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 and regarding all matters of Church Law. These are uncertain times and the faithful are being moved to respond. My team and I formally represent you or assist you in formulating the best course of action in relation to the Church at every level - from your local parish or school all the way up to the Vatican.

In addition to many 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, during which I daily met the challenges of a high burden of proof like that required in Catholic Church processes. This formation for trying cases has proven to be most effective for me in my Church work and I believe is a strong advantage for my clients.

Also, please see my doctoral research and dissertation which 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

For our work for you, in addition to my background, each member of my team brings additional practical professional experience in many varied areas of Church Law.

The team includes Silvia Pavone, JCD, Rotal Advocate. Like me, Silvia has a doctorate in canon law, but she also actively practices before the Roman Rota and Apostolic Signatura (the highest level courts of the Church), as well as all of the Dicasteries (Departments) of the Curia (Central Government of the Vatican). Additionally, Silvia is 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 salient topic of judicial processes in canon law cases.

Jeson Arances, Ed.D, JCL, also works on my team. In addition to his canonical legal expertise, Jeson has a Doctorate in Education and teaches Systematic Theology and Catholic Social Teaching. He writes: "[i]n both my academic and canonical work I strive to balance the Rights of the Faithful with the Law of the Church." He is fluent in English and in the Tagalog, Cebuano, and Bisaya Philippine 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. Now Janet 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.

Janet is also a Certified FOCCUS Marriage Ministry Facilitator. With this work she supports couples early on in strengthening and enriching their marital relationships. Janet is available for working with couples on their FOCCUS participation and results, as well as engaging them in workshops grounded in Church teaching about marriage and family.

Our Practice Areas

Marriage Cases

If you:

  • desire to petition or re-petition in a diocese or archdiocese for a declaration of nullity (an annulment) in a trial or appeal, with a goal of receiving or returning to Holy Communion
  • desire to defend the validity of your marriage bond and object to a declaration of nullity of your marriage at any level of the Church annulment process
  • wish to respond to a petition for your own private reasons at the trial or appeal level of the Church Courts
  • wish to petition for a canonical separation from your spouse for the reasons provided by Church Law
  • wish to have your cause reviewed by the Roman Rota or Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota - the highest level courts of the Catholic Church

we can help you.

All Other Areas of Canon Law

In addition to the extensive marriage work set out above, if you need strong canonical counsel and advocacy in the following additional areas of canon law including:

  • appeals against the closure or sale or merger of parishes and Catholic schools
  • actions regarding Catholic school formation of students from grammar school through university studies on behalf of concerned parents, alumni and donors at the diocesan or archdiocesan level all the way to the Vatican
  • defense of priests, deacons, and religious including appeals against warnings or suspensions of priestly faculties and/or other measures
  • petitions for dispensation and exclaustration
  • removal and transfer of pastor issues
  • removal from any ecclesiastical office
  • consultation and/or erection regarding private and public associations of the christian faithful and Catholic schools
  • administrative recourse before the diocesan, archdiocesan and Dicasteries of the Roman Curia
  • hierarchic recourse of the rights of all the Christian lay faithful
  • anyone involved in issues of Church administrative or judicial penal processes

we can help you.

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.