Vanessa Gorden

Vanessa has been a licensed attorney practicing primarily in family law matters following graduating with honors from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2005. She concentrates on representing individuals in all areas of family and juvenile law. Vanessa is also a 2009 graduate of the Nebraska State Bar Association's Leadership Academy and a former chair of the Bar Association's Legal Services Committee. She regularly teaches continuing legal education sessions for other family law attorneys in Nebraska.

Recently, Vanessa was a co-author of Stress-Free Divorce Volume 4: Conversations with Leading Divorce Professionals (2018). She was honored to be recognized as a Distinguished Lawyer by Expert Network in 2017 and to receive the 10 Best Client Satisfaction designation from the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys in 2016, as well as the Top 10 Attorneys Under 40 award from the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys in 2015. As the owner and managing member of GordenLaw LLC, Vanessa directs all legal services performed by attorneys and staff at the firm.

Taylor Lee Kidwell

From a young age, Taylor always told people she wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up. Her mother worked as a court clerk, and some of Taylor's earliest memories are of visiting the courthouse, where she saw some of the behind-the-scenes workings of the judicial branch, which piqued her interest. She remained committed to becoming a lawyer throughout her education and graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with Highest Distinction in 2019. She graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2022. While in law school, Taylor completed the Family Law Program of Concentrated Study and a conflict resolution training program in conjunction with the Office of Dispute Resolution for the State of Nebraska. She also was a member of the Student Bar Association, Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity, and the Women's Law Caucus. She was also a Semi-Finalist in the 2022 Frank & Lawson Client Counseling Competition.

Taylor began working at GordenLaw as a law clerk in 2020 and became Senior Certified in her last year of law school, which allowed her to begin drafting legal documents, working with clients and handling hearings and trial preparation under the supervision of the firm's lawyers even as a student.

Now, Taylor is a licensed attorney and is an Associate Attorney with GordenLaw handling a diverse caseload in each of the firm's practice areas, including dissolutions, paternity, custody, support, guardianships, adoptions, and juvenile court matters. She is a member of the Nebraska Bar Association and is involved in the Family Law Section, Juvenile Law Section, and Young Lawyers Section.

Riley Michael Slezak

Riley's passion for helping people was sparked at a young age by his mother's career as a social worker who worked with children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems in various roles. He also has a drive to serve that was instilled in him through his stepfather's, father's, and stepmother's service in the U.S. military.

Riley's background and drive to be a positive force in his community led him to the decision to become an attorney. Riley graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2018 and went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2022. He also completed a mediation training program in conjunction with the Office of Dispute Resolution for the State of Nebraska while in law school. Riley joined GordenLaw in February of 2022 and is excited to get to work helping our clients with all of their family law needs.

While he's not in the office, Riley enjoys spending time with his wife and their son, watching and attending sporting events, traveling, golfing, and volunteering as a mentor with the TeamMates mentoring program.