As a doctor of canon law and with the help of my team, I provide both Catholics and non-Catholics with advice and representation within the entire Catholic Church, in marriage cases of both the Latin and Eastern Rites. This may pertain to a petition for, or defense regarding, an annulment -- a declaration of dissolution of your marriage bond -- or a request for a canonical separation of the spouses with the marriage bond remaining intact.
In addition to my years as a canon lawyer in private practice and as a Judge, Defender of the Bond and Advocate in Church tribunal cases, I draw on my decades of experience as a civil lawyer, including nearly two decades of trial and appellate work, and co-authoring a textbook on legal ethics for the world's largest legal publishing company.
Also, my doctoral research and dissertation were devoted to the highly relevant topic of the civilly divorced and remarried and reception of Holy Communion. (please click here to see my dissertation PDF)
My team includes Silvia Pavone, JCD. Like me she has a doctorate in canon law, but she is licensed and actively practicing before the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota. Silvia is also an expert in the area of Eastern Marriage Law and is fluent in Ecclesiastical Latin, English, Italian and Spanish. Her doctoral research and dissertation were devoted to the very important topic of judicial processes in canon law.
Jeson Arances. As a Canon lawyer, I have developed a background in Tribunal work in the United States, the Phillipines, and Malaysia.
In addition to my canonical legal expertise, I have a Doctorate in Education and teach Systematic Theology and Catholic Social Teaching. In both my academic and canonical work I strive to balance the rights of the Faithful with the Law of the Church.
I am proficient in English and in the Tagalog, Cebuano, and Bisaya Phillipine dialects.
Janet Kiefer, our Paralegal, worked for over 30 years in that capacity in civil law in the areas of criminal defense and immigration at the start of her career; and moved into securities, tax, litigation, and ethics - with an emphasis on confidential communications. She has vast experience dealing with sensitive and complex client issues. She now has a particular commitment to employing her skills in helping persons learn of their status in the Church and assisting them with moving forward in their Sacramental lives.
If you:
- desire to petition or re-petition for a declaration of nullity (an annulment) with a goal of receiving or returning to Holy Communion; or
- desire to defend the validity of your marriage bond; or
- wish to respond to a petition for your own private reasons; or
- wish to petition for a canonical separation from your spouse for the reasons provided by Church law,or
- wish to have your cause reviewed by the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota - the highest level court of the Catholic Church,
we can help you.
Other Areas of Canon Law
In addition to the extensive marriage work set out above, we provide strong canonical counsel and advocacy in the following additional areas of canon law:
- Catholic school formation of students from grammar school through university studies on behalf of concerned parents, alumni and donors; and
- defense of priests, deacons, and religious; and
- hierarchic recourse of the rights of all the Christian lay faithful; and
- anyone involved in issues of Church administrative or judicial penal processes.
Please reach out via email to the address provided on the Contact page, or call me at 267-366-8258. Translators in Spanish, Polish and Portuguese are also on staff for support with cases.
It will be a privilege to assist you.
Our fees are very reasonable as our primary commitment is to helping you. Payment plans are available.