Wayzata Divorce Attorney

No one gets married and expects to be divorced. Having the right Wayzata divorce lawyer working for you will ensure your rights are protected. A successful resolution is one that involves everyone being able to move on. This can include having the custody arrangement you want, the property you desire, and the child support or alimony that you need.

Custody

Custody is a difficult part of divorce, and is routinely a contested issue. If the parties are unable to agree, a court appointed expert will evaluate each child’s situation in order to determine what is in the child’s best interest. The evaluation will examine the current living arrangement, the child’s relationship with each parent, and the role each parent played in raising the children. The court will award one parent sole physical custody, or both parents joint physical custody.

Child Support

The non-custodial parent is usually ordered to pay child support (including basic support, medical support and child care support) to the custodial parent. The support amount is determined by taking into account the gross income of each of the parties, the cost of insurance, cost of daycare, and how much parenting time the non-custodial parent has with the children.

Property Division

The assets, and debts, of the marriage are typically divided on a 50/50 basis. The exception involves non-marital interests (property brought into the marriage, or inherited during the marriage), which often remain exclusively with the party who owns the interest. Many of our cases involve high net worth individuals (some of whom own businesses) and complex property issues. Our experienced lawyers routinely work with the top finance experts in the Twin Cities, as necessary, including CPAs and business appraisers.

Alimony

Alimony is awarded when one party earns an income that is insufficient to meet their ongoing monthly expenses. The party with the higher income may be ordered to pay, if they have an ability to do so. Spousal maintenance is often established for a specified period of time, to allow the recipient to find a job, receive a promotion, go to college, or receive training that will increase their earning potential. If the marriage is long enough, alimony may be ordered on a permanent basis.

Attorney’s Fees

An attorney fees award may be awarded to one party if they cannot pay (and the other has the ability to do so), or if the other party engages in conduct that causes the divorce process to needlessly drag on.

Contact a Wayzata Divorce Attorney

When going through divorce, you need a competent, aggressive attorney to handle all of the issues that may come up. To find out how we can help you, call us at 763-323-6555 to schedule your free consultation. If you prefer, you may contact us through our free case evaluation form.