Conflict Resolution - Dedicated to the practice of Family Law

Role of a Parenting Consultant

A Parenting Consultant (PC) has similar functions as a Parenting Time Expeditor (which we discussed in a previous post). Parenting Consultants however, are not authorized by Minnesota Statute and are created solely on the basis of a contract. Since there is no statutory authority for appointment of a parenting consultant, you cannot be court ordered to have one assigned to your case. Parenting consultants can only be court ordered by the agreement of both parties.

Since a parenting consultant is created by contract, they essentially can be appointed for whatever purpose that they are needed for. Often time a parenting consultant is appointed with the same enumerated powers that a parenting time expeditor has but in addition they are granted the authority to make permanent schedule changes. One situation where having a parenting consultant in place to increase or decrease parenting time could be where a parent has issues with chemical dependency. A parenting consultant can assist the parties in monitoring sobriety and increase parenting time if sobriety continues, or decrease time if there is a relapse. Another example where a parenting consultant that has authority to increase time can be beneficial is with young children. Parents may agree that a limited parenting time schedule is appropriate when their child is an infant. However, a schedule for a 3 month old baby is not appropriate once the child gets older. A parenting consultant can assist parents in increasing parenting time if they do not agree.

Parenting consultants may also be given the authority to decide legal custody decisions when joint legal custodians cannot agree. This can be helpful if you are struggling with school choice for your children, or if you cannot agree on whether or not your child needs to get braces. A parenting consultant may also be of value in deciding which extra-curricular activities that children participate in, and who pays for them.

Even though the issues decided by parenting consultants could be simply brought before the court in a motion, there are many advantage of using a parenting consultant versus going through the traditional court route. Depending on the county that your case is venued in, motion hearing dates could be booked out as much as three months. Even when you do get to your hearing date, your judicial officer statutorily has 90 days before they have to issue a decision. You could be waiting more than 6 months to get your dispute resolved. Judicial officers are limited in the amount of evidence that they can consider. They can’t simply call up witnesses, teachers, or counselors and talk to them on the telephone whereas a parenting consultant can.

If you think that your case would benefit from having a parenting consultant, contact our office for a consultation with one of our experienced family law attorneys. We have drafted many parenting consultant contracts and can assist you in choosing what authority to grant the parenting consultant. Our attorneys also have the experience necessary to recommend the right parenting consultant for your case.

Definition of a Karon Wavier & Nice-Petersen Standard

In addition to the endless acronyms, some of which we have provided a key for in a previous blog post, you may hear your family law attorney use other terms which leave you scratching your head. Sometimes these terms are actually names of previous court cases which have been heard by the appellate courts and changed the law in a particular area.

For instance, in a case involving spousal maintenance, your attorney may mention a “Karon waiver.” This means that, based on a 1989 case that went to the Minnesota Supreme Court, i.e. Karon v. Karon, language can be put into your divorce decree which divests the court of jurisdiction to ever address the issue of spousal maintenance again. Therefore, if you agree that there will be no spousal maintenance and you also have a Karon waiver, then neither spouse can ever come back to the court and ask for spousal maintenance in the future. Likewise, if you agree to spousal maintenance of $500 per month for 5 years, then neither spouse can ask for the time period to be lengthened or shortened or for the amount to be raised or lowered. You get what you agreed to and that’s it. Period.

In a case involving a request to modify child custody, your attorney may discuss the “Nice-Petersen standard.” This standard was established in a 1981 case, Nice-Petersen v. Nice-Petersen, that went to the Minnesota Supreme Court and determined the threshold for obtaining an evidentiary hearing in a child custody modification proceeding is that the moving party must present sufficient evidence in affidavits, which the court must presume are true, to show that endangerment of the child has occurred. If the moving party meets this standard, they are entitled to an evidentiary hearing, or trial, on the issue.

Our family law attorneys are well-informed on the current status of the key precedential cases in all areas of family law and will be able to advise you accordingly as to how they may apply to the particular facts in your case. Please contact our firm today .

A Parenting Time Expeditor (PTE)

A Parenting Time Expeditor (PTE) may be appointed to your case to deal with disputes over interpretation of your court order. The parenting time expeditor was created by the legislature and has been authorized by Minnesota Statute §518.1751. Since the parenting time expeditor is authorized by Minnesota Statute, you can have a PTE appointed to your case by either agreement or the court can appoint one to your case.

The function of the PTE is to resolve parenting time disputes. They do this by reviewing the existing court order and then making a determination as to what the court order states or if the order is silent regarding the matter, they make the decision. For example, your court order may state that each party has one week of vacation time with the children. The other parent wants to take a week of vacation from Monday through Sunday following their weekend parenting time. This would give that parent a 10 day vacation not one 7 day week vacation. It also may cause one parent to not see the children for a significant period of time. This dispute could be submitted to a PTE to make the decision as to whether the court order allows for 7 day weeks or 10 day weeks. If the order is silent, the PTE will then issue an order stating what the vacation terms are.

Parenting time expeditors can also be used to make determinations regarding whether or not the court order has been violated. An example of this situation might be if your court order stated that you were supposed to have the children for the 4th of July holiday but the other parent took the children on vacation that week and did not let you have your holiday time. Or if the children’s other parent simply told you that you couldn’t have the children a particular weekend because they had something else planned. The PTE would have the authority to decide if the parenting time had been wrongfully withheld and if so, they would have the authority to grant compensatory parenting time, or to give you the 4th of July holiday the following year.

Parenting time expeditors are also helpful to have assigned to your case to deal with unexpected situations. PTE’s do not have the authority to change your parenting time schedule outright, but they do have the authority to authorize additional parenting time on a case by case basis. An example of this situation may be that your parents want to take your entire family on a Disney cruise during spring break. Your court order may not address spring break as a holiday, or may not allow you to take your vacation time with the children for any months other than the summer months. The PTE would be authorized to allow you to take the children for additional parenting time if the circumstances merit it.

If you think that your case would benefit from having a parenting time expeditor appointed, contact our office for a consultation with one of our experienced family law attorneys. We have successfully handled many contested motions for appointment of a parenting time expeditor. Our attorneys also have the experience necessary to recommend the right parenting time expeditor for your case.

Part. 2: Common Acronyms In A Family Law Case

Throughout the course of your Minnesota family law proceeding, you are likely to hear quite a few acronyms used by your family law attorney and by the Court. Below is a key for Part. 2 of common acronyms you could come across in your family law case.

ADR: Alternative Dispute Resolution. This is a general term for methods of resolving cases outside of the courtroom. ENEs, as well as mediation and arbitration, are forms of ADR. Our Minnesota family law attorneys can discuss with you which method might be best for your case.

J&D: Judgment and Decree. This is what we are trying to get to, in most cases. This is the final order of the court in your case. A Stipulated J&D is one that is agreed upon between the parties.

QDRO: Qualified Domestic Relations Order. This is an order which would come after your J&D which divides retirement assets. If one spouse is awarded some or all of a retirement asset in the other party’s name, the QDRO tells the plan administrator for the company through which the asset is held to whom and how much of the asset to transfer.

OFP: Order for Protection. This is a no contact order involving family or household members where domestic abuse has been alleged to have been committed by one party against the other party or a child on whose behalf the protective order is being sought. If you are served with an OFP, please contact one of our Minnesota family lawyers immediately to discuss your options.

ROP: Recognition of Parentage. This is a document, often signed at the hospital soon after the birth of a child born to unwed parents, in which both parties recognize that the male signing the document is the father of the child. This document says that they acknowledge the father-child relationship without the need for paternity testing. However, this document does not give the father any custody or parenting time rights. In order to establish those rights, an action must be commenced in district court in the county where the mother or the child resides. Please contact one of our attorneys to discuss how to start an action for child custody in Minnesota.

As always, if you have questions about any of the above acronyms, please call us to set up your consultation.

Part. 1: Common Acronyms In A Family Law Case

Throughout the course of your Minnesota family law proceeding, you are likely to hear quite a few acronyms used by your family law attorney and by the Court. Below is a key for some of these acronyms:

ICMC: Initial Case Management Conference. This is the first acronym you are likely to hear because it’s often the first step after the case has been filed with the court. An ICMC is a chance to meet the judicial officer assigned to your case and discuss resources that might be available to you for resolving your case without proceeding to litigation. There are no arguments made or decisions issued at an ICMC. Depending on the judge, he or she may not even wear a robe or sit on the bench. There’s no court reporter taking anything down, unless you have agreements which you would like to formalize on the record.

ENE: Early Neutral Evaluation. This is one of the resources available mentioned above that will be discussed at your ICMC. It’s “early” because it’s often right after the ICMC so before the case has really headed too far down the litigation track. It’s “neutral” because it involves someone who doesn’t know anything about your family. It’s an “evaluation” because, unlike a traditional mediation, the neutral(s) involved will give you an opinion about what they think after hearing some facts from you and the other party about your case.

FENE: Financial Early Neutral Evaluation. Typically only in Minnesota divorce cases, an ENE as described above which involves financial issues such as division of assets and liabilities and cash flow issues like spousal maintenance and child support. An FENE just involves one neutral, usually an attorney or an accountant. After providing the evaluator with information regarding your assets, liabilities, income, and expenses, the evaluator will then explain to you, based on their family court experience, what they think a likely outcome is for your case and see if they can help you and your spouse reach an agreement on the financial issues in your case.

SENE/CPENE: Social Early Neutral Evaluation/Custody and Parenting Time Early Neutral Evaluation. An SENE as described above which involves issues related to the children, included legal custody, physical custody, and parenting time schedules. In order to ensure no gender bias, this process involves two neutrals, one male and one female, typically family law attorneys, social workers, or psychologists. You will have the opportunity to tell the evaluators about the history of your relationship with the other parent, your relationship with your children, what you are asking for as an outcome in your case, and any concerns you have about the other parent. You will also have the opportunity to hear the other parent tell the evaluators the same information from their perspective. After hearing about the issues from both parties, the evaluators will confer and then give you recommendations on their opinion(s) as to likely outcomes in your case. After hearing their recommendations, they will help you and the other parent try to reach an agreement which is in your children’s best interests.

As always, if you have questions about any of the above acronyms, please call us to set up your consultation.

Make sure to check back for Part. 2 of Common Acronyms In A Family Law Case

What is an Initial Case Management Conference (ICMC) Anyway?

Unless you’ve been on jury duty or gone to court to fight a traffic ticket, you’re probably one of the majority of Minnesotans who’ve never had any contact with the courts, the court process, or even seen the inside of a courtroom. So when your Minnesota Family Law attorney tells you there is an ICMC scheduled in your case, it’s likely you’re also one of the many who start getting nervous. After all, it’s natural to be apprehensive of the unknown.

Well, the first thing you need to know is that an Initial Case Management Conference (ICMC) is nothing to be worried or stressed out about. When you begin a family law case dealing with divorce, child custody, parenting time or paternity, it’s common for the judicial officer assigned to your case to begin with an ICMC. But, what exactly is an ICMC?

We will tell you it’s an informal meet-and-greet road-mapping session with the judge or referee assigned to your case. It’s a way for the judicial officer to get to know a little bit about the parties in the case, look over what’s being requested, and make the parties aware of various methods of alternative dispute resolution from which they can select to reach resolution of the case.

If you have a family law matter and would like representation to guide you through the process, contact us.

Meeting to Discuss the Parenting Plan

We’ve talked about the importance of creating a parenting plan, and how the individual ages of your children will play a significant role in that plan. As you prepare to have that meeting with the other parent, here are a few tips to make it a successful one.
Pick a Location
Choose a place to meet the other parent that is neutral for both parties and quiet enough to concentrate on the matter at hand. This should be a safe place where both of you can discuss the necessary topics without feeling threatened or oppressed.

Set Expectations for Duration
Set realistic expectations ahead of time for how long the meeting will take. Be sure to give yourselves enough time to accomplish your goals, but don’t spend so much time at once that you’re tempted to become frustrated or exhausted. If necessary, plan for two shorter meetings instead of one long, grueling one.

Prepare to Listen and be Respectful
Arrive at the meeting ready to genuinely listen to each other. If all you’ve planned for is talking, that may be all you do. Know in advance that the meeting will work best if each party makes conscious effort to listen quietly for part of the time. In addition to listening, prepare yourself to speak respectfully to the other parent.

Be Ready to Admit When You’re Wrong
Mistakes happen, and your meeting is likely no exception. Being mature enough to apologize when those mistakes are made, or when the wrong thing slips out, will show the other parent that you’re taking this seriously.

Stay Focused
It might help to periodically remind yourself why you’re at this meeting. You’re creating a parenting plan for your kids. Focus on your children at every step, and keep the meeting concentrated on what’s ultimately best for them. To that end, be specific at all times, and don’t assume the other parent knows exactly what you mean.

Relax
If you go into the meeting tense, angry, or nervous, there’s a good chance it will be both ineffective and unpleasant for you both. If it helps, agree on a good breaking point to stand up, drink some water, and take a few deep breaths. You can control yourself, and staying relaxed makes it much easier.

Know When to End the Meeting
If either party is having difficulty with any of these, or if tensions simply run too high, acknowledge it openly, and agree to give it another try when you’re both more up to the challenge. It will help if you’re determined to make this meeting work, but not if your determination supersedes your judgment or ability to reason.

Consider these tips, brought to you by our divorce attorneys , and remind yourself what’s most important–not just for the parenting plan, but for your children in the long term. We’re here to help; if you have questions, or are interested in learning more about our services, please let us know.