Terzich & Ort, LLP

At Terzich & Ort, LLP, in Maple Grove, our attorneys bring years of experience to men and women throughout the 13-county area in and around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Both of our lawyers have been named as “Rising Stars” multiple times by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine. Attorney Jodi M. Terzich has also been designated by the publication as a Minnesota “Super Lawyer” for 2009. We place a high priority on personal attention, providing prompt and courteous service at reasonable rates. Contact our office or call us at 763-391-7354 to arrange a meeting. We work with men and women at all stages of a divorce, from the choice to file through negotiation, mediation or trial to post-judgment requests for modification or enforcement of existing orders. We handle all matters related to or arising out of a contested or uncontested divorce, including: - Child custody and visitation. We will protect your parental rights as we help you develop an effective child custody plan. As part of this process, we can help you evaluate the unique needs of your child, such as medical conditions or educational opportunities, to make a customized parenting plan. - Child support. Our team can review your child support proposal to make sure that it complies with Minnesota law. We also work to ensure that we consider all financial matters in your case to get an accurate account of income and needs. - Alimony or spousal support. If spousal maintenance is a possibility in your case, we will advocate for you. Our team can assess all details, including the payment amount and schedule, to keep the arrangement fair for you. - The division of marital property. Divorce can impact your shared assets, including real estate, bank accounts, retirement funds and business investments. We create comprehensive strategies to protect your assets both during the divorce process and long into your future. - The modification or enforcement of divorce judgments. When you need to modify or enforce an existing order, you can count on our lawyers for full service. - Domestic violence protection. Our team represents clients in domestic violence issues and helps them seek orders for protection whenever necessary. - Divorce mediation. Our lawyers can handle cases through mediation or act as mediators in a divorce. Because Minnesota is a no-fault state, except in very limited circumstances, it will not matter whether you or your spouse engaged in wrongful conduct. Additionally, there is no waiting period; it is final as soon as the judge signs the divorce decree. To set up an appointment, call our office at 763-391-7354 or send us an email. We are available weekdays during traditional business hours, and evening appointments can be arranged as necessary. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

In Minnesota, you can file for an Order for Protection (OFP) if you or your minor child has been the victim of domestic violence, or you may find it necessary to defend if you have been wrongly accused of domestic abuse. Essentially, paper work is completed that tells your story. A judge will review the paperwork and determine if the facts justify an immediate ex parte order. If so, a hearing will be set, during which witnesses may testify. The court will make a determination if an order should be granted. A domestic abuse attorney can help you in pursuing an OFP. Call the lawyers at Terzich & Ort, LLP, to discuss your situation at 763-391-7354. If the order is granted, it may offer certain protections, including: - Restrain the parties from having any contact with each other which can include no contact in person, by telephone, letter or through a third party. - Grant possession of a home to one of the parties. - Establish temporary custody and parenting time. - Grant temporary child support or spousal maintenance to one of the parties. - Order one or both of the parties to participate in counseling or therapy. - Award temporary possession of personal property. - Order a party that the court believes has committed domestic abuse to compensate the victim for medical bills and/or lost income as a result of injuries sustained. Whether or not a judge orders any, or all of the above, depends on the facts of your Minnesota domestic violence case. If you are a victim or have been accused of abuse, contact our Maple Grove offices for more information. You can call us at 763-391-7354. You can also email our office to make an appointment. You will find links to court forms that you may need at the Minnesota Courts website: www.courts.state.mn.us/.

When you are involved in a disagreement over the paternity of a minor child, you want an experienced lawyer to protect your interests. Without proper legal guidance, you may unwittingly relinquish your rights or make it far more difficult to get the outcome you seek. At the law office of Terzich & Ort, LLP, we bring years of experience to men and women involved in paternity disagreements. Both of our lawyers have been designated “Rising Stars” by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine (each having earned this designation every year since 2006), and attorney Jodi M. Terzich was named a 2009 “Super Lawyer” by the publication. We built our reputation through a commitment to personal service and attention, providing prompt and courteous service, and high-quality legal representation at reasonable rates. Call our Maple Grove office at 763-391-7354 to set up a consultation. A paternity action is designed to establish a legal determination of fatherhood in situations where the purported parents of a child have never been married. Either parent can allege or deny paternity. A parent who has signed recognition of parentage (ROP) may proceed to a custody action, a visitation action, or a child support action. If no ROP has been signed, the parent seeking paternity and the parental rights that come with it (support or visitation) must file a court action to establish paternity. At Terzich & Ort, LLP, we will handle all matters related to a paternity action, preparing and filing any documents required by the court and acting as your advocate in all meetings or hearings in the district court. If paternity is contested, we will help you through the process of submitting to DNA testing. You can submit voluntarily to DNA testing, or the court will mandate testing, if necessary. More information about DNA testing can be found at the Memorial Blood Center Website. Once paternity is established, the parents have a right to seek an order from the court establishing child support, creating visitation rights and determining custody. In these circumstances, we will work with you to establish custody and parenting schedules that are in the best interests of your minor child and that fully protect your rights as a parent. We will also review any proposed child support order for compliance with Minnesota guidelines and to verify that all relevant income is included in the calculation. To schedule an appointment, contact us or call us at 763-391-7354. You can also email us to make your appointment. We maintain traditional office hours and are available to meet with clients evenings, if the need arises. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Divorce mediation is the process of discussing and coming to a written agreement on issues concerning your children, finances and property as part of the divorce. The discussions are with a professional mediator acting as a facilitator. That facilitator is carefully selected by the attorneys so that they have the correct skill set and training to assist and meaningfully facilitate the conversations. At the law office of Terzich & Ort, LLP, in Maple Grove, we are family law lawyers who have extensive experience with the mediation process. We strive to help clients understand the benefits of mediation and how it can help them reach a faster, more cooperative resolution to their Minnesota divorce, child custody dispute and other family law issues. To discuss mediation as an option for your divorce, call us at 763-391-7354. How Does Mediation Work? During family law mediation, both members of the divorcing couple participate. Parties can attend with attorneys present or on their own. Attorney representation can allow you to ask questions and get an insightful perspective before agreeing to terms with the other party. Most sessions last a few hours, and many divorce settlements are reached after just a few sessions. Mediators do not make decisions, provide therapy, provide legal representation or perform legal services for divorcing people, but they do devote their energy to helping parties obtain agreements. The attorney’s role is to make sure that the agreement reached is in their client’s best interests and to make sure the client understands the ramifications of the agreement. If a settlement is reached, the attorneys draft the papers that will be presented to the court that formalizes the agreements reached. Who Qualifies To Be An Early Neutral Evaluator? In order to be an evaluator in the financial early neutral evaluation (FENE) and social early neutral evaluation (SENE) processes, one must be a certified mediator. Our attorneys have the proper certifications to not only act as neutral mediators but also to handle FENE and SENE matters.

Do You Need Help Modifying Or Enforcing Support And Custody Orders? If you have an existing Minnesota court order, but you have had a significant change in circumstances, making your existing child custody or child support order unfair or unmanageable, you can file a request with the court to modify the terms of your decree. At Terzich & Ort, LLP, we are dedicated to providing prompt and courteous service, and outstanding representation at reasonable rates. Call us in the Twin Cities at 763-391-7354 to set up an appointment for a consultation. How Can I Make My Kids’ Father Pay Child Support? If the other party has failed to abide by the terms of a custody or support order, you can seek to use the power of the court to enforce compliance. You want an experienced attorney to protect your interests, one who knows and understands the law and who has successfully helped others in similar situations. Legal Services You Need The experienced divorce attorneys at Terzich & Ort, LLP, can answer your questions and give sound legal advice about divorce modifications and enforcement services. We represent individuals in modification proceedings involving a wide range of circumstances, including: How to get child support Presenting motions for modification or enforcement of custody, parenting time, child support Motions for spousal maintenance/alimony orders Preparing and filing all documentation required by the court Appearing on your behalf at all hearings or court proceedings Relocation requests by custodial parents, for work or other reasons Requests for changes in parenting schedules due to job shift changes, health issues or the needs of the child Custody or parenting time changes requested by the minor child Modifications to support obligations stemming from job loss or change We will represent either party in these matters, whether you seek to modify or enforce an order or to contest a modification or enforcement attempt. We will also protect your interests in contempt proceedings to enforce your rights under the court order. Legal Experience To Work On Your Case At the law office of Terzich & Ort, LLP, we represent men and women throughout the 13-county metropolitan area surrounding Minneapolis-St. Paul, representing either side in post-judgment requests for modification or enforcement of existing divorce decrees. Though we are a new firm, our attorneys have extensive experience successfully handling family law matters. Jodi M. Terzich and Shannon L. Ort have both been identified as “Rising Stars” multiple times by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine, and attorney Terzich has been designated a “Super Lawyer” for 2009.

A Creative Approach To Division Of Marital Property At the law office of Terzich & Ort, LLP, our lawyers work with men and women throughout the 13-county metropolitan area surrounding Minneapolis-St. Paul, helping them equitably divide their marital debts and assets. Though we recently formed this practice, we both bring extensive family law experience to our clients. Minnesota Law & Politics magazine has named both our partners as “Rising Stars” in the legal community every year since 2006, and attorney Jodi M. Terzich has been recognized as a Minnesota “Super Lawyer” for 2009. We built our reputation by offering prompt and courteous service at reasonable rates. To set up an appointment, contact our office or call us at 763-391-7354. What Is Equitable Division? Under Minnesota law, the property and debt that make up a marital estate must be divided equitably between a husband and wife upon dissolution of a marriage. This does not mean that the division must be equal, though often that is the fairest way to divide the debts and assets of a marriage. At Terzich & Ort, LLP, we will help you work out an agreement for the equitable distribution of the assets and obligations of your marriage, including real and personal property, bank accounts and investments, retirement funds, and business assets. As your property settlement attorney, we will carefully examine all the property you own, so that we can determine whether any of it is nonmarital property (which is excluded from the marital estate and not subject to division). Examples of nonmarital property include: Gifts or inheritances you received before or during the marriage Any property that you brought into or acquired before the marriage Any property acquired after valuation of the marital estate for purposes of the divorce Any property subject to a valid prenuptial agreement We will help you trace nonmarital property, determining when it was acquired and what its current value is. Visit our marital property FAQ page to learn more. At Terzich & Ort, LLP, we command extensive skill and experience handling the division of marital property in Minnesota. We have handled many complex property settlements and have a comprehensive understanding of the strategies available to successfully resolve these issues as well as tracing assets. Our goal is to serve as the diligent property settlement attorney you need to protect your financial future.