Top Best Family Lawyers | 21033 Available

Susan M. Holt graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. CloudStateUniversity in St. Cloud, Minnesota in 1996. She completed her law school education at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she received her law degree in 1999.  Susan received the “CALI EXCELLENCE FOR THE FUTURE AWARD” from WilliamMitchellCollege of law in 1998 for receiving top honors for the highest score in Lawyering Skills class and the “CALI EXCELLENCE FOR THE FUTURE AWARD” again in 1999 for receiving top honors for the highest score in Creditor/Debtor class.  Susan currently has her own law firm in Litchfield, Minnesota and practices in a variety of areas with an emphasis in family law.  Susan has taught classes in family law at the MinnesotaSchool of business.   She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers, the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce and she is also very involved with her family and her community.

Anne is one of the premier family law attorneys in Minnesota. She has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® and has been selected as a "Super Lawyer" in Minnesota Law and Politics every year since 2003. She has also been chosen as a TOP 100 Attorney and as a Top 3 Family Law Super Lawyer in 2007.. With over 28 years' experience practicing exclusively in the area of family law, Anne is known for her professionalism, meticulous personal case management, thorough preparation and exceptional knowledge of the law. Most notably, Anne is a dedicated advocate for her clients and is recognized for her expertise in dealing with the many complex issues of family law including finances, business, property and asset valuation, non-marital property and spousal maintenance.. Anne is Board Certified in Family Law Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA).. Her personal interests include biking, marathon running, traveling and golf.

Kendal O’Keefe is a partner with Chestnut Cambronne. She focuses her practice exclusively on family law, including divorce, child custody, interstate and international divorce and child custody matters, paternity, asset and debt division, spousal maintenance, child support, domestic abuse (including Orders for Protection) and Harassment Restraining Orders. Kendal is also a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral and offers mediation services in addition to her litigation practice.. Kendal has been named a Minnesota Rising Star by Super Lawyers for several years. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where she teaches Advanced Family Law. She has been invited to speak on a number of topics, including International Service of Process, Interstate and International Child Custody, and Establishing Child Support, among others. Kendal also serves as co-editor of Minnesota CLE’s Divorce Practice Deskbook, a resource for family law practitioners across the state. In addition, Kendal serves as a board member for the Family Law League, a local non-profit organization focused on professional development and promoting collegiality among family law professionals. Kendal’s interest in and passion for helping families developed during law school when she began volunteering for Tubman, a family violence prevention organization. Kendal has continued her involvement with Tubman and regularly volunteers her time to Tubman’s legal clinics for self-represented litigants.. Outside of her law practice, Kendal enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, stand-up comedy, and is a voracious reader.

Helping People Through Life's Transitions - A Family Law practitioner for over thirty-three (33) years, I am passionate about working with families through difficult life transitions. From simple, straightforward divorces, to complex custody and financial litigation, I know that my clients need support and direction on the best steps to take moving forward. My preference is to resolve cases through negotiation and settlement because I believe that families ultimately succeed best if they direct their own future. For those who cannot reach resolution on their own, I am a strong advocate familiar with and experienced in the formal trial process.. A 1988 cum laude graduate of William Mitchell College of Law, I have been named a Super Lawyer since 2002 and a Best Lawyer since 2021.  Our firm was named a Best Law Firm in 2022.  I am a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral mediator, including work in evaluative and Child-Inclusive mediation. I am also trained as a Parenting Consultant, a Parenting Time Expeditor, a personal property arbitrator, and a pet consultant and mediator. Working with the local courts, I am a Financial Early Neutral (FENE) and Social Early Neutral (ENE) evaluator privately and for Anoka, Hennepin, Ramsey, Sherburne, Wright, and Washington counties. A founding member of the Cooperative Practice Network of Minnesota, I continue to serve on its Executive Committee as emeritus, and participate in and have been a speaker at its monthly luncheons.. Helping people through life's transitions in a respectful and self-guided manner is the goal my firm strives for with each client.

In difficult times of transition, like those facing many family law clients, I work to help my clients make sense of a legal system that can often seem disconnected from the realities of their lives. I believe in working closely with clients to help them understand the range of possible legal outcomes so that together we develop a strategy best tailored to meet the client’s needs and objectives. Often that will include pursuing alternative dispute resolution, but may also require litigation to ensure that the client’s rights are protected and that their voice is heard. At base, my central goal is providing the client with value-added expertise and advocacy, whether in the courtroom or the conference room, so that they can make informed and rational decisions in a challenging time of personal and family change.

Representing a wide range of clients for over a decade, Jillian K. Duffy has the experience necessary to protect your interests. Jill’s practice includes family law, estate planning and general business law. Jill has experience litigating all aspects of family law cases, including divorces, post judgment matters and appeals. Her practice also includes negotiating and drafting prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, as well as assisting clients with step-parent adoptions. Jill has worked with clients in creating estate plans to protect their assets and helped entrepreneurs achieve their business aspirations. Jill constantly strives to obtain practical solutions to her client’s legal issues while remaining a tenacious advocate.. Jill’s reputation for high ethical standards and professional ability among her fellow attorneys has earned her selection for inclusion in Thompson Reuters Minnesota Lawyers Rising Stars for 2013 through 2016 (an honor bestowed on fewer than 5% of attorneys in Minnesota) and Minnesota Super Lawyers for 2017 and 2018.. Jill is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Minnesota Women’s Lawyers’ Association, and Lavender Bar Association. Jill is a Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 and a Certified Family Law Mediator.. Jill obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from William Mitchell College of Law. She completed her undergraduate studies at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth with a B.A. in Psychology, and received a second B.A. the following year in Criminology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

I have been practicing in the area of family law for the past 10 years. I am currently practicing exclusively in the area of family law with Carson, Clelland & Schreder.   I have experience representing numerous clients in various family law matters, involving issues such as: physical custody, legal custody, child support, property valuation and division, spousal maintenance, domestic abuse, stepparent adoption and paternity matters.. I approach each case as unique and taylor my representation to the specific client goals.  I approach my client's with compassion and empathy, while also assisting them to remain focused on their goals.  My representation tends to be practical and solution focused.

I am a partner at Carson, Clelland & Schreder and have been practicing law for eleven years. I started my law career working in criminal prosecution, which brought me to the Courtroom 3-4 days per week, giving me a unique comfort appearing in front of the bench that many civil practioneers do not gain. My practice has now transitioned and focuses primarily on families and their legal issues.. Working in family law my desire is to advocate for my clients, applying a sensible, pragmatic and cost-effective approach. The goal is for clients to have control of the outcome of their legal matters, which is espcially important in family matters where the legal issue is their homes, children and financial livelihood. However, I am still able to leverage my courtroom experience when settlement isn't possible and Court involvement is required. I regularly participate in mediation with the goal of minimizing legal costs while still obtaining the outcome my clients desire. My primary areas of practice are divorce, custody and parenting time matters, child support, post-decree issues, and paternity matters. I am also a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral and offer family mediation services.. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time outdoors or chasing my two children. Having a family of my own, enables me to understand how vital the issues my clients are facing.

With cross-training in law and social work, Marian E. Saksena brings a unique set of skills to her family and juvenile law practice.  Prior to entering private practice, Marian served as a guardian ad litem and worked as a staff attorney with Children’s Law Center of Minnesota.  Marian remains committed to promoting children’s well-being as she advises and advocates for clients in a wide variety of family and juvenile law matters (e.g., paternity, third party custody, child support, dissolution, domestic abuse, CHIPS & adoption) in both state and tribal courts.  She served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Juvenile Protection Rules Committee and is the past chair of the MSBA Children and the Law Section.  Additionally, she teaches CLEs and devotes time to various volunteer projects.. In addition to representing private clients, Ms. Saksena provides alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services.  These services include mediation, early neutral evaluation, and parenting time expediting (PTE).  Ms. Saksena is on the Minnesota State Court Administrator's roster of qualified neutrals pursuant to Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice.

My wife and three children live in Edina, Minnesota.  We are active at our church, Christ Presbyterian Church.  We also enjoy volunteer coaching or participating in our children's extra curricular activities such as skiing, soccer, gymnastics, track & field, lacrosse, piano, orchestra and choir.. I am an Adut Leader is my son's Boy Scout troop.