Joseph A. "Joe" Lambson

Joseph A. Lambson is a family law attorney and partner at Margulis, Gelfand, DiRuzzo & Lambson in Clayton, Missouri. He represents clients in divorce, child custody, relocation, order of protection, and modification cases throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including St. Louis County, St. Louis City, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, and Franklin County.

Joe is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, inducted in 2024, and Secretary of the AAML Missouri Chapter. Missouri Lawyers Weekly named him to its Power List of Missouri family law attorneys in 2025 and 2026. He has been selected to Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers in family law every year since 2022, following three selections to Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars (2019–2021), and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in family law since 2018.

Joe’s practice concentrates on high-asset divorce and complex child custody litigation. In divorce cases he regularly handles closely held businesses, professional practices, hidden or disputed income, and property division questions that require careful financial investigation and clear presentation to the court.

In custody cases, Joe is frequently involved in matters with serious allegations and safety concerns — relocation, parental alienation, mental health issues, substance abuse, and domestic violence — where preparation and a steady hand in court are essential. He has tried dozens of cases in Missouri courts and has argued before the Missouri Court of Appeals.

Because of his experience with contested custody disputes, judges in St. Louis County, St. Louis City, and St. Charles County regularly appoint Joe as Guardian ad Litem to represent the best interests of children in family and juvenile court. He also serves by appointment as a Parenting Coordinator and as a mediator in divorce and custody matters. That work gives him a working knowledge of how local judges evaluate custody disputes that he brings to every case he tries.

Joe represents both petitioners and respondents in adult and child order of protection cases in the St. Louis area. He has also served as a Special Prosecutor for domestic violence cases in St. Louis County.

Joe’s civil litigation practice often grows out of his family law cases. He represents clients in wrongful death, personal injury, invasion of privacy, and negligence claims against corporations and school districts, including cases involving school bullying and cyberbullying. In 2024, he and partner Justin Gelfand obtained a $2.1 million jury verdict on behalf of a survivor of sexual battery.