Minneapolis Divorce Lawyers

Minneapolis Divorce Lawyers

While divorce is universally difficult, every divorce is utterly unique to the circumstances and people involved. There are, nevertheless, some divorce basics that guide the divorce process and that are useful to better understand. If you have concerns related to divorce, it’s time to consult with an experienced Minneapolis divorce lawyer.

The Division of Your Marital Property

The property that you and your spouse acquired together as a married couple is generally considered marital property. In the State of Minnesota, this marital property may not be divided equally upon divorce, but it will be divided in a manner that the court finds fair (or equitable) in the given circumstances. The division of marital property can become very complicated – and very contentious – very quickly, which makes working with an experienced divorce attorney critical. 

Your Child Custody Terms

If you and your divorcing spouse can come to an agreement that you are both willing to support, you can hammer out nearly any child custody arrangements that work for you (as long as the court agrees that they are in the best interests of the children). If the matter goes before the court, one of the following scenarios will apply:

• Legal Custody – You will either share joint legal custody, or one of you will have sole legal custody. Legal custody refers to the parental responsibility of making major decisions – regarding education, health care, extracurriculars, and religion – on behalf of your children. 
• Physical Custody – Physical custody relates to whom your children live with, and again, it can be either sole or joint. Sole physical custody means that the children live with one parent and have a visitation schedule (or parenting time) with the other. This parenting time can be extremely limited or quite vast (depending upon the situation). Many parents prefer to reframe sole physical custody as one parent being the primary custodial parent while the other has a visitation schedule. Joint physical custody means that each parent lives with their children about half of the time.

Child Support

Minnesota finds that both parents are responsible for supporting their children financially, which is why one parent typically pays child support to the other. Child support is based on each parent’s financial means – among other variables – which is why even if a parent has joint physical custody, he or she may still be required to pay child support (in an effort to balance finances across both homes).

Spousal Maintenance

Spousal maintenance (or alimony) is a monthly payment made for a predetermined length of time by one spouse to the other in those situations in which the receiver has too few finances, and the payor has the financial means to rectify the deficiency. 

Look to an Experienced Minneapolis Divorce Lawyer for the Legal Guidance You Need

The skilled Minneapolis divorce Lawyers at Atticus Family Law have the experience, dedication, and resources to help you obtain favorable divorce terms that address your post-divorce circumstances. Help is available, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.