the addicted. the abused. the wrongfully accused.
When the stakes are high, we take control.
This is not a typical law practice. It’s where situations get under control.
We don’t wait for problems to explode.
We step in early, stabilize the situation, protect your position, and shape what happens next — before momentum turns against you.
We have worked inside the systems we now confront — courts, agencies, and institutions — so we know where cases actually break and where leverage is created.
No guessing. No unnecessary noise. Just direction.
Let’s be honest.
People don’t come to us when things are going well. They come because something has gone wrong. A job is at risk. A family is breaking. A mistake has turned into something bigger.
At Hartenstein Poor & Foster, we show up with steady hands and straight answers. We don’t offer quick fixes and empty promises; only serious advocacy from people who take the work personally.
Every case matters here. Every person matters. When someone trusts us with their future, we fight as if it were our own, because that’s what it takes.
So, what makes us different?
Most firms talk about experience. We don’t need to because we show our expertise every day.
We handle more drug and alcohol cases than any firm in the state of Kansas. That’s a fact.
At Hartenstein Poor & Foster, our work has taught us something most firms never learn: the law does not operate in a vacuum. Lives, families, careers and futures are always on the line.
Our team has worked inside the systems we now confront, be it in government, politics, courts, or businesses. We’ve navigated addiction, employment crises and the consequences of the law in our own lives. That perspective changes everything.
We do not operate on theory.
We operate on how systems actually behave under pressure.
We anticipate resistance, identify leverage early and build cases that hold when everything is tested. It’s not guesswork. It’s execution.
What it looks like in practice.
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People first. Always.
We do not define people by their worst day. We stand by clients when the system turns on them and lead with steadiness, empathy and resolve. No labels. No judgment. Just serious advocacy when it matters most.
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Pressure reveals the work.
Simply taking on cases is not something we do. We take on problems. When life breaks down, we step in, get the full story and build real solutions that hold up under pressure.
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No one-size fits-all.
Not every crisis ends in court, and not every solution starts with a motion. We fight hard when it’s time to fight, and we bring in the right people when the law alone is not enough. That’s how outcomes actually change.
THE ADVOCATES BEHIND THE WORK
The leaders who take your case personally, and your future seriously.
Eric A. Hartenstein
Scott B. Poor
Sarah M. Foster
Proven in practice
Our work is consistently recognized by independent legal organizations and publications.
CRIMINAL DEFENSE, AND THEN SOME.
Hartenstein Poor & Foster is built on criminal defense. It’s our foundation, and no one in Sedgwick County handles more. But we don’t stop there.
We take on tough civil, family, and administrative cases, especially where addiction, injustice, or broken systems are part of the story. Our background in substance use, civil rights, and systemic reform gives us an edge most firms don’t have. We use it to build cases that don’t fit neatly in a box, and still hold up under pressure.
We don’t chase every case. What we take on is intentional. Focused. Built for the people who need it most.
Confidential. No pressure. Real answers.