Criminal Defense · Juvenile Court · Orders of Protection · Guardian ad Litem · Adoption & Guardianship · Traffic Tickets
Amanda Swysgood, Esq. represents families and individuals across the Kansas City metro — in criminal court, juvenile court, and everywhere family and child welfare law intersect.
Services
Every case is different, and past outcomes for other clients are not a guarantee or prediction of the result in your case.
An arrest doesn't have to define what happens next. I go through the charges, the evidence, and your options in plain language — no assumptions about what you already know, no rushing you toward a decision. Every case gets examined for what the state can actually prove, not just what they're claiming.
Once the Children's Division opens a case, the clock starts whether you're ready or not. Parents and grandparents have the right to counsel in these proceedings, and having someone in the room who knows the judges, the caseworkers, and how the process actually runs changes what ends up in the record about you and your family.
These cases move fast and the hearings are short, which means preparation matters more than almost anywhere else in family law. Whether you're petitioning for protection or responding to a petition against you, I make sure the facts get in front of the judge clearly, and that you're not walking into that hearing alone.
When a court appoints me as a guardian ad litem, I represent one thing only: what's actually in a child's best interest. Not a parent's position, not the state's, not anyone's preference — mine is an independent investigation, and I report to the judge what I find, even when it's not what either side wants to hear.
When appointed as a guardian ad litem, Amanda Swysgood represents the interests of the court in determining the child's best interest — she does not represent either parent, and no attorney-client relationship is formed with the parents or the child in that role.
The good day at the courthouse is built out of a lot of paperwork most people never see: consents, terminations of parental rights, home studies, background checks, and a judge's final signature. I handle everything in between so the day itself is just the day — no surprises, no last-minute scrambling.
A speeding ticket or moving violation can turn into points on your license, an insurance hike, or worse if you already have priors — and missing the court date only makes it worse. I handle traffic citations across the Kansas City metro and, in most cases, can appear in your place so you don't lose a day of work over it.
Please don't include confidential or sensitive details about your case in an initial message. Contacting our office does not create an attorney-client relationship, and information you send before that relationship is established may not be protected as confidential. We'll follow up to discuss next steps, including a conflict check, before any representation begins.
Where to start
Pick the sentence closest to your life right now. I'll tell you what it is and what happens first.
Whatever the charge, the process is the same starting point: understand exactly what the state has and what your options actually are before you decide anything.
What happens firstA conversation about the charges — what's filed, what isn't yet, and what's coming next.
Once a juvenile case opens, the timelines move whether or not you're ready. Parents and grandparents have the right to counsel in these proceedings, and having someone in the room who knows the players changes what ends up in the record about you.
What happens firstCall — don't email. If there's a hearing this week, that matters more than anything else on this page.
Order of protection hearings move fast and don't leave much room for preparation once you're in the courtroom. Whichever side you're on, the facts need to be ready before the hearing date.
What happens firstIf you have a court date, that comes first — we build your side of it immediately.
That's a guardian ad litem. My job in that role is independent of both parents and the state: find out what's actually best for the child and tell the judge, regardless of what anyone wants to hear.
What happens firstThe investigation the court has ordered — interviews, records, and a clear look at the situation.
When appointed as a guardian ad litem, Amanda Swysgood represents the interests of the court in determining the child's best interest — she does not represent either parent, and no attorney-client relationship is formed with the parents or the child in that role.
Stepparent, grandparent, relative, or foster-to-adopt on one hand; guardianship for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends on the other. Either way, the path depends on the child's other legal parent and what's already been done.
What happens firstTell me about the other legal parent, if there is one. That's the whole map.
A ticket doesn't have to mean a day off work or points on your license. Most traffic citations can be resolved without you ever stepping into a courtroom.
What happens firstSend a photo of the ticket and the court date. I can often appear on your behalf.
Please don't include confidential or sensitive details about your case in an initial message. Contacting our office does not create an attorney-client relationship, and information you send before that relationship is established may not be protected as confidential. We'll follow up to discuss next steps, including a conflict check, before any representation begins.
About
criminal, juvenile & family court representation
I went to law school at Washington University in St. Louis, and criminal defense is still a core part of what I do. It's also where I learned the hardest lesson of practicing law: how fast a courtroom can move, and how easily someone's whole life gets flattened into a case file by people who've never met them. That lesson shaped everything I do now.
Over time, my practice grew into the places where criminal law, family law, and a child's wellbeing all intersect. I represent parents and grandparents navigating juvenile court, where the state has gotten involved and the stakes are your family staying together. I help people on both sides of orders of protection, where the outcome of a single hearing can reshape a household. Courts also appoint me as a guardian ad litem — someone whose only job is to find out what's actually best for a child and say so, independent of what either parent wants. And I handle adoptions and guardianships, turning the reality a family is already living into something the law recognizes.
What ties it together is the same thing that drew me to defense work in the first place: people going through the hardest chapter of their lives deserve someone who explains what's happening, tells them the truth about their odds, and doesn't disappear between court dates. It's a small firm on purpose. You get me on the phone — not a case number and an intake queue.
Amanda Swysgood is licensed to practice law in Missouri. Every case is different, and past outcomes for other clients are not a guarantee or prediction of the result in your case.
Contact
If there's a hearing coming up, call. The phone is faster.