Divorce Attorney Washington County, MN

Divorce Attorney Washington County, MN

If you are facing a divorce, you have many pressing concerns, and an experienced divorce attorney in Washington County, MN, can help. The terms of your divorce will directly affect your rights as a parent and your finances moving forward, which makes giving them the careful attention they require paramount. 

The Terms of Your Divorce

While every divorce follows its own unique path, and no two are ever exactly alike, the terms you will need to negotiate between yourselves do not vary. These terms include (as applicable):

• The division of your marital assets
• Your child custody arrangements, including legal custody and parenting time
• Child support 
• Alimony

Each of these terms can play a pivotal role in your future. 

Dividing Your Marital Assets

The assets and property you and your spouse acquire together are classified as marital property, which must be split between you fairly upon divorce. A wide range of considerations go into this division, including:

• The length of your marriage
• Each party’s separate property
• Each party’s income and earning potential
• Each party’s overall mental and physical health
• Each party’s contribution to the overall marital assets, including contributions such as housekeeping and childcare

While your separate assets will remain your own, the distinction between marital and separate assets can easily be blurred.

Determining Your Child Custody Arrangements

In Minnesota, child custody is divided into legal custody, which addresses big-picture parenting decisions, and physical custody, which addresses parenting time. The kinds of primary parenting matters that make up legal custody include determinations such as the following:

• Where your children will attend school
• The extracurriculars your children will participate in
• The health care that your children will receive
• The religious education your children will receive 

Legal custody can be sole or joint, but if it is joint, one of you may be assigned tie-breaking authority for those decisions that you are unable to reach a consensus regarding. 

Physical custody arrangements fall into one of two categories that include:

• You and your children’s other parent receive approximately equal parenting time schedules
• One of you becomes the primary custodial parent who has the children the majority of the time

Child Support

Child support is determined by implementing a state calculation process. Typically, the parent who earns more has the child support obligation – even if you divide your parenting time equally. 

Alimony

In Minnesota, alimony is called spousal maintenance, and it is only implemented when divorce leaves one spouse without the financial means to continue supporting himself or herself, and the other spouse has the ability to help out financially. 

An Experienced Divorce Attorney in Washington County, MN, Can Help

If you are heading toward a divorce, the compassionate Washington County divorce attorneys at Atticus Family Law understand the challenges you face and are well prepared to help. We dedicate our impressive practice to helping clients like you effectively resolve their divorces – while zealously protecting their financial and parental rights. For more information about how we can also help you, please don’t wait to contact us today.