State Bar Association Names Brown's Minnesota Divorce & Family Law Blog to the Top 25 Minnesota Blawgs
We are pleased to announce that the editorial board of the Minnesota State Bar Association's Legal News Digest and Practice Blawg has named our Minnesota Divorce and Family Law Blog one of the Top 25 Minnesota Blawgs for 2011.
What's a blawg? Well...a blog where the lo is the law.
They write:
Here’s another example of a well thought out and nicely designed site. Minnesota Divorce & Family Law Blog co-authors Jason Brown and Jill Anderson make the site easy to navigate at a quick glance. They do a tremendous job of tagging each post. They also include podcasts which give the site a personal touch. We encourage others to follow their lead...what they offer shows a wealth of experience and easily lands them on our Top 25 list.
Thanks to the Association, and congrats to our fellow award winners. Good stuff.
Our Divorce and Family Blog launched in April, 2008. Over 200,000 visitors since. We will continue to innovate as online technology and social media evolve. We hope you find this resource helpful and invite you to contact the firm if you have any questions.
About half the cases we handle are more contested divorces. These are marital dissolution cases in which the litigants don’t expect to reach agreement early and, instead, need the intervention of the court system in order to reach a resolution.
Thanks to Mark Pfenning, a 
It was a privilege to spend some time with WCCO's Esme Murphy last Saturday evening. Esme and I discussed a number of family law issues unique to Minnesota, in the wake of the pending divorce between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver.
"A good therapist is less expensive than a good lawyer." I've uttered those words to many clients. 
Exposing readers to our family practice has been pretty exciting around here lately. Over the last several months we've taken the plunge, head-first, into social media. "Studio B" has been constructed (literally).
In this episode of The Family Law Show, Jason Brown outlines the four ways in which the Court may conclude a divorce in Minnesota. 
The latest installment of The Family Law Show is ready for your inspection: "Two Years of Litigation in Ten Minutes." We provide a brief overview of how divorce cases are litigated.
Statistics show that there will be about a million divorces in the United States this year. Interestingly, 75% are filed by women. More and more, attorney Robert Mues says, his male clients are telling him that they were completely “blind-sided” by the divorce situation. These are individuals in long-term marriages who have honored their wedding vows, are not abusers, and had not been separated. 
It was very nice to be featured in 
The Brown Law Offices has aired its first podcast of The Family Law Show.
Michelle O'Neil, a divorce attorney with O'Neil Anderson in Dallas, Texas recently 
Some parents choose to use their child as a weapon during divorce. Experts agree, it will inevitably come back to haunt the parent who does so - and might just destroy a kid's well-being.
What is the role of government in divorce? Is it a matter of providing a forum for deciding contested issues? Or, should the government be in the business of saving marriages? Interestingly, the 
"The End." The last song recorded by the Beatles, and their shortest. For some "the end" drags on and on and on, plaguing a divorcee. James Chau, a respected 
In most dissolution cases, a host of assets and liabilities must be accounted for and divided. Homes, cars, boats, snowmobiles, retirement plans, business interests and other "big ticket" items are usually placed on a balance sheet and allocated among the parties, with the spouse receiving more value paying the other a cash equalizer. But what about "the stuff" in your home?
Once you break the news of your desire to dissolve your marriage, interesting things may start happening at your house. Critical records and valuable items of personal property may suddenly vanish. It pays to be proactive to ensure that you have all the information you will need to move forward as efficiently as possible.
Minnesota Lawyer recently featured an article by Sylvia Hseih entitled 
Spousal maintenance, formerly known as alimony, is one of the more difficult issues to tackle during the dissolution process. With the exception of child custody, no other issue is as personal or emotionally charged to divorce litigants.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has affirmed a substantial spousal maintenance award.
Time Magazine's Belinda Luscombe recently published a piece entitled "
Judge Halbrooks has been busy at the 
The 
The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently rendered three family law decisions, none of which warranted publication. One case involved child support issues, another custody and child support and the third property valuation and division:
If you and your spouse cannot reach agreement on the legal and physical custody of your child, your matter is probably headed for trial. The court will be left to determine what is in the "best interests" of your child through the use of a custody evaluation and report. About 95% of the time, the court will adopt the evaluator's recommendations - unless you have a strong advocate who knows how to challenge their conclusions.
Today we wrapped up a complex case involving property division and spousal support. The litigants thought they were miles apart from each other, only to find a new best friend in Uncle Sam. With the assistance of a terrific tax accountant, we were able to craft a settlement that took full advantage of the Internal Revenue Code.
Following Hennepin County's lead, and a statewide trend, the Anoka County District Court has implemented a pilot early neutral evaluation program for divorcing couples. The evaluations focus on the two key issues involved in a dissolution: custody of children and economics.
Cristi Trusler, author of the 
As of September 2, 2008, the 
Even a "love coach" recognizes the need to plan for the worst. Blogger Christina Laun has compiled a list 100 tips and resources to turn to for support during the early stages of divorce. 
Like a divorce, an annulment is a court procedure that ends a marriage. But an annulment treats the marriage as though it never happened, as opposed to dissolving it..jpg)
The Minnesota Judicial Branch has published an exceptional brochure entitled "From the Judges of Family Court: What to Expect...Divorce in Minnesota." In reviewing, it appears to serve as a "reality check" for the litigants. Much of it I endorse. Here is some of what the Court has to say:
Many potential clients ask about the difference between a legal separation and a divorce. It is important to consider the meaning of a "separation" and a "legal separation." Most couples opt for mere separation, as opposed to a "legal" one.
Many of our clients are worried about the fact that they believe their spouse is hiding assets or won’t provide the information necessary to move a case along. The Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure give divorce attorneys a series of tools that allow us to gather information in a number of ways, including:
Depending upon the facts and legal issues involved in your divorce, a number of experts may play a role in your case, including a home appraiser, actuary, custody evaluator, business appraiser and vocational assessor.
Whether you decide to contact our firm or speak with another attorney, you should probably speak with a divorce lawyer about your situation before utilizing the various free online divorce forms that are scattered across the internet. My suggestion is in line with every district court judge I have encountered. 
One of the more common questions I face from a potential client involves title to property - whether a car, boat, house, ATV, business, bank account or otherwise. They ask, "My spouse says that because my [insert the property interest] is not titled in my name, I am not entitled to any of it. Is that true?"
Depending upon your point of view, you may or may not appreciate the fact that Minnesota law contains a presumption of sole physical custody. So many potential clients ask about that. I don't believe it is a question of whether the standard will change, but when the standard will change – based upon recent legislative activity and the progressive approaches that have been taken at the Hennepin County Family Justice Center in Minneapolis. 
We have the responsibility to tell every potential client that we “aren't sure.” Now...how's that for building credibility with someone who wants to entrust their life with you for a bit? 
Every person going through divorce will face one fundamental decision time and again: Do I compromise or do I stand firm in my position? Certainly there are times for both. As often as possible, however, we recommend taking the high road and giving a little of yourself for the greater good of your family. This may not seem like good advice coming from a divorce lawyer. After all, isn’t it our job to stand and fight to the bitter end with sharp claws and gnashing teeth (have you seen those silly attorney yellow pages ads yet...the ones with growling grizzly bears and wolves featured prominantly)? Each case requires a little different approach.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune published an interesting article entitled "Strains of War Showing on Army's Soldiers, Equipment, Readiness to Fight." Pauline Jelinek of the Associated Press writes, "Though separate data reported on divorce rates appeared to be holding steady last year, soldiers say they are having more problems with their marriages due to the long and repeated separations." Read the entire 
When people mediate, they bring their conflict to a place where they try to settle their dispute. To assist with the process, an impartial third person, or "mediator" helps them reach an agreement. The mediator does not take sides or make decisions. Rather, he or she should be fair to all parties and help them find a solution. 
Divorce is a stressful, significant occurrence in the life of all who are involved. The impact of divorce upon children cannot be ignored. Reputable divorce attorneys, and, more importantly, the Court, will put the interests of the children at the top of the priority list. Here are a few key points and suggestions to keep in mind as you move forward:
In Minnesota, divorce and family cases are tried to the court, not to a jury. This usually results in significant cost and time savings for each of the parties. For example, a case that might take a week to try to a jury may conclude in half the time through the use of a court trial. While some advocate for the use of juries in family court, most practitioners believe that bench trials are more appropriate. The court is in a much better position to ascertain the legal merits of the arguments of counsel without drawing on emotion, as jurors typically do.
Although divorce is quite common in our society, we understand that you probably haven't been through it before. Perhaps the most difficult decision in the entire divorce process is the one that you will make prior to contacting an attorney - the decision to dissolve your marriage.
Minnesota is a no-fault divorce state. A divorce will be granted in Minnesota without the necessity of proving that one of the parties is guilty of marital misconduct. In earlier times, a party to a divorce was required to demonstrate that the other spouse was at fault for causing a breakdown in the marriage. Adultory was by far the most common basis, but others included domestic abuse, abandonment and an inability to consumate the marriage.
