Minnetonka Divorce Lawyer

Many divorcing couples have obtained marital assets over the course of the marriage. Marital assets include any property acquired by either spouse during the marriage. Regardless of whether the title to the property is co-owned or only one person is on the title, it may still be considered marital property. In Minnesota, the divorcing spouses can agree to allocate the marital property as they see fit, or the issue can be decided by the court.

Some marital estates include things like investment accounts, real estate, and business interests. These can be complex to divide between the spouses. M. Sue Wilson and staff will facilitate the best outcome for you, regardless of the complexity. We can trace purchases to determine whether something is part of the marital estate.

If one spouse has considerable assets prior to marriage, a prenuptial agreement may be in place to protect their interests. The prenup can also be used to delineate the division of personal estates if one of the spouses dies, or they divorce to protect their beneficiaries. Our team of attorneys can not only help to sort through the division of assets when a prenup is involved, we can also determine whether the agreement is valid under Minnesota law.

If you are wanting to sign a prenuptial agreement before you get married, our family law attorneys can conduct that process as well.

Spousal maintenance is a court-awarded, or agreed upon, payment from one spouse to the other, for the purpose of supporting and maintaining that spouse. The award can be either temporary or permanent. Our attorneys will fight for the best result for you when it comes to spousal maintenance. The court takes into consideration several factors before determining the award amount, such as:

• The length of the marriage;
• The physical health of each spouse;
• Acquired education levels;
• Career advancement sacrifices;
• The financial resources of each spouse

When dependent children are involved, the process of determining child custody can be the most emotional for one or both parents. The court will always rule in favor of whatever arrangement is in the best interest of the child. Parents can either come to an agreement themselves or submit the issue for the Court to decide. The Court will decide legal custody, physical custody, and parenting time in the best interests of the children.

In determining custody, the Court will decide the amount of parenting time each parent has with the child. The parenting time schedule can be agreed upon between parents, but if the parents cannot agree, the Court will implement a schedule that is in the best interests of the child. In doing so, the Court will designate which parent gets specific days with the child.

As your attorneys, we will work to protect your interests and those of your child. We are experts in mediation and can usually facilitate an agreeable parenting time schedule without court involvement.

If a majority of parenting time is awarded to one parent, the other parent may be ordered to pay child support. The amount of the award is based on a number of factors, such as:

• Housing
• Food
• Clothing
• Transportation
• Education
• Medical insurance

Child support payments typically end once the child turns 18 years old, unless other provisions have been made.

At M. Sue Wilson, we know getting a divorce can be overwhelming, and changing living situations is stressful. We also know that it is important for both spouses involved in the divorce to live in separate living spaces, especially when minor children are involved. We will help guide you through keeping your house or finding a new place to live, depending on what is best for you.