When children are involved in a divorce or separation, the stakes could not be higher. Custody and parenting time arrangements will shape your child's daily life and your relationship with them for years to come. Having an experienced child custody attorney in St. Paul in your corner ensures your voice is heard and your child's best interests are protected.

Lauren Pevehouse Law provides skilled, compassionate legal representation for parents navigating custody, parenting time, and child support disputes in St. Paul, Ramsey County, and throughout the Twin Cities. Attorney Lauren Pevehouse brings both legal knowledge and genuine empathy to every custody matter she handles.

Understanding Child Custody in Minnesota

Minnesota law recognizes two types of custody:

  • Legal Custody refers to the right to make major decisions about a child's education, health care, and religious upbringing. Courts generally favor joint legal custody, meaning both parents share in these decisions, unless there is a reason to award one parent sole legal custody.

  • Physical Custody refers to where the child primarily lives. Joint physical custody means the child spends significant time with both parents. Sole physical custody means the child primarily resides with one parent, with the other having parenting time (visitation).

Best Interests of the Child

Minnesota courts determine custody arrangements based on the "best interests of the child" standard, considering factors such as:

  • Each parent's ability to provide a stable, loving home

  • The child's relationship with each parent

  • The child's adjustment to home, school, and community

  • Each parent's willingness to support the child's relationship with the other parent

  • Any history of domestic abuse or neglect

  • The child's own preferences (depending on age and maturity)

Even when one parent has primary physical custody, the other parent is generally entitled to reasonable parenting time — what other states call "visitation." Lauren Pevehouse Law helps parents negotiate and formalize parenting time schedules that work for their family's real-life circumstances, including:

  • Standard parenting time schedules

  • Holiday and vacation schedules

  • Schedules for parents with non-traditional work hours

  • Long-distance parenting time arrangements

How can Lauren Pevehouse Law help?

Modifying an Existing Order

Life changes. If there has been a significant change in circumstances since your custody order was entered — such as a parental relocation, a change in the child's needs, or a parent's inability to follow the existing schedule — you may be able to request a modification. We guide clients through the process of modifying existing orders in Ramsey County and surrounding courts.

Child Support in Minnesota

Child support in Minnesota is calculated using a statutory formula based on each parent's income, the number of overnights each parent has with the child, and certain expenses such as health insurance and childcare costs. Lauren Pevehouse Law helps clients understand how child support is calculated, ensures income is accurately represented, and advocates for a fair support order.

When Parents Cannot Agree: Contested Custody

When parents cannot reach an agreement on custody and parenting time, the court may order a custody study or social investigation, and the case may proceed to a hearing. Lauren Pevehouse Law provides strong courtroom advocacy when negotiations break down, always keeping the child's best interests as the guiding principle.

Speak With a Child Custody Attorney

We represent clients in custody matters throughout Ramsey County, including in St. Paul, Maplewood, Roseville, Little Canada, North St. Paul, and Shoreview. We also serve clients in Washington County, Dakota County, and throughout the Twin Cities metro.

Whether you are going through a divorce, navigating a custody dispute as an unmarried parent, or seeking to modify an existing order, Lauren Pevehouse Law is here to help.

Call 651-800-1030 or schedule online to set up a confidential 30-minute consultation with Lauren Pevehouse.

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