Recognized throughout Kansas and the United States as an accomplished  family law practitioner, Ronald W. Nelson frequently speaks on complex issues in family law at seminars for local, regional, and national legal groups. He is a contributing author to the "Practitioner’s Guide on Kansas Family Law," published by the Kansas Bar Association (2011 & 1997 with supplements) with chapters on “Divorce, Separate Maintenance and Annulment” [Chapter 2], and “Child Custody, Parenting Time and Visitation” [Chapter 6] and he has written on complex issues in family law for regional and national legal publications. He often testifies to the Kansas Legislature on issues affecting families and family law. He was instrumental in helping to make significant revisions in Kansas child custody laws in 2000 and helped with the recodification of the Kansas Family Law Code in 2011. Mr. Nelson works to improve access to the courts for the general public having helped draft family law forms for Kansas statewide use.

Mr. Nelson has been involved various leadership positions in the American Bar Association Family Law Section for nearly 20 years, serving 6-years on the Section Governing Council and ABA Family Law Section Committees including: Long-Range Planning, Scope and Correlation, Child Custody, Sponsorship, Membership & Benefit Development, and other substantive and governing committees.

Mr. Nelson is a member of the Family Law Advisory Committee of the Kansas Judicial Council, Chair of the Family Law Bench-Bar Committee of the Johnson County Bar Association, a Founding Master of the Johnson County Family Law American Inn of Court, a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), and a Fellow in the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML). He was the the American Bar Association Family Law Section Advisor for the Uniform Laws Commission Committee drafting amendments to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) implementing the Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Protection of Children, was a member of the American Bar Association Family Law Section committee drafting a Model Relocation Act, and he is an observer to the Uniform Laws Commission Study Committee on Third Party Custody and Visitation of Children.