Don't pick the first firm you see in your local telephone book, and try not to pick one from an online listing unless you do a bit of research first. Most of what you need to know can be found by visiting the websites pertaining to the Minnesota State Bar Association, or the local or County Bar Association. Your divorce is personal and important and you want the most competent lawyer you can possibly find and afford to handle your case, so choose the MN Divorce Law Firm that has the best qualifications. Your financial future and that of any children you have is the most important thing to consider at this time. Bring all this to the table when you have your initial consultation with the lawyer you have chosen to represent your interests. He or she will need any and all information you are able to provide so that they will be able to proceed with you case.

Make sure your MN Divorce Law Firm has a complete list of any assets owned by you and your spouse. This also includes any future retirement benefits, any pension plans, IRA's, 401k plans, insurances, and savings accounts, as well as any tangible assets that may be sold for cash. All of this is necessary and important information if you are going to be able to secure your financial future. Your spouse will have hired his or her own lawyer who will also be working to secure the same benefits for him or her, and hopefully the two lawyers will be able to work out a settlement you can both agree on. This often takes considerable time, and much conflict if the two parties cannot agree on who will get what.

Many times the whole case will end up going into litigation if a settlement cannot be reached. This means that you will have to go to court, your lawyer will present your case, and a judge will make the final decision as to how the assets will be divided. The lawyers at the MN Divorce Law Firm you have hired are skilled negotiators who are familiar with litigation procedures and will work diligently to ensure that they secure the best for you.

If possible, just for the sake of time alone, it is best to try to arrive at an agreeable settlement between you and your spouse, especially if there are children in the picture. Knowing that their parents are not going to be together and the family life will be disrupted is traumatic enough, and seeing the parents battling it out in court is just another added worry to a young child. Your MN Divorce Law Firm will do their best to see that a court appearance does not happen if at all possible.