Montgomery County Divorce & Family Law Attorneys
Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated May 27, 2026
Gavvl Law represents Dayton and Montgomery County families in divorce, dissolution, custody and shared parenting, child support, paternity, and civil protection orders. Choose flat-fee, limited-scope help or full representation, and start with a $25 consultation — backed by our verified Montgomery County court guide.
What clients say
Ohio families rate Gavvl Law 4.8/5 across 90+ Google reviews.
How we can help in Montgomery County
Ending a Marriage
- Divorce
Domestic Relations Court ~$375 without children · ~$475 with children
Best for: You and your spouse don't agree on everything — custody, money, property, debt, or support.
View guide - Dissolution
Domestic Relations Court ~$300 without children · ~$400 with children
Best for: You and your spouse agree on every issue — property, debts, support, and parenting — before filing.
View guide - Legal Separation
Domestic Relations Court ~$300 without children · ~$400 with children
Best for: You want to divide finances and set parenting terms but stay legally married.
View guide - Annulment
Domestic Relations Court ~$300 deposit plus Mont. D.R. Rule 2 surcharges
Best for: Your marriage qualifies under an R.C. 3105.31 ground (bigamy, fraud, underage, incapacity, or never consummated).
View guide
Parents & Children
- Custody
Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court DR custody (inside divorce): included in $375/$475 divorce deposit · Family Relations custody investigation $1,000
Best for: You need a court order saying who the children live with and how parenting time is divided.
View guide - Child Support
Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court cash medical support $510.21/child/year
Best for: You need a first child-support order, or a IV-D case opened with the county CSEA for your child support matters.
View guide - Paternity
Juvenile Court Filing fees vary — confirm with the Clerk
Best for: The parents were never married and legal fatherhood has not been established.
View guide - Shared Parenting
Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court Filing fees vary — confirm with the Clerk
Best for: Both parents want to be named residential parent and legal custodian.
View guide - Non-Parent Custody
Juvenile Court Filing fees vary — confirm with the Clerk
Best for: You are a grandparent, relative, or caregiver seeking legal custody of a child.
View guide
Changing or Enforcing Orders
- Modifications
Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court ~$200 post-decree deposit at DR
Best for: An existing order no longer fits because of a real change in circumstances.
View guide - Contempt
Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court ~$200 post-decree deposit at DR
Best for: The other party is violating a court order for parenting time, custody, or support.
View guide
Emergency & Safety
- Emergency Custody
Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court Filing fees vary — confirm with the Clerk
Best for: A child is in immediate danger or at risk of imminent harm.
View guide - Protection Orders
Domestic Relations Court Filing fees vary — confirm with the Clerk
Best for: You've been threatened, harmed, or stalked by a family or household member.
View guide
The Montgomery County family-law guide
Verified June 20, 2026
Download our free Montgomery County family-law guide (PDF) — a plain-language walkthrough of which court hears each matter, the current filing fees, the required parenting class, and e-filing — checked against the county's own court rules and fee schedules.
Download the Montgomery County family-law guide (PDF)
Talk to a Montgomery County family-law attorney
Sources we checked
- Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court — Local Rules & Parent Education (drcourt.mcohio.org)
- Montgomery County Clerk of Courts — Filing Costs & Fees (montgomerycountyclerkoh.gov)
- Montgomery County Juvenile Court — Filing Fees & Forms
- Ohio Supreme Court — Standard Domestic Relations forms
What we confirmed for 2026
- 2026 Domestic Relations deposits confirmed: divorce $375 without minor children and $475 with children; dissolution $300 without children and $400 with children; legal separation $300/$400.
- Most post-decree motions cost $200, and a 3% convenience fee applies to e-filing and credit-card payments.
- Attorneys must e-file; self-represented filers cannot e-file and instead submit every document to the court's Compliance Office, which reviews each self-represented filing before it reaches the Clerk.
- Both parents must complete the mandatory "Helping Children Succeed After Divorce" class, offered through Sinclair Community College.
- Never-married parents file custody, parenting time, and support in the Juvenile Court — confirm its current filing fee with that court, as the amount isn't published in a fixed schedule.
Montgomery County family-law courts
Domestic Relations Court
Divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and spousal support for married spouses
Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division
301 West Third Street, 2nd & 3rd Floor, Dayton, OH 45422
Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 225-4063
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00–1:15 p.m.)
Juvenile Court
Custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity for unmarried parents
Montgomery County Juvenile Court
380 West Second Street, Dayton, OH 45422
Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 496-7908
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Court divisions, filing fees, and local requirements can change. Confirm the correct court, current fees, and required forms with the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts before you file.
Why Montgomery County is different
Self-filers go through the Compliance Office
Attorneys must e-file in Montgomery County, but self-represented people cannot. Instead you take every document to the Domestic Relations Compliance Office, which reviews each self-represented filing before it is filed with the Clerk (Local Rule 1.3). Build in time for that review when you plan your filing. (Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court)
Updated standard parenting-time order in 2026
The court's Standard Order of Parenting Time (about 90 overnights) applies to orders effective January 1, 2026 (Local Rule 5.8). Ask the court whether the updated schedule applies to your case. (Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court)
Who you'll work with in Montgomery County
Montgomery County filings are handled by Gavvl Law's Dayton team. We serve all 88 Ohio counties, consultations run by phone or video so you never have to leave work early, and flat-fee pricing is set out before you sign anything.
- Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Co-Founder. Co-founded Gavvl Law and leads the team covering Dayton and Greater Cincinnati family-law matters, including Montgomery County filings.
- Samantha Berkhofer — Of Counsel Attorney. Handles Dayton-area divorce, dissolution, and custody matters for Montgomery County families.
- Eric Sommer — Of Counsel Attorney. Works with Dayton-area clients on family-law filings, from support modifications to contested divorce.
Gavvl Law attorneys handle Montgomery County cases in this county's courts, on this county's paperwork.
Free local resources in Montgomery County
- Montgomery County DR Court — Ohio Legal Help Self-Help Portal — Free step-by-step interviews and fillable forms for Montgomery County divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, custody, support, and protection-order cases at mcdrc.ohiolegalhelp.org.
- Montgomery County DR Court Navigator & Legal Clinic — The Court Navigator (Room 222, (937) 496-7766) and the free virtual Legal Clinic with the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project (2nd Tuesday and 3rd Thursday monthly) help self-represented parties understand procedures and complete forms.
- Montgomery County Juvenile Court Citizen Services — Free pro se assistance for custody, parenting time, child support, paternity, contempt, and grandparent filings at (937) 224-3977, citizen.services@mcjcohio.org — walk-in Monday/Tuesday, by appointment Wednesday–Friday.
- Montgomery County CSEA — The county IV-D child-support agency at (937) 225-4600, 1111 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., opens cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders.
Frequently asked questions
What does a divorce actually cost in Montgomery County?
You can price this before you ever call. Our flat fees are public: divorce drafting from $1,250; dissolution at $1,750 — $2,300 with children; custody from $1,250; support filings from $950 — payment plans on everything. Each flat fee covers a defined limited-scope service, and the court's own filing fee is separate. Confirm the current fee schedule with the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts before filing.
Which court will my case actually be in?
It depends on your situation. Married spouses file divorce, dissolution, or legal separation at Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division. Never-married parents handle custody, parenting time, and support at Montgomery County Juvenile Court. Filing the wrong form — or in the wrong court — costs weeks; getting that right the first time is part of our job.
How do grandparents get custody or visitation in Montgomery County?
Grandparents don't have automatic standing in Ohio, but there are real paths — each with its own paperwork. A companionship/visitation motion is available when the parents divorce, separate, or a parent dies, filed into the existing case. A nonparent custody complaint applies when the child's parents can't provide care — in Montgomery County, typically at Montgomery County Juvenile Court. And a grandparent power of attorney or caretaker authorization can cover school and medical decisions without a custody case. Which path fits is exactly what a $25 consultation sorts out.
What local rule here surprises people most?
Every Ohio county layers its own local rules, packets, and deadlines on top of the state forms — the "why it's different" notes on this page are Montgomery County's. Details like these are invisible until they cost you a hearing date; we build them in from day one.
Do we really need lawyers if we already agree?
Maybe not — and we'll say so at a $25 consultation. But an agreement only counts if it survives on paper, in the exact packet this court expects, without bouncing back for corrections. Precision drafting for agreeing couples is most of what we do here: a flat-fee dissolution, done once, done right.
Is there a parenting class we'll have to take?
In nearly every Ohio county, yes — parents in a divorce, dissolution, or custody case must complete a parenting seminar before the final decree. We confirm Montgomery County's current requirement and calendar it on day one so your decree never waits on a certificate.
Can everything be handled without coming to an office?
Mostly, yes. Montgomery County accepts electronic filing through its court e-filing portal (not every case type is eligible — confirm with the Clerk). On our side, nothing requires an office visit: consultations happen by phone, and your documents, messages, and billing live in the secure client portal.
How fast can this be over?
It depends on the path. An Ohio dissolution — both spouses in full agreement — is generally finalized within about 30 to 90 days of filing, because the law sets the final hearing in that window. A contested divorce takes longer, often several months to more than a year. Which lane your case lands in is mostly decided before you file — it's the single most valuable thing to get advice on early.
Who will actually handle my case?
Your consultation is with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin — and your case is assigned to the Gavvl Law attorney who handles Montgomery County's courts. Same published prices, wherever you are in Ohio.
Call (844) 694-2885 or email support@gavvl.com.
