573-990-8911

Our Team

Benner in Your Corner

Tana Benner is a wife and a mother. She’s also been divorced. Her own experience and more than 15 years in family law led her to found Benner Law on two main principles: that good family law is personal and solutions-focused.

Tana first came to family law as a paralegal. She interviewed her firm’s clients, answered their questions and kept them informed about their cases. In doing so, she got to know them in ways most attorneys don’t. She learned their unique needs, goals and personalities.

She saw that you can’t talk to every client the same way. Family lawyers aren’t representing bloodless corporations; they’re representing people at their most vulnerable. And you can’t effectively advocate for a person unless you know them personally. Some attorneys find that frustrating. For Tana, it’s the whole point.

As a sole practitioner, no one stands between Tana and her clients. There’s no junior lawyer taking half the cases, no staff of paralegals handling all the interviews. It’s just her. Consequently, when her clients have a question, there’s no guessing who they can or should speak to. They know exactly who to call.

Experience has also taught Tana the importance of viewing legal cases as a means to an end, not an end in themselves.

Early in her career, Tana often represented the interests of children as a court-appointed guardian ad litem in contentious divorce and child custody cases. She saw what happens when divorcing parents use the court to settle scores. Aided by a bare-knuckles legal strategy, these families were constantly in court, piling up grievances and poisoning their future relationship.

Tana’s motivation is to help her clients move past a difficult time quickly by getting to know them personally and fighting for equitable solutions that all sides can live with so they can get on with their lives in peace, not in court.

Tana Benner Family Lawyer

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Claire Whitney

Legal Assistant

I started working for Tana in August 2019. I graduated from Columbia College in 2020 with my Bachelor’s in sociology, with minors in criminology and anthropology. Tana and I were introduced through a mutual friend. I was looking for a new job, and she was looking for a new legal assistant. We met, and just clicked right away! I was interested in family law because I grew up with divorced parents. Having experienced it first-hand, I wanted to be able to help others through some of the most difficult times in their lives. My favorite thing about my job is getting to meet new people from all walks of life and getting to know them on a personal level. When I’m not in the office, I love reading (mostly fantasy and romance), making art, hiking, traveling, spending time with my partner and our pets (Harper and Bowser), thrifting, doing yoga, and trying new restaurants downtown with Tana!

Claire Whitney - Benner Family Law

Areas of Practice

  • Family law
  • Domestic violence
  • Adult abuse
  • Custody cases
  • Adoption law

Certified legal specialties

  • ABA-approved paralegal certificate, Denver Paralegal Institute
  • Missouri Guardian ad Litem

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri, 2010

Education

  • Juris doctorate, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, Columbia, Missouri, 2009
  • Bachelor of Arts, English, University of Northern Colorado, 2001

Professional Service

  • Law Review: Missouri Environmental Law & Policy Review, Associate
  • Law Review: Waving Good-Bye to Environmental Laws, Law Review Note

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Missouri Bar Association, Member
  • Boone County Bar Association, Member
  • American Bar Association, Member

Past Employment

  • Attorney, 2013- 2017, Columbia Family Law Group, Columbia, Missouri
  • Attorney, 2010-2013, Knight & Salladay, Columbia, Missouri
  • Law Clerk, 2007-2009 Knight & Salladay, Columbia, Missouri
  • Legal assistant, 2003–2004, Birk & Birk, Jasper, Indiana
  • Paralegal, 2004–2005, Dague & Buck, Muncie, Indiana