often accompany cases involving marriage or family dissolution.... --- ## Contact URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/contact/ # CONTACT US #### How can we serve you today? ### PHONE NUMBER #### 865.546.7770 ### FAX NUMBER #### 865.546.7969 ### ADDRESS #### 900 S. Gay Street, Suite 600 Knoxville, TN 37902 ##### We offer validated parking in the Truist Building parking garage. < --- ## Collaborative Divorce URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/collaboration/ Collaborative Divorce is an innovative method for approaching a divorce, as it enables parties to resolve their disputes and end their marriage with minimal court involvement. Many couples are finding collaborative law a welcome alternative to traditional divorce litigation, which can often result in considerable emotional and financial cost to the entire family. Collaborative law allows a team of specially trained interdisciplinary professionals to guide and support parties in a problem-solving process , not as adversaries. To begin the Collaborative Divorce process, the parties must each retain their own collaboratively-trained attorneys who agree, in writing, to work together to help the couple reach a mutually beneficial settlement without having to go to court. The parties meet privately with their respective attorneys and may retain additional experts to join the team.... --- ## Home-rebuild URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/home-rebuild/ # FAMILY LAW + DIVORCE + MEDIATION 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 Family law is all we do and we do it exceptionally well. #### OUR EXPERTISE #### We are effective advocates working to protect what is most important to you — your family and your financial future. We concentrate our practice exclusively in the area of family law, so you can expect to be represented by lawyers with the most advanced knowledge in every aspect of family and divorce law.... --- ## Jennifer Giles URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/jennifer-giles/ # JENNIFER GILES #### Assistant Legal Administrator Jennifer Giles is the firm's assistant legal administrator and has been with Sobieski, Messer & Elledge since 2012. Ms. Giles has a very calming and positive approach to her work with clients who have legal needs related to divorce and family law. She has tremendous experience supporting the lawyers in the firm through her expertise in office and court procedure. Ms. Giles received her bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary human studies from Tennessee Technological University. After graduating, she taught in Knox County Schools for one year before taking the Assistant Director position at a local after-school program where she worked for almost 11 years. Ms. Giles is married to her husband, Mike, and they are parents to a son named Will and to two adorable cats. --- ## Wanda Sobieski URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/wanda-sobieski/ # WANDA SOBIESKI #### Attorney The founder of Sobieski, Messer & Associates in 1993, Wanda Sobieski forged a reputation as one of Knoxville’s most aggressive and formidable legal advocates for families throughout East Tennessee. Before creating our firm, Ms. Sobieski served as the very first female partner in the 100-year history of Baker Worthington Crossley Stansberry & Woolf (now Baker Donelson). For almost three decades, she has been known as the lawyer clients need to hire for complex divorce and child custody cases, in addition to civil rights and appellate work. Ms. Sobieski is also familiar to many as a vital part of the Knoxville legal, business, and philanthropic community—most notably known for her tireless advocacy to memorialize East Tennessee’s special role in the history of the movement for women’s suffrage in America. As founder of the Woman Suffrage Coalition, Ms.... --- ## Negotiation URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/negotiation/ Throughout the process of getting a divorce or resolving a child custody dispute, there are ample opportunities to find common ground with the other party, either directly or via communication with the other party’s lawyer. Negotiations can involve meetings, letter exchanges, and conversations with the other attorney. The lawyers at Sobieski, Messer & Elledge have expertise in negotiation skills and always advocate strongly on your behalf in any negotiation to achieve a favorable resolution that is consistent with your objectives. ##### WE ARE HERE FOR YOU ###### Fill out the form and let Sobieski, Messer & Elledge help you navigate your family law needs. #### YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN #### ARTICLES FOR YOU Call, email or chat with us to schedule a consultation. --- ## Mediation URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/mediation/ In most Tennessee counties, before a divorce or other family law case can be tried in court, the parties must attempt to settle the issues involved in the case through a process called mediation. In mediation, a trained, neutral third party called a mediator facilitates the negotiation of a voluntary settlement agreement. Mediators work with parties to fashion financial agreements tailored to their specific circumstances. They may also help parents with minor children develop parenting plans that focus on the best interests of their children. The goal of mediation is to reduce the economic and emotional costs of divorce by reaching an agreement that is fair to both parties that also serves the best interests of the children in a divorcing family. The mediator cannot decide the case or force an agreement to anything. The mediator's job is to help both parties work toward an agreement that will satisfy the concerns of each party.... --- ## Litigation URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/best-knoxville-family-law-litigators/ When a case cannot be resolved out of court through negotiation, mediation, or collaborative law, it must be litigated. The steps in the process of litigating your case include: Conducting discovery, which is the process of  exchanging information and documents with the other party; Identifying and evaluating assets and debts; Conducting any pre-trial hearings necessary to settle intermediate issues before the judge; Attending mediation to seek a mutually agreeable settlement of some or all of the issues in the case; Conducting depositions, in which the attorneys ask the parties and other witnesses a series of questions under oath about facts and events related to the case that can be used by the attorneys at trial. Sometimes it is necessary to conduct a custody evaluation by a psychological professional when there are serious questions related to the parenting of the parties’ children.... --- ## FAQs URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/faqs/ To become a client, please first contact our firm by telephone or complete the Contact form online. One of our professional staff will have a confidential conversation with you to gather just enough information to ensure that no one in our firm has represented anyone else associated with your case. After we have completed a conflicts check, one of our attorneys will call you for a brief initial consultation about your legal needs. We will answer questions, explain our fee structure, and help you schedule a consultation with the member of our legal team best suited for your specific legal needs.During your initial consultation, you will meet with one or more of our attorneys at our office on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. If you happen to live outside of Knox County or one of the surrounding counties, we can also arrange for you to have a consultation via telephone or video conference if you would prefer.... --- ## Donna Clary URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/donna-clary/ # DONNA CLARY #### Legal Administrator Donna Clary serves as the Legal Administrator for Sobieski, Messer & Elledge and has been an integral part of the firm since 1994. Ms. Clary expertly manages the operations and administrative needs of the firm to ensure a smooth and seamless experience for our clients. Ms. Clary’s expertise extends to the firm’s accounting, finance, human resources, and IT, which all ensure consistently excellent legal services for our clients. Ms. Clary is a member of the Knoxville Association of Legal Administrators and the National Association of Legal Administrators. She attended Augusta Technical College and graduated with honors in 1990 in Technical Design Graphics. While attending Augusta Technical College, Ms. Clary worked at the Medical College of Georgia in Video Production Services/Television Services. She is a Certified Photographer and Certified Wedding Coordinator. Ms. Clary has been married to her husband Jim for 26 years.... --- ## Diane Messer URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/diane-messer/ # DIANE MESSER #### Attorney Diane Messer joined Wanda Sobieski as a member of the firm in 1993 after several years as an associate with Baker Worthington Crossley Stansberry & Woolf—the law firm now known as Baker Donelson.  In the last 25 years representing individuals seeking assistance in matters of divorce, child custody, property division, and more, Ms. Messer has earned the trust of thousands of clients through her work as a zealous and aggressive advocate, helping her clients return to a place of peace and happiness after divorce or separation. Ms. Messer’s years of experience working in courts throughout East Tennessee as well as her past experience as a social worker render her uniquely suited to expertly navigate complex custody and financial cases.... --- ## Careers URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/careers/ Our boutique law firm offers a casual atmosphere and a work environment where independence, excellence and respect are part of our culture. We offer flexibility and a generous benefit package in order to attract talent that will maintain our standards of excellence. ### Senior Family Associate • Experience:  5+ years  in family law • Status:  No open positions • Start Date:  Flexible • Submit application for consideration. ### Junior Family Associate • Experience: 1-5 years  in family law • Status: No open positions • Start Date:  Flexible • Submit application for consideration. ### Senior Trusts & Estates Lawyer • Experience: 10+ years in trusts & estates law (some family law experience preferred) • Status: No open positions • Start Date:  Flexible • Submit application for consideration.... --- ## LGBT Families URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-lgbt-attorney/ The recent tidal wave of changes to state and federal laws surrounding gay marriage bring with them unique challenges for same-sex couples when it comes to divorce, property division, child custody and visitation, and adoption. Since the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex couples can now marry anytime, anywhere, and in any state without worrying that their marriage won’t be recognized elsewhere due to differing state laws. This means that the rights and laws dividing property, assets and debts, as well as custody, parenting time and child support for children, now affect same-sex couples in the same way as heterosexual couples. Our legal team provides experienced and compassionate counsel and representation in matters such as: • Establishment of cohabitation agreements for same-sex partners who wish to proactively address certain issues that could arise if the relationship breaks down • Navigation of all steps required to prepare for and complete a... --- ## Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-prenuptial-postnuptial-attorney/ A premarital agreement , also commonly referred to as a prenuptial or antenuptial agreement, is a legally binding contract, entered into by parties before their marriage, that defines what will happen if the marriage ends. A postnuptial agreement is an agreement that parties enter into after they are married when they wish to provide for a specific division of assets or the fulfillment of certain obligations in the event of the dissolution of the marriage. Both types of marital agreements allow parties to sort through financial issues so that each has a clear understanding and expectation concerning their financial rights and obligations. A properly drafted premarital or postmarital agreement can be used to protect financial interests if one spouse has substantial wealth or disproportionate wealth relative to the other spouse.... --- ## Conservatorship URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-conservatorship-attorney/ When a person has become incapacitated due to mental illness, medical disability, or advancing age, sometimes it is appropriate for the court to appoint a conservator who is granted the authority to manage the person’s personal, health, and/or financial affairs and to make decisions for that person in those areas based upon his or her best interest. A conservatorship may be initiated by filing a petition in the appropriate court in the proposed ward's county of residence. It is necessary to file a sworn physician's report along with the petition if the proposed ward has been examined within ninety days prior to filing. Otherwise, the court will order that the proposed ward have a medical examination during the case, the report of which will be made a part of the court record and will assist the judge in making a determination regarding whether the establishment of a conservatorship is appropriate.... --- ## Parenting Plan Modification URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-parenting-plan-modification/ In the years after a divorce or separation, life circumstances often change--and sometimes dramatically so. That change of circumstances may require a modification of an existing parenting plan. For example, custody arrangements that worked when children were very young may be unsustainable when they are older and have different needs. Other times, a parent may need to relocate for work or to be closer to family, requiring a new schedule to accommodate the move. #### Experienced, Reliable Legal Guidance If Your Circumstances Have Changed When material changes in circumstances justify changing a parenting plan order, it is necessary to promptly file a well-prepared petition that explains the basis for the modification to bolster your position and your chance of success.... --- ## Parentage / Paternity URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-paternity-attorney/ More and more parents are choosing to have children outside of marriage. Indeed, more than half of births to American women under age 30 occur outside of marriage. It’s important for fathers to know that in Tennessee, if he is not married to his child’s mother, he must take affirmative steps to establish himself as the legal father of his child—thereby earning the right to request custody or visitation. The frequency and duration of such visitation is determined by what is in the best interest of the child. In cases where the parents are not married, the circumstances may also warrant the court to order child support to flow from one parent to the other. Child support in parentage cases is determined using the same criteria that apply to divorcing couples in Tennessee. The objective is for the child to enjoy a similar lifestyle as he or she would have enjoyed had the family remained intact.... --- ## Child Support URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-child-support-attorney/ Tennessee child support laws hold parents responsible for the financial support of their children until a child reaches 18 years of age. The law requires that the income of both parents be compared and then assigns to each parent a percentage of financial responsibility in proportion to that parent's income or earning capacity and comparative parenting time. If a parent has no income or is voluntarily underemployed, income may be imputed to that parent, meaning that the court will assign income to the parent based on what it believes that person is capable of earning based on education and employment history. Once we have helped our clients establish child support, we are able to enforce child support orders or modify them where material changes impact either parent's ability to comply with the order.... --- ## Spousal Support URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-spousal-support-attorney/ Alimony/spousal support, is a legal obligation for one spouse to financially support the other after (and sometimes during) a divorce. If one spouse makes significantly more money than the other, or if one has given up career opportunities for the marriage, or fallen ill or experienced a disability, the economically disadvantaged spouse may need support to keep a reasonable standard of living. Whether the court will order spousal support depends upon a variety of factors, including length of the relationship, contributions to the relationship (i.e. raising children, maintaining the household, economic contributions), relative fault (i.e. infidelity) and agreements you made with your spouse. The court also considers age, education, skills, and other issues that affect your and your spouse’s chances of finding or maintaining employment.... --- ## Property Division URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-property-division-attorney/ Dividing property in a divorce is more complex than it may seem. First, careful study and research are necessary to be sure that all property is accounted for.  This can be accomplished informally, either by exchanging information through voluntary disclosures and corroborating sources, or after aggressive, thorough, formal discovery investigating sources and uses of assets. Next, property must be categorized as either marital or separate. Generally, property acquired during the marriage is presumptively marital property, while separate property includes property owned by a party prior to marriage or acquired as a gift or by inheritance. Usually each party keeps his or her own separate property while marital property will be divided. Divorcing spouses may enter into a Marital Dissolution Agreement to distribute the assets and debts acquired during the marriage.... --- ## Child Custody URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-child-custody-attorney/ Children are the precious product of a marriage, so parenting issues are some of the most emotionally difficult issues that arise when marriages fail. Spouses may divorce each other, but will be parents forever. The highs and lows of parenting will continue long after a divorce is concluded, and future parenting success will depend on how the parents’ attorneys handle a parenting dispute. Resolving the issues of child custody primarily involves determining who will be the Primary Residential Parent (whose residence will determine the children’s school zone), what the day-to-day co-parenting schedule will be, how the family will divide time during the holidays and school vacations, and how decision-making should be established. Those issues are all outlined in a Permanent Parenting Plan Order. You can download a copy of the Tennessee Permanent Parenting Plan here .... --- ## Divorce URL: https://sobieskimesser.com/practice-areas/knoxville-divorce-attorney/ A divorce is invariably a life-altering event and one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. In our firm’s 29-year history, we have helped guide thousands of Tennessee divorce clients through this difficult process. Our goal is to shoulder much of the burden of the fear and anxiety that you inevitably feel about your family’s future and allow you to focus on your children, your job, and caring for yourself. In Tennessee, the dissolution of marriage involves negotiating critical issues such as: • Child custody and visitation • Child and spousal support • Property division, including business valuation and the determination of income available for support Process Tennessee does not recognize what is commonly known as “no-fault divorce.” However, one of the grounds for divorce that is recognized by Tennessee courts is irreconcilable differences.... ---