The Minnesota Family Law Podcast

Dr. Kent Kodalen joins Tom to discuss the challenges and benefits of offering therapeutic, coaching and parenting consulting services via videoconferencing. Also, he discusses the importance and benefit to the clients of there being good relationships between the professionals in a case (therapist, coaches, parenting consultants and attorneys).

Dr. Karen Irvin joins Tom to discuss the challenges our mental health and ADR service providers face in providing services in an era of social distancing. Karen is a retired ADR provider, educator, coach, custody evaluator, and consult group leader who has trained a whole generation of family law service providers. From custody evaluators, to therapists, to ADR providers they have had to learn new...

Attorney and ADR provider Dana McKenzie of Cheney-Hatcher & McKenzie Dispute Resolution Center, PLLC joins Tom to discuss how our family law colleagues are dealing with the changes in our approach to the practice. In addition, she discusses how clients are handling going through ADR in this crisis.

Barb Sheldon of Alerus Bank identifies the various federal and local loan and grant programs available to small business owners. She explains the purpose and availability of the various options: -The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration which were the SBA's first grants/loans offered to small businesses. The first round of funding has been exhausted. There ha...

Attorney Taylor Kaspar of Taylor Kaspar Law, PLLC discusses the challenges and rewards of being a new attorney and a solo practitioner trying a build a practice in these challenging times.  She discusses how welcoming the bar has been to her as a new attorney and how she has worked to get new clients, despite the lack of opportunity to engage in some traditional marketing activities.

Tom Tuft in addition to being a family attorney and media provider, previously served on the Second District Ethics Committee as a member or chair for over a decade. He reviews the ethics rules that are most relevant to practicing in a pandemic—this includes rules on competence, confidentiality, communication, diligence, safekeeping of client property including trust account funds, and the respons...

Suanne Grobe Ranheim of Grobe Consulting joins Tom discuss how she is performing Independent Vocational Evaluations while social distancing. She identifies the challenges imposed by the economic downturn. She offers tips to family law attorneys including having clients be proactive in beginning a job search, advancing their training, preparing a resume, and obtaining relevant medical records in pr...

Dr. Kent Kodalen joins Tom to discuss the plusses and minuses of providing therapy to kids remotely. He explains how he has adjusted, for example, by doing two half-hour per week sessions for some cases rather than one one-hoursessiions. He points out the mixed-bag of responses to the social distancing he sees in the kids he sees.  He sees a reduction in social anxiety in some kids as they fa...

Psychologist Mindy Mitnick and Attorney and Major General Johanna Clyborne discuss the impact of parents’ military service on their children. These children can face challenges dealing with their feelings around the dangerous and uncertain job of their military parent. Mindy and Johanna discuss the differences between children whose military parent is on active duty living near a base where all of...

Courtney Schneider, an attorney with the law firm of Huston & Schneider, PLLC, and Vice-President of the Family Law League discusses what the organization is doing to support family law professionals in light of COVID-19. She discusses their initial efforts in providing a forum for sharing of up-to-the-minute information on court developments and other important information via their Facebook...

Law students Jennifer Allison of Mitchell-Hamline School of Law and Jackson Graham of the University of St. Thomas School of Law discuss their thoughts and concerns about law school, the bar exam and their future employment as lawyers. For example, there is tremendous uncertainty in that there is no guarantee that there will be bar exam.   The pandemic has already affected the legal job...

Dr. Kirsten Lysne of Moxie, Inc. joins Tom to discuss her thoughts on the incredible difficulties with which families are struggling now when they already faced daunting challenges before COVID-19.  She identifies good (appropriate) gatekeeping, bad (maladaptive) gatekeeping and how family law professionals can think about gatekeeping in light of COVID-19. 

Attorney Jack Dewalt of Dewalt, Chawla, & Saksena discusses the challenges of managing higher conflict cases when access to the courts and other resources is limited.

Lisa Kallemeyn of Kallemeyn & Kallemeyn, PLLC discusses how her firm and the courts in Anoka County are handling COVID-19.  She explains the frustration of using Webex for hearings in Anoka County as others are moving to Zoom. She discusses how her firm has adapted to the pandemic, by having her staff work from home and reducing office hours. She discusses how she has adapted to using Zoo...

Family law attorney Margaux Soeffker of Margaux C. Soeffker, LLC discusses work life balance. She identifies how she stays connected with friends, neighbors, and especially her family through things like movie nights and mother daughter spa days. She discusses her daily work schedule and the challenges of adjusting to juggling in a world with far less with less structure than what we are used to e...

Mitch Irwin of Bell Bank joins Tom to discuss mortgage challenges for parties going through divorce in light of COVID-19. He identifies difficulties the industry is facing in light of the low rates and high volumes of closings while shifting to working remotely.  He discusses the challenges of borrowing for a new home where employment is uncertain. He identifies some unique approaches includi...

Attorney Nancy Berg of Nancy Zalusky Berg, LLC, shares her discussions with family law attorneys around the world. She identifies challenges to business valuations and home sales. She identifies challenges facing the Courts here and abroad as they try to catch up and adopt necessary technology after being starved for funds for many years. She identifies changes to interpersonal dynamics created du...

Dr. Kirsten Lysne, parenting coach and mediator, with Moxie, Inc., joins Tom to discuss how she and other professionals in her firm are delivering services in this time of social distancing. In addition, she discusses how clients are handling the new approaches.

Tifanne Wolter an attorney at Henningson & Snoxell and Chair of the Family Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association joins Tom to discuss the gradual re-opening of the family court divisions across Minnesota.  She has participated in meetings with both the judicial branch and the bar to gain some insight into path the courts and family law professionals are taking to ramp up acti...

The Honorable Krista K. Martin, Judge of District Court and Chair of the Other Side Workgroup discusses the plans of the Minnesota Courts to continue to operate through the pandemic.  She describes the Other Side Workgroup which is charged with developing plans and policy for approval by the Judicial Council.   She identifies what the Courts can continue to do in family law matters, including ICMC...

Financial Advisor Laura Kunz joins Tom to discuss new federal benefits under the CARES Act, including enhanced unemployment benefits, the PPP loan program, and the new opportunity to withdraw from a retirement account and spread the tax payment over three years. She talks about the benefit of refinancing a home mortgage and taking advantage of lower rates on home equity lines of credit. Finally, s...

Racheal Howitz of Our Family Wizard joins Tom to discuss how Our Family Wizard is being used in light of COVID-19. In addition, she identifies newer features including GPS verified check-ins and Moments, which is something akin to a private, family social media site allowing parents and children to share photos, videos and written accounts with one another. She describes how the child account opti...

Financial Expert Tom Harjes of Baker Tilly describes how he is able to continue providing services during the pandemic, including through the use of Zoom to present his reports to the parties and counsel. He identifies the challenges of valuing businesses using the traditional income approach. He discusses his observations of concerns over PPP loans. He addresses the problem of setting a valuation...

The Honorable Jason T. Hutchison, Referee of the Fourth Judicial District (Hennepin County) Family Court Division joins Tom to discuss what he is doing for his cases to take them from inactive to resolution. He is now conducting hearings via bridge line and Zoom software. In fact, he is serving on the Zoom Pilot Project in the Fourth Judicial District. He contemplates what court will look like int...

Family law attorney Lindsey O’Connell of Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O’Connell, PLLC shares what she is hearing from family law colleagues who are working through these trying times, including challenges in  business and real estate appraisals, concerns over the job market for young attorneys, how to be productive for work, and tips on how to stay connected with colleagues.