Experienced Attorneys and Counselors at Law serving the St. Louis Region
ST. LOUIS –Cynthia Garnholz, JD is pleased to announce the opening of The Garnholz Law Firm, LLC in Clayton, Mo. and St. Charles, Mo. With more than 30 years as a practicing attorney, Ms. Garnholz is a litigator, mediator and collaborative professional. She specializes in a variety of family law practice areas including adoption, child custody, support and visitation, alimony, collaborative practice, domestic violence, mediation, paternity, and relocation. Her practice is also focused on probate matters including decedents’ estates, guardianship, and conservatorship, as well as drafting of wills, trusts and durable powers.
Additionally, Ms. Garnholz is Chair of the Family Law Section of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and on the BAMSL Board of Governors. She is a founding member of the Collaborative Family Law Association of St. Louis and the Women’s Law Initiative of Washington University School of Law.
Her passion for justice includes serving as a provisional judge for the St. Louis County Municipal Court since 2007 and as a provisional judge for the City of Clayton Municipal Court for 12 years. From 2007 to 2017, she was an elected alderwoman for Clayton and also served on the Executive Board of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis from 2015-2017. She authored a chapter (“Change of Judge”) in the bench book for Missouri judges.
Ms. Garnholz’s concern about the well-being of families extends to serving as guardian ad litem for children in family court proceedings. She regularly serves as a Domestic Violence Court special prosecutor, dealing with persistent violators of orders of protection, and as a court attorney, developing parenting plans for children to have safe contact with parents involved in adult abuse.
She has received the highest possible peer review rating for ethical standards and legal ability, a rating of AV® Preeminent™, from Martindale-Hubbell and is recognized as a “Distinguished Lawyer” by The Expert Network, which connects top-rated professionals from the legal and medical fields. She earned a BA/BS (cum laude) from Fontbonne University (1976) and a Juris Doctor from Washington University (1980).
A frequent presenter, Ms. Garnholz has been an instructor at legal seminars and conferences on topics in family law and estate planning, as well as attorney fees, international child abduction risk and the benefits of the non-partisan court plan. She co-founded “Women of the Grapevine,” a group of women professionals who gathered each month from 2013-2017 to educate one another on topics of professional and personal import.
She brings with her to The Garnholz Law Firm, Kristen Sparks, a 2015 graduate of Washington University School of Law, where she was active in student government. She served as President of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, one of the largest student groups on the campus. In 2017 she launched the Young Friends of Project, Inc. and currently serves as President of the Young Friends board.
Ms. Sparks concentrates her practice in the areas of family law, probate, orders of protection, adoption and estate planning. She is also a certified guardian ad litem, protecting the interests of children in family law matters.
Clayton Office: The Sevens Building, 7777 Bonhomme Ave., Suite 1910, St. Louis, Mo. 63105
St. Charles Office: 330 Jefferson Street, St. Charles, Mo. 63301