Attorney - Dedicated to the practice of Family Law

Part. 1: Common Acronyms In A Family Law Case

Throughout the course of your Minnesota family law proceeding, you are likely to hear quite a few acronyms used by your family law attorney and by the Court. Below is a key for some of these acronyms:

ICMC: Initial Case Management Conference. This is the first acronym you are likely to hear because it’s often the first step after the case has been filed with the court. An ICMC is a chance to meet the judicial officer assigned to your case and discuss resources that might be available to you for resolving your case without proceeding to litigation. There are no arguments made or decisions issued at an ICMC. Depending on the judge, he or she may not even wear a robe or sit on the bench. There’s no court reporter taking anything down, unless you have agreements which you would like to formalize on the record.

ENE: Early Neutral Evaluation. This is one of the resources available mentioned above that will be discussed at your ICMC. It’s “early” because it’s often right after the ICMC so before the case has really headed too far down the litigation track. It’s “neutral” because it involves someone who doesn’t know anything about your family. It’s an “evaluation” because, unlike a traditional mediation, the neutral(s) involved will give you an opinion about what they think after hearing some facts from you and the other party about your case.

FENE: Financial Early Neutral Evaluation. Typically only in Minnesota divorce cases, an ENE as described above which involves financial issues such as division of assets and liabilities and cash flow issues like spousal maintenance and child support. An FENE just involves one neutral, usually an attorney or an accountant. After providing the evaluator with information regarding your assets, liabilities, income, and expenses, the evaluator will then explain to you, based on their family court experience, what they think a likely outcome is for your case and see if they can help you and your spouse reach an agreement on the financial issues in your case.

SENE/CPENE: Social Early Neutral Evaluation/Custody and Parenting Time Early Neutral Evaluation. An SENE as described above which involves issues related to the children, included legal custody, physical custody, and parenting time schedules. In order to ensure no gender bias, this process involves two neutrals, one male and one female, typically family law attorneys, social workers, or psychologists. You will have the opportunity to tell the evaluators about the history of your relationship with the other parent, your relationship with your children, what you are asking for as an outcome in your case, and any concerns you have about the other parent. You will also have the opportunity to hear the other parent tell the evaluators the same information from their perspective. After hearing about the issues from both parties, the evaluators will confer and then give you recommendations on their opinion(s) as to likely outcomes in your case. After hearing their recommendations, they will help you and the other parent try to reach an agreement which is in your children’s best interests.

As always, if you have questions about any of the above acronyms, please call us to set up your consultation.

Make sure to check back for Part. 2 of Common Acronyms In A Family Law Case

How to Share Parenting Time After a Divorce

Deciding how you will share your child’s time between parents is one of the first things most parents think about after a divorce is contemplated. It seems like a simple enough question but there really is a lot to consider. Start by considering your child’s needs and use that to help guide your decisions. Next review the questions below with the other parent to help you better plan your parenting time schedule.

Where will your child live and go to school?
Is this the home he/she will continue to have as her primary residence?
What is the time breakdown for your child and each parent?
What schedule works best for your child?
What schedule works best for each parent?
Where will each parent live/What if the other parent lives in a different geographical location?
Who will be providing the transportation?
Where will your child spend vacations, holidays, and special events?
What holidays will your child celebrate?
Do you want your child to participate in certain cultural events?
How will your child’s time off from school be spent?
In what way and how far in advance will you communicate with the other parent about special events or vacations?
Who will be the physician?

There is a lot to consider when deciding how to allocate time between parents. But, if you discuss these items in advance, and have a plan going in, it could save you a huge headache down the road.

This divorce and parenting legal advice was brought to you by our MN Family Law Lawyers .

Parenting Styles Part II: How to Incorporate Positive Parenting Techniques

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. Continue reading “Parenting Styles Part II: How to Incorporate Positive Parenting Techniques”

What Kind of Parent are You?

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. Continue reading “What Kind of Parent are You?”