Living Together During Divorce

This week, ABC’s Good Morning America had a feature on couples that are going through the divorce process while still living together.  Here is the link to the story: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6912479

Be Careful About Living Arrangements during Your Divorce

I find this to be a very difficult choice for my clients.  Divorce places you in an adversarial situation with your spouse.  You are often fighting over very limited resources.  And it’s not uncommon for the couple to have diverse views about the future.  If you can work out some ground rules that allow you to continue living together, it is a cost-saving option.  Such ground rules should definitely include issues such as sleeping arrangements, parenting time, financial responsibilities, family time, and when/where/how the Divorce Attorney Minnesota will be discussed.  You will have to be more adult than your emotions may want you to be.

Think of Your Children

Other cost-saving options include moving in with family or friends, moving in with a room-mate, and renting a smaller apartment than you might otherwise want.  If you have children, ensure that you obtain living arrangements that will permit parenting time.  Your space doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to be safe for your children.

Thank you!  You can return to www.MooreFamilyLawMN.com for more information on family law, divorce, spousal support, custody, and child support, Spousal Alimony MN .  There you will also find information on our will drafting, legacy planning, trusts and estates and probate practice.

About Author

Jennifer graduated from the University of Minnesota cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications. In 2006, Jennifer achieved her life’s dream; owning her own Family Law Attorney Minnesota practice. She practices every day as Divorce lawyers Minnesota with the intention of representing her clients’ future.

Moore Family Law on Relationship Strategies

The “D” Word

Family attorneys are not in the business of breaking up families.  We are about helping people manage family transitions.  If there is one piece of Legal Advice I could give to stay married, it would be to never threaten divorce during an argument.

Don’t use the “D” word.

Just don’t.

If you are the one using the “D” word in the heat of an argument, chances are you don’t really mean it.  People who are seriously contemplating divorce don’t throw the “D” word around much.  Instead, they quietly go about locating the information they need to make the decision to divorce and implementing a plan for future independence.

On the other hand, the person hearing the “D” word in the midst of battle will begin to quietly locate the information needed to protect him or herself in the event of a divorce and implement a plan for the inevitable transition from married to single.

See the problem?  If you are not serious about divorce, you do not want to get your spouse serious about divorce.

About Author

Jennifer graduated from the University of Minnesota cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications. In 2006, Jennifer achieved her life’s dream; owning her own Family Law Attorney Minnesota practice. She practices every day as Divorce lawyers Minnesota with the intention of representing her clients’ future.

Family Law, Trusts and Wills, and the New Year

Happy New Year! Jennifer Moore here.

FAMILY LAW, TRUSTS AND ESTATES, AND THE NEW YEAR

What are your New Years’ Resolutions?  Mine is to carve out time for a morning routine.  Commuting from home to our offices in Plymouth is not always my idea of fun!  Maybe your resolution involves a bigger change….  Perhaps you are contemplating a change in family structure, such as marriage, divorce, or a change of custody of your children.

Family law attorneys such as Emily Matson and me here at Moore Family Law, observe that requests for initial consultations increase dramatically after January 1st.  We do still have openings for initial consultations, but they are filling up fast.  Call to reserve your time now!

YOUR INITIAL CONSULTATION AT MOORE FAMILY LAW

What can you expect during an initial consultation?  Moore Family Law offers free consultations.  You can expect to be greeted at our office by our Office Manager or our newly-hired Paralegal who will ask you to fill out a short form and will offer you a bottle of water or a cup of coffee.  Once you complete your form, you will meet with an attorney – Emily Matson or me – who will give you real legal advice regarding your custody, alimony concerns; or, alternatively, regarding your trust, estate Divorce attorney Minnesota, or probate issue.  We will give you our best estimate as to the cost, effort and time we believe your matter will take.  We will advise you about steps you can take to resolve your family law or trust and estate matter without involving an attorney, as well as if your matter is one that really does require the services of an attorney.

If you are concerned about costs, we will brainstorm with you ways to keep the costs down and to obtain the funds necessary to retain us.

Once the consultation is over, we will send you a letter and a proposed legal representation agreement.  You have no obligation to retain us for your family law or trust and estate matter, although we hope you will.

JOINT CUSTODY IN THE NEWS

On another note, I was flipping through the December 14th issue of Newsweek yesterday and discovered the following article about joint custody arrangements:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/174698

This is an interesting article.  In our family law practice we have definitely noticed a trend towards joint custody arrangements.  Often, these arrangements are the result of both parents coming to an amicable agreement about custody.  However, we have had success in obtaining joint custody arrangements for our clients even where the parties have not necessarily been able to agree about what’s in the best interests of the child.  One of the keys is involving an attorney early on in the process who can advise you as to the best way to approach the issue with an eye towards possible litigation.

Next week, I will discuss how focusing on the best interests of the children is the best litigation strategy in a divorce, no matter whether the immediate.  And, yes, we have a link for that too! See Minn. Stat. Sec. 518.17. https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=518.17

Thank you!  You can return to www.MooreFamilyLawMN.com for more information on family law, divorce, alimony, custody, and child support, Spousal Support lawyer MN.  There you will also find information on our will drafting, legacy planning, trusts and estates and probate practice.

About Author

Jennifer graduated from the University of Minnesota cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications. In 2006, Jennifer achieved her life’s dream; owning her own family law practice. She practices every day as Divorce lawyers Minnesota with the intention of representing her clients’ future.