Child custody is one of the most contested areas of divorce. According to Minnesota law, the best interests of the child should be used in deciding child custody. But very often, the parents don't agree on who should have custody to meet the child's best interests.
If we have two reasonable people who disagree about parenting, we will propose mediation to resolve child custody. Reaching a settlement with your spouse out of court will save you the high cost of a full-fledged custody fight. An option to joint custody in Minnesota is to develop a parenting plan. We can help you develop a parenting plan that will detail each parent's role in how to raise the child without the stigmatizing language of a custody agreement. Parenting plans are a more cooperative way to raise children and work well if the parents are mature enough to work together.
If there is a bad history with the other parent such as abuse or if the custody issue can't be resolved between the parents, we will tell you what your options are, what you'll have to do, and what it will cost to fight for your child's custody in court. Since July of 2003, the State of Minnesota isn't required to pay counties to do custody evaluations any more, so you may have to pay for your own custody evaluation. Some counties will only do custody evaluations after mediation, unless domestic violence is involved.
If we represent you in a custody dispute, we will need to find out background information about your family, such as whether your kids have any disabilities, whether there is a history of domestic violence or substance abuse that could affect a person's ability to parent the kids. Then we will formulate a strategy to help you win custody based on what we think the issues are in a case.
We have a long history of vigorously fighting for our client's parenting rights. Mr. Lee is also an experienced family law mediator / expediter. His broad experience has taught him when to be a tough litigator and when to be a collaborative, problem-solving counselor. It is important to remember that custody cases aren't to be treated like contract cases, or some other area of civil law, and the way the legal strategy is charted by the divorce attorney and the client has a direct impact on the children.
Free initial consultation
Evening & Weekend Appointments are Available
Call (651) 631-1106
Please feel free to contact us by telephone or email with any of your family law questions or concerns. We offer a free initial consultation as well as flexible appointments to meet your busy schedule.
Bashiri & Lee, PA.
2589 Hamline Avenue North, Suite B
Roseville, MN 55113
(651) 631-1106 phone
(651) 697-9434 fax
Located in Roseville and proudly serving the entire Twin Cities metro area including the counties of Anoka, Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota and Washington and the cities of North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale, White Bear Lake, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Vadnais Heights, East St. Paul, South St. Paul, West St. Paul, St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Anthony, Lakeland, and Woodbury.
The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.
Copyright © 2008 by Bashiri & Lee, PA. All rights reserved. You may reproduce materials available at this site for your own personal use and for non-commercial distribution. All copies must include this copyright statement.