It’s a potential legal nightmare anytime the law gets involved in your family’s affairs. Before you know it, you could lose custody of your children, settle for an unfair divorce, or miss your chance at an adoption. If you’re facing any of these family law issues or a similar matter, it’s crucial to contact an attorney immediately.
Jaspers, Moriarty & Wetherille, P.A., has over 40 years of experience serving clients in St. Peter, Le Sueur County, and throughout Minnesota. Our family law attorneys can use our hard-won knowledge to guide you through the legal process and help you reach your preferred outcome. We understand your stress and frustration, and we’ll make this process as painless as possible while standing up for your rights. We prefer to avoid trials whenever we can, but our extensive litigation experience means we’re ready to fight for you in court if necessary. Call now or complete our contact form for a confidential consultation about your St. Peter case.
Our attorneys help clients deal with the emotional and legal challenges of divorce, child custody, parenting time, child support, spousal maintenance, property division, and more. Whether you’re going through a major life change or trying to resolve a dispute, we can guide you every step of the way.
In many cases, we work to settle matters outside the courtroom through negotiation or mediation. These approaches can save time, reduce conflict with your spouse, and give you more control over the outcome. But if a fair agreement isn’t possible, we’re fully prepared to represent you in court and protect your interests before a judge. We can present evidence, question witnesses, counter the other side’s arguments, and make your case clearly and effectively.
We understand that every family in St. Peter is different, so we’ll take the time to get to know your goals and tailor our approach to your situation. Our priority is to help you reach your desired outcome as painlessly as possible.
Handling a family law case without legal help can cost you dearly. You might miss important filing deadlines, fail to include necessary information in your paperwork, or agree to terms that don’t protect your rights or your children’s best interests.
It’s also easy to misunderstand what the law requires if you don’t have legal guidance. Judges expect both sides to follow proper procedures, even if one person doesn’t have an attorney. Any errors you make could delay your case or lead to an unfavorable ruling.
Finally, one wrong move can have long-term consequences in high-stakes matters involving child custody, property division, or support payments. Without professional representation, you may walk away with less time with your children, an unfair financial agreement, or court orders that are (typically) difficult to change later.
Our firm represents clients in St. Peter and Le Sueur County in many family law cases, including:
A divorce affects your finances, family relationships, and long-term stability. To end a marriage in Minnesota, one spouse must petition the court and have a copy of the petition served on the other spouse. The couple must address issues like custody, support, and property division before the courts will issue a divorce order.
Both spouses must disclose all income, assets, debts, and property as part of the divorce process to make sure the proceedings are fair. If the spouses can reach an agreement without a trial, the court will review and approve the agreement they’ve made (assuming it meets the necessary legal standards). Otherwise, the judge will decide issues like custody and alimony in a trial.
When married parents separate, they must decide how to share responsibility for their children. In Minnesota, child custody includes legal custody (decision-making authority) and physical custody (where the child lives). Courts prefer that both parents share these duties, but only if that arrangement is in the child’s best interests.
Judges look at many factors to decide what’s best for the child, including each parent’s relationship with the child, their ability to care for the child, and how well they can cooperate. The court may also consider the child’s preferences if they’re mature enough.
Child support ensures children have the financial resources they need after their parents separate. Minnesota uses an income shares model, which means both parents contribute based on their earnings. The court considers each parent’s gross income, the number of children, and the amount of parenting time they have to determine each parent’s support amount.
Child support payments usually go toward a child’s housing, food, clothing, medical expenses, and basic educational costs. If a child has special needs, the court may adjust support payments to meet those additional expenses.
Minnesota is an equitable distribution state, meaning couples getting divorced must split their shared marital property fairly, though not necessarily evenly. Marital property generally includes anything acquired during the marriage, such as the family home in St. Peter, both spouses’ incomes, other real estate, vehicles, and retirement accounts. Separate property (assets an individual spouse owned before the marriage or received as a gift or inheritance) goes entirely to the spouse who owns it.
To divide a couple’s marital property, the court looks at each spouse’s contributions to the marriage, their financial needs, and how long the marriage lasted. Misconduct (such as infidelity) doesn’t affect how couples must divide their property, but hiding assets or spending marital funds irresponsibly might.
Alimony (called “spousal maintenance” in Minnesota) is financial support that one spouse pays the other after a divorce. It may be temporary or permanent, depending on the length of the marriage and each person’s financial situation.
When making alimony decisions, courts consider whether one spouse needs support and the other can afford to pay. Relevant factors include each spouse’s income, job skills, education, age, health, and standard of living during the marriage.
Long-term maintenance is more likely in cases where one spouse stayed home to care for children or has limited earning potential. Modifying maintenance payments later is possible if either party’s financial situation changes significantly.
Guardianship arrangements allow someone to make legal decisions for a minor child or adult who cannot care for themselves due to age, illness, or disability. The guardian is responsible for decisions about the person’s health care, education, living arrangements, and daily needs. Minnesota courts carefully review guardianship petitions to ensure the arrangement is necessary and in the person’s best interests. Guardians must also report to the court regularly and act in good faith at all times.
Adoption gives a child a permanent legal parent. Minnesota has several types of adoption, including stepparent, agency, private, and relative adoptions.
All adoptions require a background check, a home study, and court approval. Before approving an adoption, the court must determine whether it will provide the child with a safe, stable, and loving home.
Consent from the biological parents is usually required unless the courts have already terminated their parental rights. Once finalized, adoptive parents have the same legal rights and responsibilities as birth parents.
Trust Jaspers, Moriarty & Wetherille, P.A., to protect your interests when your family’s future is at stake. Call now or complete our contact form for a confidential consultation about how we can help with your case in St. Peter.
