Estate planning, elder law, family transitions, business planning – the legal issues that affect your family are always evolving. Jennifer writes regularly to keep you informed, educated, and empowered. Browse the latest articles below, or search by topic to find what you’re looking for.
In the divorce world, we get so focused on the children under the age of 18. Children between the ages of 18 and 21 may get a moment’s notice, but children over the age of 21 are routinely ignored. Unfortunately, children are always affected by their parents’ divorce: if they are 5, 25, or 55. Here are a couple tips for adults whose parents are divorcing,...
The term “estate planning” has a tendency to send many people in a panic -too complex, full of legal lingo and complicated tax concepts. In his article Estate Planning Without Anxiety Peter Keating with SmartMoney Magazine does a good job of explaining the basic concepts. There are four simple steps you should be aware of when working on your estate plan:...
There are two big misconceptions when it comes to estate planning: 1. Only the rich need to worry about estate planning 2. Only people with kids need to worry about estate planning. When it comes to estate planning, young adults with minimal assets and no children are all too often overlooked. Unfortunately, failure to get the essential documents done can...
1. What areas of law do you practice? Does the attorney limit their practice to one or two areas, or do they take the “Jack of all trades” approach? There are many different areas of law; if an attorney practices a little bit of everything, does he or she have the depth of knowledge necessary for your case? 2. How many open cases do you typically have...
Buying a house can be an exciting, and overwhelming, time. For couples purchasing real estate there are some legal consequences they should be aware of. All too often these consequences are not considered until the relationship has soured and a court case is imminent. Here are 5 things that couples need to know before buying real estate. 1. Being...
One of the most difficult things in any paternity or divorce case is figuring out the schedule for your children – this comes into play when talking about both physical custody and parenting time. In Minnesota, physical custody is the routine, daily care of the children. Parties can have joint physical custody, or one party can have sole physical custody....
Just like all of you non-lawyers hear the horror stories of over-priced attorneys and expensive litigation (i.e. “I know someone who spent $50,000 on his divorce. All that for nothing!”), lawyers get to hear all of the horror stories of clients who think they can do it without a lawyer, and then suffer the consequences. Just in recent months I have heard...
This is only one misconception that we tend to get from Hollywood. In Minnesota, a legal separation is not a prerequisite for a divorce. (In fact, Minnesota does not have any requirement for a separation period before divorce). While many couples do physically separate prior to or in contemplation of a divorce, a legal separation is an entirely separate...
Planning your estate with an attorney in Minnesota is an important step in protecting your assets, your wishes and the people who matter to you the most. There are a number of options available, as any estate planning lawyer can tell you. Do you need a will? A trust? Is it possible you don’t need either? It’s very rare that a person in Minnesota wouldn’t...
A divorce can be one of the most difficult times for someone to experience. A relationship that was meant to be a lifelong commitment is ending. At least one spouse will need to find a new place to live. Both spouses will be dealing with dividing property and debt; replacing property awarded to the other spouse; and adjusting to living off of decreased...
As an estate planning and family law attorney I cannot urge people enough to make sure their wishes are documented and, more importantly, their families are protected and prepared. A valid Health Care Directive is a critically important document that is so easy to get. It can truly make a world of difference for your family during what is an already...
Minnesota estate planning lawyers regularly battle the misconception that estate planning is something that only wealthy people need to do. They may hear about “trust funds” and “estate taxes” and falsely believe these things only apply to the super-rich. Unfortunately, these folks often end up costing their heirs considerable time and money because they...