Blogs

I'm sure all of our loyal readers have been waiting with bated breath for part two of our explanations of the Minnesota child custody labels.  Good news to both of you - I finally have a few minutes free to sit down in front of the blog machine with a cup of green tea and my thinking cap on.  So, without further ado...

I'm hoping that this will be our only blog post in history to quote an Olivia Newton-John song in the title.  I couldn't help doing it though - with the number of custody cases that we handle, it seems that we hear "Let's get physical (custody)"  quite often in our office.  Unfortunately, it seems that the extreme importance many parents place on the physical custody label are a result of an outdated understanding of the term, or a misunderstanding of what physical custody actually accomplishes in Minnesota.  Hopefully I can help provide a basic understanding of what physical custody actually means in Minnesota, and what effect is has on the current and future parent-child relationship as established in a divorce or child custody case.

An open letter to: State Senators David Hann, Gretchen Hoffman, Dan Hall, and Michael Jungbauer

RE: Senate Bill SF1966

Dear Senators,

I am writing to sincerely thank you for your introduction of Senate Bill SF1966 which would impose a two year waiting period or require a showing of “fault” for couples with children wishing to obtain a divorce. It is about time somebody took a stand and made the divorce process more difficult, expensive, and emotionally draining that it currently is. As a divorce attorney, I am truly sick of all the happy-go-lucky people skipping in to my office every day.

As an attorney that deals with family court on a very regular basis, it can be easy to get caught up in the special jargon used by lawyers and judges during a divorce or custody case.  Go to an ICMC and get ordered to participate in a FENE and SENE?  Obviously!  Of course, not everybody speaks in acronyms and obscure Latin phrases in their regular lives, so it is helpful to take a step back and explain exactly what Early Neutral Evaluation (or ENE) is all about. 

I had originally written this week's blog post on the ins and outs of spousal maintenance, but couldn't resist commenting on recently released financial details of the indie darling, Zooey Deschanel's split with Death Cab for Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard. Often, we hear news of celebs spending way beyond their means, owning property they can't afford, and ultimately, dissolution disaster with massive amounts of debt to divide. Not the case with this particular couple.

Over the holidays, my little brother (who just got accepted to Lewis & Clark law school – yay!) told the fam a story about a client he encountered at his workplace a few weeks ago. He works for a non-profit agency in Minneapolis that helps low income people prepare their income tax returns at no cost, and was helping a client with taxes from 2006 that he hadn't filed yet. After filling the fellow's name on the 1040, the next box was a pretty easy one to complete: marital status. Unfortunately, the client did not know if he was single or married, which shocked my brother, but is unfortunately not as uncommon as you may think. What you may not know is how the timing of the divorce process and delaying the inevitable can have serious impact on your life.

As family law attorneys, we deal with a lot of personal and sensitive information over the course of the attorney-client relationship. We take pride in getting to know our clients, but just as importantly keeping what we know private and confidential. Except as allowed under the Minnesota Rules of Professional Responsibility, it is our policy to never knowingly reveal information that relates to the representation of our clients.

Now that the holidays are over and everyone is gearing up for the winter months ahead (assuming that the cold and snow eventually arrive), I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on what 2011 meant for us at Vox Law, and maybe take a quick peek into the future.  Can businesses make new years resolutions?  I suppose Vox could promise to go to the gym more often and eat more vegetables...

This summer sure did go by fast!  September is almost over, and we all know what can happen in October - especially those of us who got caught out trick-or-treating on Halloween in 1991.  I think there is a policy against use of offensive four letter words on this blog, so I'll just say the "white fluffy stuff" is right around the corner.  Even though part of me loves the Minnesota winter, another part of me asks "why do I live in this state" sometimes.  I have to remind myself of the reasons that we all like living here - friendly people, quality of life, the lakes, Grand Old Creamery, and for some people because they share parenting time or custody of their children.  For those people in the last category, what happens when a job opportunity, school, or a new love interest makes it desirable to take the children and move out of state?  That is where things can get complicated - and we're here to help.

Let me start by saying that I've always wanted to be on TV.  If awkwardly saying a line at the end of my own commercial is what it takes to be "discovered", then so be it.  I always imagined my first role to be more Brandon Walsh (90210, duh) and less TV divorce lawyer, but it's a start.  That being said, I'm pretty proud of the way our commercial turned out.  If you're not lucky enough to have seen it on air, as it only plays in Minneapolis proper, here is a link to a low-quality youtube version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIg6wUptD2w