Insights

Child Communication and Shared Parenting Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Minnesota Health Department reported on Monday, March 23 that there are now 235 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. Schools have been closed, businesses have shut down, and there seem to be new developments to the crisis every day. If you are a ...Read More

Parenting Time Modification; What is the Standard?
Minnesota has two statutes that seemingly set the standard for courts to decide whether to modify an order for parenting time. Minnesota Statute Section 518.175 governs parenting time, and subdivision 5(b) provides that the court shall modify parenting time if the modification would not ...Read More

In Calculating a Business Owner’s Child Support, The Facts Are Important
Recently, the Minnesota Court of Appeals had the opportunity to address the amount of discretion trial judges have in setting child support for Minnesota parents, specifically when determining child support for a self-employed individual.
Judges first calculate child support based on the presumptive guidelines that ...Read More

Modifying Parenting Time & The Primary Residence Designation
In Minnesota, a custody order must establish a child\'s physical custody and primary residence. But nowhere in Minnesota\'s family law statutes is the term \"primary residence\" defined. The primary residence definition is important because under Minnesota Statute Section 518.175, subd. 5(a), a court shall modify ...Read More

Minnesota Supreme Court Weighs in on Child Support Calculation for Self-Employed Parents
On May 29, 2013, in the case of Haefele v. Haefele, the Minnesota Supreme Court reversed the Minnesota Court of Appeals and held that when calculating a self-employed parent\'s income for purposes of determining child support, the court must first identify the self-employed parent\'s business\'s ...Read More

Going Nowhere Fast, Part II: Using PassPort Controls to Insure Your Child Stays in the U.S.
In part one of Going Nowhere Fast, I talked about the headaches of getting a U.S. passport for a child under the age of 16. As big of a hassle as the dual parental consent process may be, there are very good reasons for ...Read More