Divorce Attorney Duluth

Divorce Attorney Duluth

Every divorce is as unique as the people involved, but divorce is always complicated and represents a transition that tends to be emotionally fraught. The terms of your divorce will play a significant role in you and your children’s lives, which makes allowing these terms the legal attention they warrant critical. Whatever your divorce concern, a dedicated divorce attorney in Duluth can help. 

The Terms of Your Divorce

Every divorce follows its own path toward finalization, but in the end, they all involve negotiating the following terms (as applicable):

• The division of your marital property
• Your child custody arrangements (parenting plan and parenting time)
• Child Support
• Alimony (spousal maintenance)

Dividing Your Marital Property

Upon divorce, the property that you and your spouse acquired during your years of marriage (your marital property) will need to be divided in a manner that is equitable. This means that it is fair under the circumstances at play, but this can obviously mean different things to different people – including to you and your divorcing spouse. This division can prove exceedingly complicated. Factors that tend to complicate the matter further include:

• High assets
• Business ownership
• Complicated ownership (separate property that one of you brought into the marriage that has increased in value and/or that plays a primary role in your marital finances, for example)

Your Parenting Plan and Parenting Time

When it comes to your parenting plan, which is how Minnesota addresses the matter of child custody, you’ll need to resolve both legal and physical custody. Legal custody relates to who makes the important decisions that guide your children’s upbringing, and physical custody relates to you and your ex’s parenting-time schedules with your shared children. Both legal and physical custody can be sole or joint, but joint custody doesn’t mean that your parenting time will necessarily be exactly 50/50 – and sole custody doesn’t mean that the other parent won’t have a visitation schedule (which is the court’s presumption barring a significant reason to determine otherwise).

Child Support

Both parents are responsible for supporting their children financially, and the following apply:

• If one parent becomes the primary custodial parent, the other parent will likely pay child support to him or her (the primary custodial parent’s responsibility is considered fulfilled).
• Even if you split your time with the kids straight down the middle, the parent with greater financial means will likely pay child support to the other parent – as a means of balancing the support across both parents’ ability to pay. 

Alimony

Spousal maintenance or alimony is a payment system that’s designed to be implemented when one spouse experiences a financial downturn upon divorce, and the other spouse has the financial means to help. 

Turn to an Experienced Divorce Attorney in Duluth

If you’re facing a divorce, the dedicated Duluth divorce attorneys at Atticus Family Law are committed to applying the complete breadth of their experience in their concerted effort to help you find terms that work for you and your children. Your case is important, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.