St. Paul Divorce Lawyer
Divorce is stressful, especially when spouses can’t see eye-to-eye or children are involved. An experienced St. Paul divorce lawyer can ensure that the process goes smoothly and advocate to get the best possible results.
Since 1963, our top-rated trial attorneys have been helping clients and families work toward positive outcomes in their divorces and family law disputes.
Contact our law office in St. Paul, Minnesota, to learn more about our family law services and how we can help you with your divorce. Your first consultation is free, so reach out today.
Call Milavetz Law for Legal Advice if You’re Getting Divorced in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Divorce can be messy. Emotions can run high. Unless you and your spouse see eye-to-eye and agree on every aspect of the split, the process can be time-consuming and costly.
Asking for help is the best thing you can do when you’re getting a divorce.
Hiring a divorce lawyer in St. Paul, Minnesota, puts an advocate with extensive experience working through the divorce process in your corner.
Milavetz Law has been a trusted family law firm in the Twin Cities metro area and throughout Minnesota for nearly 50 years. Well-versed in Minnesota divorce law, we help our clients identify their goals and work toward an outcome that’s best for them and their families.
We understand how much is at stake and just how painful the process of dissolving a marriage can be, especially when young children are involved.
When you turn to us for assistance with your divorce in St. Paul, we can help you:
- File for divorce and serve your spouse with a copy of the summons and petition for divorce
- Respond to divorce papers if you’ve been served
- Figure out the best custody arrangement for your children and put together a parenting plan
- Petition for child support or spousal support
- Identify your property and debts and determine which assets you’re most interested in keeping after your divorce
- Secure a restraining order if your spouse has been abusive or violent
- Assert grandparents’ rights preserved by law
- Represent you at all hearings, if necessary
We want to make sure your divorce goes as smoothly as possible. Often, that means that there has to be compromise and give-and-take on both sides. Our divorce attorneys in Saint Paul regularly use mediation, arbitration, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to help our clients resolve their cases without the stress and pressure of going to court.
Your first consultation with our St. Paul family law attorneys is free. Contact our law office to arrange a time to speak with a member of our compassionate legal team today.
An Overview of Divorce in Minnesota
So what happens when you get a divorce? Minnesota has laws that guide the process.
What are Minnesota’s residency requirements?
Before your petition for divorce can be accepted by the court, at least one spouse must have been living in Minnesota for at least 180 days.
There’s an exception for couples in the military. If a spouse maintains their Minnesota residency while they’re deployed or relocated, they can also file for divorce in Saint Paul.
What are the grounds for divorce in Minnesota?
Minnesota is a no-fault divorce state. The grounds for divorce are an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Neither party has to prove the other did something wrong in order to obtain a divorce.
Essentially, you explain to the court that there’s just no way your marriage will work. No one has to be blamed or accept responsibility for the breakdown.
What’s in a marital termination agreement?
Before you can get divorced, you and your spouse will have to agree on the terms of your split (or a St. Paul family law judge will step in and decide for you).
The terms of a divorce are contained in a contract called the marital termination agreement or the divorce settlement agreement.
The marital termination agreement focuses on:
- Property division
- Child custody
- Child support
- Spousal support or alimony
- Health insurance
The terms in the divorce settlement agreement are binding once both spouses sign off.
What does it cost to get a divorce?
Getting a divorce in Saint Paul, Minnesota, will cost at least $365. That’s the cost of filing a petition for dissolution with the court. Of course, unless your divorce is entirely uncontested and there are no bumps in the road, the cost will be significantly greater.
Many factors can influence the cost of a divorce, including:
- The divorce lawyer you choose to represent you and their attorney’s fees
- Administrative costs (additional filings with the court)
- Expenses related to serving divorce papers
- Expert witness fees
- Expenses related to DNA tests or medical examinations
- The cost of using alternative dispute resolution tools like mediation or arbitration
The more contested divorce is – and the longer it takes to resolve – the more expensive the overall process will tend to be. Generally, couples can expect to spend thousands of dollars to get a divorce.
We Handle All Types of Divorce Cases in Saint Paul
No matter the circumstances of your divorce, Milavetz Law, P.A., can offer the guidance and support you need to make the best of your situation.
We can help you navigate all aspects of your divorce:
Uncontested Divorce
Not all divorces are bitter or have spouses who are at odds. Sometimes, both spouses might agree that going their separate ways is in everyone’s best interest. When there are no disputes about the terms of the divorce, it’s called an uncontested divorce. The divorce process can be complicated, and even minor mistakes can be costly – both in terms of time and money. Our divorce lawyers in St. Paul, Minnesota, can help you file your documents properly, meet your deadlines, and step in to offer guidance if any disputes or changes happen during the process.
Contested Divorce
Whenever spouses aren’t in agreement about an aspect of a split, it’s known as a contested divorce. Whether you can’t agree on anything or are stuck on figuring out custody, you’ll need to find common ground and reach a resolution before your divorce can be finalized. Our divorce attorneys have decades of experience handling these delicate issues and leading clients through negotiations and compromises.
Property Division
Minnesota has equitable division laws. Each spouse receives a fair share of the marital assets (and debts). Marital property can include wages and income, retirement benefits, real estate, a family home, vehicles, jewelry, art, and even business interests or investment portfolios.
What’s fair isn’t necessarily equal. Determining what’s fair — and agreeing on it — can be quite challenging. Our attorneys will help you inventory your assets, identify your debts, isolate separate property that’s yours and yours alone, and figure out the best strategy for the division.
Child Custody
When parents divorce, it can affect every aspect of a child’s life. Parents must figure out the best way to arrange custody and visitation, keeping in mind that the arrangement must be centered around the child’s best interests. Divorce is stressful and can often cloud judgment and impair logical reasoning — and that can affect conversations about custody. Our attorneys will provide the steady hand you need to map out a parenting plan and advocate for an outcome that’s best for you and your children.
Child Support
Sometimes it can be necessary for a non-custodial parent to provide monetary support to benefit their child’s health, education, maintenance, and well-being. Since the custody parent provides housing and daily care and support, child support guarantees that both parents are supporting their children in some way. Our attorneys can help you petition for child support and ensure that any amounts awarded are appropriate, given Minnesota’s child support calculation guidelines.
Spousal Support
Spousal support, also known as maintenance or alimony, can be awarded to ensure that both parties land on their feet and enjoy the same lifestyle after a divorce. Alimony might be used to give a stay-at-home parent time to kick start their career and find a job or to offset a significant disparity in wages between spouses. Many factors can affect spousal support, including the length of the marriage, assets awarded in the divorce, sacrifices made during the marriage to support each other, and earning capacity.
Prenuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements
A prenuptial agreement is a private contract between partners before marriage. It’s often used to sidestep requirements set out in Minnesota’s property division laws, which require an equitable split of marital assets and debts. In a prenup, partners can dictate how some or all of their assets will be divided up if they ever get divorced. A post-nup is the same contract but executed after a couple is already married. The terms of a prenup are controlling as long as it’s legal and both parties were willing participants in its drafting. Our attorneys can help you enforce the terms of a prenup or challenge one if you believe it’s not lawful.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence and abuse can destroy a marriage, and it can put the health and safety of family members in jeopardy. If you or your children have been abused, our attorneys can help you seek an injunction and file for divorce so that you can be safe and secure.
We represent clients in all types of divorces, including LGBT divorce, high-net-worth divorce, military divorce, and more. Our family law attorneys understand the complexities and nuances that can affect each of these types of divorces and will fight to make sure that your rights are fully protected.
If your physical safety or the physical safety of your children is being threatened, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
Tools and Strategies to Make Your St. Paul Divorce Easier
Sometimes you need some help to find common ground with your spouse and jumpstart conversations about child custody, financial support, and other aspects of your divorce. At Milavetz Law, P.A., we encourage our clients to rely on forms of alternative dispute resolution that can allow for an amicable and non-adversarial resolution to a divorce case.
Two strategies we regularly employ in our Saint Paul family law cases are mediation and arbitration.
Mediation
In mediation, a neutral third party, known as a mediator, assists spouses in finding common ground. They act as a go-between, facilitating conversations and guiding communication so that both spouses can move forward and find mutually-agreeable resolutions. With mediation, the spouses have the final say. The mediator doesn’t have the power to force a decision. Once the terms of mediation are agreed upon and signed, they’re binding.
Arbitration
Arbitration is similar to a trial in that it’s a proceeding held before a neutral third party where both spouses argue their cases, offer evidence, and question witnesses. However, the process is private, and the arbitrator has the power to make final decisions about the terms that are in dispute. Once the arbitrator rules, the terms are final and binding.
Contact Our Respected St. Paul Divorce Lawyers Today
Whether you’re considering a divorce, have initiated the process, or were recently served with divorce papers, it’s important to ask for help. Contact Milavetz Law, P.A., and discover why you’ll want our St. Paul divorce lawyers on your side during this trying time.
We’ve been trusted by families like yours for decades, and our team is ready to be the system of support you deserve right now. To get started, contact our St. Paul, Minnesota, law office and arrange a time for a free consultation.
