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.