Surprisingly, many attorneys who practice family law also practice in other areas and use family law to fill in the gaps. Nathalie, on the other hand, is full-time, 100-percent dedicated to the subject and her clients.

There’s one more thing you should know about Nathalie. She’s one of the most knowledgeable family law attorneys around. Rather than focusing on a small geographic section of the city as many family law attorneys do, Nathalie has tried cases in eight counties throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. That means she gathers theories, thinking and ideas from many judges and other lawyers, and uses that knowledge to advance her clients’ cases.

Being a savvy attorney is only part of Nathalie’s job, though. She’s also part educator, part mediator and part advocate.

“Often my clients’ family law matters are their first experiences with an attorney. It can seem very overwhelming. Even the terminology is unfamiliar to them,” she said. “I work hard to reduce their anxieties by teaching them about the process and what to expect.”

On some occasions, Nathalie also serves as a mediator, or neutral party, helping two individuals reach an agreement without having to go to court. Other times, she is called to give a voice to those who might not otherwise have one: children who have been victims of abuse or neglect.

Ever mindful of the weighty issues clients entrust to her, Nathalie regards her practice as one that handles issues of supreme importance in peoples’ lives.

“My job is to help persuade a court of what is a fair division of assets and liabilities, or what’s in a child’s best interest,” she said. “There’s a short period of time to paint the picture of the client’s life in the courtroom, and it’s my job to paint the most vivid, credible picture possible.”

Nathalie joined Levy & Craig in 1994 as an associate. She later was named Shareholder and then President. With more than 13 years of family law experience, her expertise includes complex divorce cases, child custody cases in the context of a divorce or domestic violence, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and protection and restraining orders.

CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
> Handled a complex divorce case where the parties owned 17 business
   interests. The case was settled out of court with three days of
   mediation.

PUBLISHED APPELLATE CASES
> Buschardt v. Jones, 998 S.W. 2d 791 (Mo Ct App 1999) – (child
   custody, relocations, limitations on restrictions in custody orders
   and judicial bias)
> In re the Marriage of Kuzanek, 279 Kan. 156 (2005) – (maintenance)
> U.S. v. Robinson, 984 F .2d 911 (8th Cir. 1993) (search and seizure)

ACTIVITIES
> Member, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, since 1990
> Member, American Bar Association, since 1990
> Member, Association of Women Lawyers, since 1994
> Former member, Lawyers’ Association of Kansas City
> Member, Clay County Bar Association, since 1994
> Member, Johnson County Bar Association, since 1991
> Member, Platte County Bar Association, since 1994
> Alumni and former chairperson, Ross T. Roberts Inns of Court,
   1996-1997
> Co-chair, Homeless Outreach Legal Services Project, 1994-1996
> Graduate, Centurions, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce,
   1998
> Executive Board Member, The Family Conservancy, 1998-2006

PUBLISHED WORKS
> “What is Mine is Mine and Not Yours,” Kansas Trial Lawyers
   Association Journal, 1994

EDUCATION
> J.D., University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Kansas City,
   Mo., 1990
       > Associate Justice of Moot Court
       > Staff Member, UMKC Law Review
> B.A., Benedictine College, Atchison, Kan., 1983

BAR ADMISSIONS
> Kansas, 1991
> Missouri, 1990

HONORS
> Volunteer of the Month, Lawyers Association of Kansas City, April
   1997
> Super Lawyers, since 2006