Practice Emphasis: Family Law, Divorce, Custody, Modification of Spousal Support, Child Support, Adoption, Prenuptial Agreements, Guardianship, Parenting Time Enforcement and Restraining Orders.

To go to Joel's profile on SK&H's website please follow the below link.
http://www.oregondivorce.com/about_us/shareholders/joel_j_kent

Professional Experience: Joel has worked for Stahancyk, Kent & Hook, P.C. since 1994. He has litigated dissolution cases throughout the State of Oregon and successfully represented numerous clients in grandparent visitation cases, property disputes, custody disputes, support modifications and divorce. He has years of experience litigating divorces, involving business interests and issues of business valuation. Joel founded the Central Oregon office located in Bend in 1998.

Education: Joel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. Joel also has a minor in Communications and Debate and received his Juris Doctorate from Seattle University in Seattle, WA.

Professional Activities: Joel is a member of the Family Law Section of the Oregon State Bar. He has been a member of the Central Oregon Matrimonial Attorneys for the last twelve years and the Inns of The Court since 1999. He has served on the Deschutes County Family Law Advisory Committee since 2007.

Community Involvement: Joel believes that for everything he gets from the Central Oregon community, he must give back three times over, and the most important place to start is with the youth. Upon moving to Central Oregon, Joel began volunteering as a head coach with the Rimrock Volleyball Club and has coached the eighteen-year-old girls’ team ever since. Rimrock’s goal is to support a “positive, nurturing environment teaching the concepts of team and sportsmanship and emphasizing growth, development and enjoyment.” Through the years, Joel’s creative and effective coaching techniques have garnered numerous tournament wins. Joel's players have succeeded at a high level, including four High School Players of the Year, twelve All-State players and five State Championships with their high schools. Most players continue to college, the majority on volleyball scholarships, which Joel takes time to help them secure. Alumni from his teams also include two Collegiate All-Americans and a head coach at Eastern Oregon University.

Joel’s focus on supporting children in his community does not end there. As the Chairman of the Annual Sparrow Club Fly Fishing Derby, Joel has helped lead the club’s effort to match local children in medical need or crisis with neighborhood schools and young people who ‘adopt’ the child and family. By encouraging children who are personally hurting to help other kids, Sparrow Clubs “empower youth to transform feelings of purposeless, detachment and anger into confidence, solidarity and compassion.” They believe that it is vitally important to provide children “with meaningful experiences that give purpose, teach compassion, and instill character, dignity and a sense of community.”

Interests: In addition to his love of volleyball, Joel is an avid skier and road biker.

Awards: Joel was recognized as the 2006 – 2007 Central Oregon Legal Professionals Boss of the Year and received the Cascade Business News Accomplished Under 40 Award in 2007. His peers, recognizing his talents, have voted for him to be on the list of Oregon SuperLawyers in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.