Yesterday, we mentioned the new pilot family law mediation program at the Court of Appeals. Direct from the source, here are the answers to common questions received by the Minnesota Court of Appeals concerning appellate mediation in divorce and family cases. Thought this information would be helpful for any family litigant contemplating mediation, whether because
Minnesota law categorizes property as marital or non-marital.
Marital property is usually divided equally while non-marital property is allocated entirely to the party who maintains the non-marital interest. Non-marital property involves the interest a party has in property accumulated prior to a marriage or property received as a gift or inheritence by one spouse, individually,
The pilot family mediation project of the Minnesota Court of Appeals appears headed toward becoming a permanent component of the appellate process in Minnesota.
Two years ago, the Court of Appeals began experimenting with voluntary participation in mediation immediately following the filing of an appeal. Most, including myself, were skeptical. Mediation has traditionally involved negotiation
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
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.
It is quite difficult to predict exactly how much spousal maintenance the court will award a particular party.
Ontario divorce attorney Brian Galbraith brought a new website to my attention today: Changeville. You might be thinking Obama, but this new resource is available to children whose parents who are going through a divorce.
Galbraith writes:
It teaches kids what happens when their parents separate in an entertaining, online way. The tour
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.
The
In January of 2007 the Minnesota child support guidelines underwent significant changes. Prior to the enactment of the present legislation found in Minnesota Statutes Section 518A, child support was based soley on the income of the obligor (the paying parent). Today, child support is based upon the relative income of both the obligor and
Holly Laiti has yet to speak publicly, but sources indicate that the 29 year old Idaho resident is the second winner in the second-largest mega-millions jackpot in its history. One interesting twist? Her estranged husband has been arrested nearly a dozen times, and convicted of offenses such as domestic assault, drug possession and providing alcohol
Do the right thing…even when no one is looking. Great advice from Greg Cook, one of the top private investigators in the country (and, thankfully, stationed right here in the Twin Cities). Greg and I had lunch the other day and engaged in a long discussion about the uses of a private investigator in family