Will My Divorce Affect My Children? If you have children and are considering a divorce, the first thing on your mind is how your divorce will impact them. It is what keeps parents in an unhappy marriage longer than they want to be. While you shouldn’t seek divorce with a cavalier attitude, there are times...Read More

How Does Property Get Divided In Divorce? Minnesota is considered an equitable distribution property state. This is the most common way to divide marital property in a divorce. Equitable distribution means the court divides marital property between spouses in a way that it deems fair—or equitable, not necessarily equal or 50/50. It also doesn’t matter...Read More

What Are Some Different Types of Divorce? Learn about the different ways a divorce can happen in Minnesota. A default divorce in Minnesota and in this country is when the respondent doesn’t respond to the petition or appear in court as requested. This is perfectly legal, but it isn’t in their best interest.  In a...Read More

How Do I navigate Divorce and Filing Taxes? It is essential to consult with your tax advisor to get the best advice for your situation and location. It is an excellent idea to do this even before your divorce so that you can divide your assets in a way that is most beneficial to both...Read More

What Is Child Custody? How child custody is determined in Minnesota can be hard to navigate. Legal Custody gives you the right to make decisions about your child’s education, healthcare, and religious upbringing. Physical Custody- this is when your child lives with you. You make decisions about your child’s day-to-day activities, what they eat, wear,...Read More

What Is Supervised Visitation? Most of the time, when parents have visitation, they have the child during their scheduled time, and they can watch movies, eat, work on homework, and whatever else they feel like doing, unsupervised. But some visitation arrangements aren’t like that. Sometimes, a court order requires another adult to supervise the parenting...Read More

What Are Home Studies? Home Studies are required for adoptions, including those by a relative, foster care to adoption, and private adoptions. No matter what type of adoption you decide to move forward with, like all adoptive families in Minnesota, you must first be approved to adopt through a Minnesota-licensed home study provider. Home studies...Read More

A few generations ago, when someone was adopted, information about the birth parents was usually wholly unknown. Adoptions were closed. Today, it’s estimated that only 5 percent of adoptions are closed. “That means that 95 percent of today’s adoptions involve some level of openness, whether they are mediated, fully open, or somewhere in between.”[1] What...Read More

To begin the divorce process, you will need to have your spouse served with a summons and petition. This ensures that they know your intentions to divorce them and what you are asking for from the courts. While it may seem easy enough to have someone served, there are many ways that the process can...Read More

A Parenting Consultant (PC) is a form of alternative dispute resolution. Their role was created by Minnesota Court Rule 114.02(a)(10), which allows parties to develop an alternative dispute resolution process. How Disputes Arise A Parenting Consultant works with your family on an ongoing basis to resolve disputes such as parenting time and decisions about where...Read More