If you have been contacted by Child Protective Services (CPS) or the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) in Louisville or the surrounding counties, your parental rights and your family are in immediate danger. Y0u need to act immediately, and a Louisville CPS & CHFS defense lawyer from John Schmidt & Associates can help to protect your rights, your family, and best interests as a parent.
These cases move fast—often far faster than parents expect.
Children can be interviewed without warning.
Emergency custody hearings can be scheduled with little notice.
Once CPS controls the narrative, parents lose leverage quickly.
If you wait, the damage is often already done.
My name is John Schmidt, and for more than 25 years, I have represented parents and families throughout the greater Louisville area when CPS or CHFS threatens their rights, their children, or both.
Immediate Protection Starts Before CPS Sets the Rules
The single biggest mistake parents make in CPS or CHFS cases is trying to cooperate first and defend themselves later.
By the time many parents call a lawyer:
- Interviews have already happened
- Statements have already been taken
- Case plans have already been imposed
- Emergency custody has already occurred
At that point, you are reacting instead of controlling the situation.
Early legal intervention can:
- Prevent removalof your child
- Stop or limit interviews, especially of children
- Shut down improper investigations
- Limit or challenge case plansbefore they expand
- Get children home fasterwhen removal has already occurred
- Prevent agency overreachbefore it becomes normalized
My role as your Louisville CPS & CHFS defense lawyer is to step in immediately, assert your rights, and force CPS or CHFS to follow the law, not their convenience.
When You Should Call a Louisville CPS & CHFS Defense Lawyer Immediately
You should contact my office as soon as any of the following occurs:
- You are contacted by CPS for any reason
- CHFS wants to interview your child
- You receive notice of an emergency custody or juvenile hearing
- CPS or CHFS threatens removal of your child
- Your child has already been removed
- You are facing allegations of neglect or abuse you did not commit
Time matters. Silence and delay help the agency—not you.
How I Protect Parents and Push Back Against CPS & CHFS
CPS and CHFS have significant authority—but their power is not unlimited.
As a parent, you have statutory rights and constitutional rights under Kentucky law. Those rights must be asserted early, aggressively, and consistently, or they are effectively lost.
I am:
- Aggressive early, not after the damage is done
- Comfortable pushing back on CPS and CHFS
- Willing to assert rights immediately, before parents dig themselves into holes
- An experienced Louisville CPS & CHFS defense lawyer
I handle CPS-related matters involving:
- Emergency custody and temporary custody orders
- Dependency, neglect, and abuse allegations
- Juvenile court proceedings
- Interviews of children at school or home
- Agency referrals and overreach
I routinely represent parents and children at:
- Emergency hearings
- Detention hearings
- Adjudication hearings
- Disposition hearings
- Transfer hearings
In many cases, my involvement prevents unnecessary removal, limits the scope of the case, or forces the agency to correct improper actions early—before they spiral into long-term damage.
Why Parents Trust the Law Offices of John Schmidt
I am not learning CPS cases as I go.
I am not afraid of confrontation when it is necessary.
And I do not allow agencies to treat parents as guilty by default.
For more than 25 years, I have stood between families and aggressive government action—protecting due process, parental rights, and the future of children across Louisville and surrounding counties including Jefferson, Bullitt, Hardin, Spencer, Shelby, and Oldham. If you are searching for a Louisville CPS & CHFS defense lawyer, I invite you to contact the Law Firm of John Schmidt & Associates, PLLC, or call 502-509-1490 today.
Take Control Now — Before CPS Controls the Case
If CPS or CHFS is involved in your life, you do not have time to wait.
The earlier you act, the more options you have.
The longer you delay, the fewer rights remain to assert.
Call (502) 509-1490 to speak with me directly or contact my office to schedule an appointment as soon as you become aware of any CPS or CHFS activity.
Your child.
Your rights.
Your future.
Protect them before the agency decides for you.