When filing for a divorce in Minnesota, you are required to attend an education program.  The class “Parents Forever” is offered through the University of Minnesota Extension and you can find the class listings here.  The classes are available throughout the metro area and range in price from $50-$90.

These classes are designed to give the parents tools to help their children through the divorce.  The class teaches parents about the impact of divorce on children and how as a family you can find an agreeable way to move forward with your lives.  More information on the “Parents Forever” program can be found at their website here.

At Butler & Allen we want to work with your family to find the best resolution and to make sure both parties are compliant in divorce requirements, such as parent education classes.  Contact us today to learn more about our attorneys and get a free consultation.

Custody battles are a common side effect of a divorce.  The court has a few options when awarding custody.  While joint custody is often preferred for both parties involved and may be best for the children, one option is Divided Custody.  

Divided custody is when one child lives with one parent, and the other child with the other parent.  It is not usually the desired ruling although divided custody will usually still allow visitation rights to the parents to see both children, but each child would have a primary parent.

Custody battles are something that our Family Law Firm are familiar with and we can help you to achieve the best outcome for your situation.  Contact us today to discuss your case and what we can do to win you the child custody you deserve.  Also visit our Child Custody FAQ page to learn more about custody.

Recently the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a story about social media use in the courtroom and specifically, in family law cases.  A San Francisco family law firm warns social networking accounts and their activity are being used as evidence in divorce and child custody cases and that trend is on the rise.

This is a fair warning, and a good reminder that most social media account settings default to public, so any updates or tweets you send out are published for everyone to view.  The article explains that the social media activity is fair game in a courtroom and can be used against a parent in a child custody battle, for example.  It is also becoming more common for clients to turn over their social media passwords to the opposing counsel to view.  The article also provides many good recommendations for parents in a child custody battle or divorce:

• Emphasize pictures of your children
• De-emphasize pictures of drinking or other questionable behavior
• Adjust privacy settings so you have more control over who can post pictures of you or write on your Facebook Wall

These recommendations are important and you can find the entire article here.  If you are currently dealing with a divorce or child custody proceedings, contact Butler and Allen to review your rights and let us help you come to a settlement that is good for both parties involved.  New trends such as social media can be complex and having an experienced family law attorney on your side to help you come up with a strategy is the smart way to approach it.

Annulment is the term used for the court procedure to void a marriage.  Annulment is used for many reasons, some of them include:

• One party was unable to voluntarily consent to the marriage at the time it took place due to mental illness, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if their was a threat on someone or force used to agree to the marriage.
• Unable to consummate the marriage and the other party did not know at the time of marriage
• One of the parties was not of legal age for Marriage.  In Minnesota the legal age for marriage is 18.  16 with a parent consent.

There are time limits for filing for an annulment.  If you believe you need an annulment in Minnesota, you should speak with a lawyer and they can guide you through the process.  The attorneys at Butler& Allen PA can help you if you think you would like to file for annulment.

Contact one of our lawyers today and we will be in touch with you soon.

As indicated in the previous post, utilizing a Positive parenting style is integral in helping your children build more self-confidence, increase social skills, and perform better in school. If you realized you were using one of the other parenting styles and want to know how to transition into a Positive Parenting style below are some ideas. If you are not doing these, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate and incorporate some, if not all, of these tactics. (more…)

Everyone has a different approach to parenting. How you decide to parent your child can come from a combination of factors, but mainly your parenting style comes from how you were raised. There are four basic parenting styles.

Knowing which one you use can help you to understand why you react certain ways and how each action can positively or negatively affect your child. Likewise, knowing your spouse’s parenting style will help you recognize how they approach situations.

Whether you are married or divorced it is helpful to understand which styles of parenting your children are receiving from each parent. (more…)

Every child is affected differently by divorce and their needs can heavily depend on their age. It’s important to know what the basic needs are for each age group, what can help them cope, and what situations the child may be facing at that age. Age groups can be classified into four categories: infants and toddlers, preschoolers, elementary middle-schoolers, and adolescents. (more…)

Divorce can be a difficult and emotionally draining situation, and when children are involved the process can become even more complicated. But for your children’s well being, one important thing to remember is to be supportive of the child’s relationship with the other parent. This is sometimes not an easy stance to take, especially if there is still anger or hurt present. (more…)

During a divorce and custody battle the courts main concern is the well-being of your child. Ideally you and the other parent would work together to create a parenting plan that suits everyone involved. This is optimal because you know your child best, you have a say in how they are raised, and then it makes it easier for the judge to approve. Additionally, it is much more cost effective to not involve the court in your parenting decisions. In the event you don’t come up with a parenting plan to present to the court, then it will be up to the court to determine how you should raise your child.
In both cases the judge will ask you questions to ensure the best interest of your child is taken into account. Below is a list of some typical questions the judge may ask. These are good things to proactively think about prior to making your court appearance.
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We’ve talked about the importance of creating a parenting plan, and how the individual ages of your children will play a significant role in that plan.  As you prepare to have that meeting with the other parent, here are a few tips to make it a successful one.
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