The work matters. The outcome matters more.
A selection of results from family law, CHINS and DCS, criminal defense, and appellate matters handled by Vining Legal.
Results are only meaningful in context.
A closer look at the work behind the outcome.
The matters below reflect work across family law, CHINS and DCS, criminal defense, and appeals. Each result is presented with the circumstances that mattered, the strategy used, and the outcome obtained.
Case descriptions have been anonymized and identifying details omitted to protect client confidentiality. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case depends on its own facts, evidence, circumstances, and applicable law.
Different problems. Different strategies.
Selected matters across Vining Legal’s core practice areas, showing how the facts, strategy, and legal posture of a case can shape the result.
Custody changed within eight days.
Emergency action followed a substance-exposure incident while the child was in the other parent’s care.
Emergency Filing · Safety Evidence · Custody Modification CHINS / DCS · Substantiation AppealDCS substantiation not upheld.
The substantiation involved allegations of conduct that would have constituted a Level 4 felony if prosecuted criminally.
Investigative Interviews · Credibility · Evidentiary Gaps Criminal Defense · FelonyFelony dismissed in approximately three months.
Critical suppression issues changed the posture of the prosecution and the direction of the case.
Suppression Issues · Early Legal Challenge · Dismissal Appeals · Multi-State CustodySuccessful appeal. Client retained custody.
A complex custody dispute involved relatives in another state, an existing guardianship, and contested questions of which state had jurisdiction.
Jurisdiction · Appellate Briefing · GuardianshipCustody, parenting time, and divorce outcomes.
Selected family law matters involving emergency custody, parenting-time enforcement, provisional orders, paternity, and long-term custody disputes.
Contempt found. Parenting time materially increased.
Parenting Time EnforcementOur client had been denied parenting time over a significant period despite an existing court order, and informal efforts had not corrected the pattern.
We filed for contempt and documented each instance of interference against the specific terms of the existing order, building a factual record the court could rule on directly.
The court found the other parent in contempt, and our client’s parenting time was materially increased.
Full legal and physical custody awarded.
Household Instability · Supervised Parenting TimeThe other parent had a pattern of quickly moving in with new partners, including individuals whose records or circumstances raised legitimate concerns about the child’s safety.
We filed an emergency motion to modify custody and presented documented evidence of the pattern and the specific risk factors, focusing on demonstrated instability rather than a single isolated event.
The court granted the emergency modification. Our client received full legal and physical custody, with the other parent’s parenting time ordered to be supervised.
Primary physical and full legal custody obtained at the provisional stage.
Contested Provisional CustodyOur client filed for divorce with an emergent custody concern already in play. Instability in the other parent’s household made the provisional-orders phase especially important.
We litigated provisional custody rather than accept a compromise that would have embedded instability into the temporary arrangement, focusing on the specific conditions in the current household.
The court awarded our client primary physical custody and full legal custody at the provisional stage. That arrangement later became part of the final decree.
Custody changed within eight days.
Substance Exposure · Emergency ReliefOur client’s child was exposed to dangerous substances while in the other parent’s care, requiring immediate action to prevent recurrence while the underlying safety issue was addressed.
We filed an emergency custody motion within days of the incident, documented the exposure and its implications, and requested an immediate change while a full modification proceeding remained pending.
Custody was changed within eight days of filing.
Primary physical and full legal custody awarded.
Paternity · Return of Child · Long-Term CustodyThe other parent had relocated out of the jurisdiction, complicating our client’s relationship with the child and the ability to take legal action. Paternity also needed to be formally established.
We filed emergency motions to return the child to the jurisdiction and establish paternity, then continued litigating the custody case as instability in the other household developed over time.
Our client was awarded primary physical custody and full legal custody based on the pattern of instability documented during the litigation.
Challenging allegations. Protecting what comes next.
Selected matters involving CHINS proceedings, DCS substantiation appeals, and efforts to clear agency records that can continue affecting a client long after the underlying investigation ends.
DCS reversed the substantiation. Agency record cleared.
Substantiation ExpungementA neglect substantiation had remained on our client’s DCS record for years, continuing to create professional and personal consequences after the underlying matter had ended.
We petitioned to expunge the substantiation, combining time-based considerations with a targeted re-examination of the underlying facts and the continuing relevance of the agency finding.
DCS reversed the substantiation and cleared our client’s agency record, removing the barrier the substantiation had continued to create.
DCS substantiation not upheld.
Level 4 Felony-Equivalent AllegationsOur client faced a DCS substantiation based on alleged conduct that would have constituted a Level 4 felony if prosecuted criminally, with potential consequences for employment, licensing, custody, and future DCS matters.
We dissected the investigative interviews, identified inconsistencies, credibility issues, and gaps in the evidence, and mapped precisely what the agency could and could not establish under the applicable standard.
DCS did not meet its burden. The substantiation was not upheld, and our client’s record with the agency was cleared.
Agency failed to meet its burden.
Level 5 Felony-Equivalent AllegationsOur client faced a substantiation grounded in alleged conduct that would have constituted a Level 5 felony if criminally prosecuted, creating significant potential consequences beyond the immediate DCS matter.
We focused on the evidentiary and procedural mechanics of the case through targeted objections, disciplined cross-examinations, and firm limits on the evidence the agency was permitted to introduce.
DCS did not meet its burden. The substantiation was not upheld, and our client’s agency record was cleared.
DCS failed to meet its burden. Petition dismissed.
Neglect Allegations · Fact-Finding TrialOur client faced a CHINS petition alleging neglect. Accepting a services-based resolution would have left the allegations effectively untested while extending DCS involvement in the family’s life.
We put voluntary services in place quickly to address legitimate concerns while preserving the client’s ability to contest adjudication, then took the CHINS petition to a full fact-finding trial.
DCS did not prove its case by a preponderance of the evidence. The petition was dismissed, and the children were not adjudicated Children in Need of Services.
Different cases. Different paths to resolution.
Selected criminal matters showing how early legal challenges, negotiation, and case strategy can materially change the direction and ultimate resolution of a prosecution.
Felony dismissed in approximately three months.
Level 4 Felony · Suppression IssuesOur client faced a Level 4 felony carrying serious legal, custodial, and long-term consequences.
We identified critical suppression issues early and developed a legal challenge that materially changed the posture of the prosecution and the direction of the case.
The Level 4 felony charge was dismissed within approximately three months.
Case resolved through diversion.
First-Time Defendant · Resolution Without ConvictionA first-time defendant faced a misdemeanor that could have created lasting consequences for the client’s record and future opportunities.
We approached the case with an emphasis on timing, negotiation, and obtaining a resolution that avoided the consequences of a criminal conviction.
The matter was resolved through diversion, allowing the client to move forward without a conviction.
When the trial court gets it wrong, the record matters.
Selected appellate matters involving custody jurisdiction, child support, and post-divorce property rights before the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Successful appeal. Client retained custody.
Multi-State Jurisdiction · Guardianship · CustodyOur client faced a complex custody dispute involving relatives in another state, an existing guardianship, and disputed questions over which state’s courts had jurisdiction.
We briefed and argued the jurisdictional framework on appeal, challenged the use of emergency jurisdiction, and coordinated the appellate strategy with litigation over termination of the underlying guardianship.
The appeal was successful. The case was remanded, and our client retained custody of the child.
Order reversed and remanded.
Child Support CalculationOur client received an unfavorable child support determination based on a calculation we believed rested on legally insufficient findings.
We focused the appeal on the discrete evidentiary and legal errors underlying the calculation rather than attempting to relitigate the entire case.
The order was reversed and remanded for proper calculation. On remand, the client’s support figure was corrected.
Appeal secured rights to the marital home.
Decree Interpretation · Property RightsAfter divorce, a dispute arose over how the decree allocated marital property. The trial court interpreted the decree against our client and awarded the disputed property to the opposing party.
We appealed the interpretation of the decree and argued that its terms, properly read and applied, entitled our client to the disputed property.
The appeal secured our client’s rights to the marital home.
Past results show what we’ve handled. Your case needs its own strategy.
Every case turns on different facts, evidence, law, and circumstances. If you’re facing a similar issue, start with a conversation about what the right approach looks like for yours.
Indianapolis-based · Representing clients throughout Indiana