Harassment Restraining Orders: A ‘Check’ on Abuse of Freedom
In Federalist 51, former President James Madison and framer of our Federal Constitution, argued that ‘if men were angels, no government would be necessary.’ Madison was making the point that…
Contempt: the Myth of “the Hammer”
Dave “the Hammer” Schultz is known to hockey fans as one of the NHL’s most feared and greatest enforcers in its storied history. Case in point; he hasn’t played an…
Dividing a Pension; Tools to Getting a Fair Outcome
A pension is often a principal asset of a marriage relationship. Over time, a spouse, or their employer, contributes to an employee pension plan for the benefit that spouse when…
I Pay Spousal Maintenance: Can I Retire?
In a different blog, I wrote on the topic of the duration of “transitional” (previously known as “temporary”) spousal maintenance. There is now a rebuttable presumption in the law that…
Spousal Maintenance: How Long Does It Last?
Following a divorce, in addition to dividing marital property with your spouse, you may also have to pay child support and/or spousal maintenance (i.e. alimony). But how long do these…
“More Than Words”: Domestic Abuse Orders for Protection
Coming of age in the 90’s meant living through the music industry’s emergence from the nascient, arena rock/power ballad era; where rock immortals like ‘Poison’ and ‘Aerosmith’ (to name a…
Custody Rights & the Path to Redemption
You may remember the film, Shawshank Redemption, a 1994 film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, based on the Stephen King short story, Rita Hayworth & Shawshank Redemption. A fantastic…
Paying Child Support as Disabled Parent
Divorced or separated parents often find themselves under a court-ordered obligation to provide financial support for their children. That‘s Minnesota Courts are required, when issuing orders about custody and parenting…
Changing Your Child’s Name
A few years ago, I represented a Mother who wanted to change her child’s last name. She wanted her child to have her last name. The Mother and the child’s…
Grandparent Custody Rights
Wrongly, grandparents can easily be cast in the ‘dowdy’ mould of an itinerant, doting subordinate, having no role in actively meeting a child’s daily needs, but defiantly spoiling the child…