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.

Divorce and Family Law in Minnesota: Client Self Help

FAMILY LAW IN MN

Recently, I met with a group of family law Divorce Attorney at a conference.  We were discussing the fact that so many people are using Minnesota’s online forms to file family law matters without the help of attorneys these days.  We were all very happy that people who may not have the resources to hire us have greater access to the Courts, but there was a consensus at the table that the forms leave a lot to be desired.

Just this week, I met with a woman who wanted to file a motion in her child support case.  The ultimate amount in controversy did not warrant hiring me, but she was at a loss as to how to fill in the forms.  So, I sat down with her for an hour and suggested some language and some arguments she might make.  We talked about how to fill out the forms, and what her next steps might be.

MINNESOTA SELF-HELP CENTERS

She could have gone to the Self-Help Center at the courthouse, but these services offer extremely limited legal advice—usually limited to how the forms should be filled out. The staffs at the self-help centers generally do not offer strategic advice.  Nor do they suggest when one of your arguments might be inconsistent with some other argument.

I read a study a couple years ago that suggested that despite the fact that self-help centers are well-respected by the judiciary, judges generally feel that family court litigants get a better result if they are represented by attorneys.  But what if you can’t afford representation, and you or your matter do not qualify for legal aid services?

BUYING TIME FROM AN ATTORNEY

The answer is that you are well-served buying whatever amount of time you can afford from an attorney.  Sometimes, you will want to hire the attorney to help you prepare papers.  Other times, you will want to hire an attorney to appear with you in Court.  Most attorneys will offer you these so-called “unbundled” services.  Your family law matter is probably one of the most important matters in your life.  You should have the comfort of knowing that you did the best you could to do it right.

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 MN practices. She practices every day as Divorce Attorney MN with the intention of representing her clients’ future.