The Minnesota Family Law Podcast

Samantha Gemberling joins Tom to discuss a significant new statute impacting virtually all family law practitioners. Samantha has spent years working with interest groups and legislators to update the Minnesota family law statute, especially in the area of spousal maintenance. In addition, she discusses changes to parenting issues, pernuptial and postnuptial agreement and assisted reproduction tec...

Karen Kritta and Tom Harjes join Tom Tuft to discuss advance payment of Child Tax Credit and the recently passed Minnesota tax bill that includes deduction for PPP-related expenses and other changes relevant to family law matters. In addition, they discuss the newly decided Schmidt case that confirms the necessity of using NET income to determine whether a party can meet their needs.  

Chris Vatsaas, a partner at Chesnut Cambronne, PA and Lindsey O'Connell, a shareholder at Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O'Connell, PLLC join Tom Tuft to discuss the programs at the Family Law League. The Family Law Leauge is one of the leading organizations among Minnesota Family Law professionals. While oriented to the younger such professionals, they welcome all family law professionals.

Dr. Jordan Hart and Dr. Kent Kodalen join Tom to discuss coaching in the context of family law. What is it and when can it be most helpful? What is the difference between coaching and therapy? Can both parents use the same coach?

Michelle Camilli and Jennifer Stevens join Tom to discuss the happenings in Dakota County Family Division. The biggest news is the new volunteer mediation program they launched with support of Judge Wahi. In addition, they discuss the new calendaring system for trials. Finally, they discuss the benefits of having a marketing wingman/woman to help you build your practice.  

Jennifer Stevens of Stevens Family Law and Mediation, PLLC and Liz Drotning Hartwell of Best and Flanagan join Tom to discuss how they built successful practices. Both had to restart their practice upon relocating to Minnesota from different states. Jennifer practiced in Indiana. Now, she has a solo practice in Dakota County. Liz was the managing partner at a firm in New Mexico.  Now, she wor...

Mike Black and Marty Swaden join Tom to discuss family law arbitration.

Family law attorneys Dan O'Connell and Allie Connell of Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O'Connell, PLLC join Tom to discuss the many nuances of spousal maintenance (once called alimony). They consider why permanent maintenance may not be permanent and temporary maintenance may not be temporary. They address modification upon retirement, unemployment, remarriage, or other major life event event. They dis...

Author Alysha Price of The Price Dynamic joins Tom to discuss the services her company provides, including affordable supervised parenting time. In addition, they discuss the relative paucity of people of color providing services for families and her plans to train more providers to support underserved communities.

Susan Rhode and Jim Vedder of Moss & Barnett join Tom Tuft of Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O'Connell to discuss how to prepare a family law client for resolution of their case. They discuss concepts of BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) and WATNA (Worst Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) a concept fleshed out in "Getting to Yes" by Fisher and Ury. In addition, they discuss how...

Tim Morrow and Azure Schermerhorn-Snyder join Tom for a preview of next week's Minnesota Family Law Institute.

Zak Kretchmer and Kevin McGrath join Tom for preview of the topic of Divorce Camp, Negotiation. They discuss the pros and cons of different approaches. This is the first in a series of episodes on negotiations.

Patrick Hest, an Assistant Director at the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, joins Tom to discuss how the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office is handling their family law-related work through the pandemic. This includes not bringing new contempt proceedings for non-payment of child support due to the poor economy and the desire to reduce the jail population. He identifies the opportunities for payment...

Kelly Olson Pederson, CFP, CDFA, of Caissa Wealth Strategies joins Tom to discuss the importance of financial guidance during a divorce, especially in these uncertain times. She identifies the importance being aware of the tax and other differences of various kinds of assets from cash ("cash is king") to Roth IRAs to investment accounts (capital gains and income tax) to IRAs and 401(k)s (penalties...

Marilyn Hoffies, senior a paralegal at the law firm of Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O’Connell, PLLC discusses how she and her colleagues at other firms are handling working remotely. She identifies what struggles support staff from firms large and small have experienced in the move to working remotely. She offers tips on maintaining firm collegiality through distant learning. In addition, she discuss...

Attorney Allyson Kerr of Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O’Connell, PLLP, joins Tom to discuss her first evidentiary hearing, an OFP  conducted via Zoom. To add to the complexity, it was a case involving an interpreter. She discusses how the parties were situated; how the Court handled exhibits; how counsel shared exhibits with the witnesses and judicial officer; and how the judicial officer render...

Attorney Jennifer Roben and paralegal Amanda Rock join time to discuss the changes they have made in their firm as we emerge from the pandemic. They discuss how, through the use of technology, they have been able to quickly adapt and continue to serve their clients. They have the added benefit of having experience working from home before the pandemic hit so they had technology and systems in plac...

Christine Tuft, Marketing Partner at the Law Firm of Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala joins Tom to discuss practice development and marketing. The focus of this episode is on self-assessment, skillset assessment, and business assessment. These are the first steps in creating a marketing-focused business plan. Self Assessment . We need to be self-aware and need to know our strengths...

Attorneys Victoria Elsmore and Amy Krupinski join Tom to tell the tale of their family court jury trial. They represented the biological father in the case in which the mother and her husband sought to have the issue of paternity determined by jury. The jury was to decide between the competing presumptions. They discovered that court rules do not really contemplate family court juvenile trials. Th...

Amanda Hagen joins Tom to discuss the challenges of practicing in Minnesota and Wisconsin, especially in light of the differences in how the two states are approaching the pandemic. She reviews the battle between the Wisconsin executive branch and judicial branch over emergency powers. Then, she explains how the Wisconsin courts are handling court proceedings and compares that with how the Minneso...

Loretta Frederick, Senior Legal Policy Adviser to the Battered Women’s Justice Project, joins Tom to discuss the incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) during the stay-at-home periods of the pandemic. She points out that those who were previously living with coercive controlling domestic violence are even more entrapped in these dangerous situations. This is especially alarming in Minnesota...

The Honorable Sheridan Hawley Judge of District Court sitting in Washington County discusses the re-opening plan for the courts in Washington County. She discusses the challenges of developing a plan that meets the Governor’s Order, the Chief Justices Order, the Judicial District’s expectation and the County’s (that actually owns the building) needs against the need for access to justice for those...

Realtor Dawn Keenan of Edina Realty discusses what she sees as positive momentum in the real estate market. She identifies the shortage of homes as a positive factor, especially as compared to the market heading into The Great Recession in 2008. In fact, there is a belief that the real estate market may help lead the economy out of the recession. In addition, she discusses the safety measures put...

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service provider Andrea Niemi joins Tom to discuss how her ADR clients are navigating the pandemic. She highlights the successful problem-solving of her parenting consultant clients. She addresses the challenges of appellate mediation that exist regardless of the pandemic. She muses about the likelihood of continuing to provide services via videoconference, and...

Christine Tuft, one of the marketing partners at the litigation law firm of Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikkala joins Tom to discuss business development and marketing ideas that you can adopt and adapt to your own approach. This will be the first of a multi-part, weekly series about how to continue market your practice despite the challenges imposed on us by COVID-19. Specific ideas...