Minnesota Divorce and Spousal Maintenance
In Minnesota Divorce cases, Spousal Maintenance (also referred to as "Alimony") is a topic that is often misunderstood, frequently litigated at the District Court level, and is often appealed to the Minnesota Court Of Appeals. Spousal Maintenance, unlike Child Support, does not provide the parties with a basic formula to [...]
Minnesota Divorce and Property Division – Are You Really Entitled To Half?
In Minnesota Divorce cases, the division of assets and debts does not need to be mathematically equal, and you are not entitled, under Minnesota law, to "half of your half." Minnesota Statute 518.58, subd. 1, states that the district court is required to make a "just and equitable" division of [...]
The Minnesota Family Court Process
Throughout Minnesota, Family Court provides an opportunity for parties to resolve legal issues that involve important matters such as Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Parenting Time, Property Division and Spousal Maintenance. For most people, Family Court can be overwhelming and intimidating; there are numerous Family Law rules and procedures, and [...]
Mediation in Minnesota Parenting Time Disputes
Mediation is commonly used in Minnesota to resolve disputes related to parenting time, including issues regarding the adjustment of an existing parenting time schedule, changes to the primary residence of a child (or children), vacations, holidays, birthdays, summer vacation schedules, extracurricular activities and parenting time when a parent relocates to [...]
Child Custody Evaluations in Minnesota Family Court
In some Minnesota Divorce and Family Law cases, a Child Custody Evaluation (conducted by Court Services or by a private evaluator such as a Social Worker, Psychologist, Therapist or an experienced legal professional) can aid the Judge in making a custody determination that is in the best interests of the [...]
Minnesota Divorce – Top Property Division Issues
In Minnesota Divorce cases, the division of assets and debts is a process that requires great attention to detail; the division of assets during divorce does not need to be mathematically equal, and you are not necessarily entitled, under Minnesota law, to one-half of the marital assets. In many Divorce [...]
Initial Case Management Conference (ICMC) in Minnesota Family Court
In Divorce and Family law cases throughout the Twin Cities, the Initial Case Management Conference (ICMC) is typically the first court appearance with a Judge. The ICMC provides the parties with an opportunity to discuss important topics such as whether a Social and/or Financial Early Neutral Evaluation process would be [...]
Child Custody – Best Interest Factors – Minnesota
In Minnesota divorce and family law cases, evaluating child custody, at times, can be a very complex process. Minnesota Courts use the child's best interests as the guiding principle when determining child custody (there are 13 different statutory best interest factors and 1 case law imposed best interest factor, which [...]
Top Minnesota Divorce Issue – Tracing Non-Marital Property
It is quite common for one spouse to own assets or property (Real Estate, Retirement Account, Pension, Investment Account, etc.) that is non-marital, either in part, or in whole. If an asset is both marital and non-marital, it is generally necessary to perform a non-marital tracing of the asset, performed [...]
Top Reasons To Use An Actuary in a Minnesota Divorce
In a Minnesota Divorce case, the most frequent reasons to use an Actuary are 1) to determine the present value calculation of an asset, such as a pension; 2) to perform calculations related to non-marital claims, and 3) to run financial projections and scenarios based on risk and other assumptions. [...]