Top Best Family Lawyers | 13996 Available

Lisa T. Spencer represents clients in all areas of family law, working with her clients to reach resolution and settlement, and litigating only when settlement cannot be attained.  She brings a compassionate approach to the difficult transitions many of her clients face.. Lisa has substantial experience in cases involving complex financial issues including business valuation, executive compensation, intellectual property, and non-marital property.  She helps families create effective parenting plans, specifically suited to each family, with an eye towards minimizing the effects of divorce on children.  Lisa also assists clients in creating premarital and postnuptial agreements that address long-term financial settlement.. She is a member of Henson & Efron’s Management Committee.

Trusted Experience. I have practiced family law for over 19 years and have handled hundreds of family law cases.  I understand that it is crucial to identify needs unique to you and your family so that we can focus on achieving your goals.. While always prepared to take your matter to court, because I understand likely outcomes in court, I can better negotiate a favorable settlement without subjecting you to the stress and expense of litigation.. Honest and Compassionate Guidance. I have a passion for what I do – guiding clients through an unfamiliar process during one of the most difficult times of their lives.   I will work closely with you to insure that you understand each step of the process.  I will focus energy and resources to effectively and efficiently resolve your family law matter.. Strong Advocacy and Favorable Results. You need an attorney who will balance zealous advocacy with tempered advice.   You want results that can stand the test of time.    I am committed to resolving your family law matter, either through settlement or litigation, such that you can move forward

Kathryn A. Graves practices in the area of family law, litigating in the trial and appellate courts on all family law issues, including custody, child support, third party custody, spousal maintenance, property division and complex valuation issues, and post-decree disputes. She provides Alternative Dispute Resolution services as a Mediator (Qualified Neutral under Minnesota’s Alternative Dispute Resolution – Rule 114), is a Financial Early Neutral Evaluator for Hennepin, Ramsey, and Dakota Counties and is on the roster for Moderated Settlement Conferences in Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington Counties.

I am a partner with Heimerl & Lammers practicing primarily in the area of family law.

Melissa J. Nilsson practices exclusively in all areas of family law. Melissa frequently works on cases involving spousal maintenance, child support, child custody, parenting time and the division of assets and liabilities, whether a case involves a non-acrimonious settlement or vigorous litigation. Melissa is able to assist in the division of high net worth marital estates, analyzing complex financial issues, such as business valuation, non-marital tracing and executive compensation valuation. Melissa represents clients in a variety of matters through mediation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution processes in order to settle matters, if possible. If a resolution cannot be reached, she strongly advocates for her client through the litigation process. In addition, Melissa has extensive experience with family law appeals if one does not agree with a court’s decision and has the ability to analyze the legal issues and develop creative and persuasive arguments to present to the appellate court. Whether mediating or litigating, Melissa strives to be a calm and considerate advocate for clients during this highly emotional and difficult time in their lives.

Jenny is an attorney at Honsa & Associates, P.A., practicing exclusively in the area of family law.  Jenny represents her clients in all aspects of family law, including prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, divorce, legal separation, custody and parenting time actions, paternity actions, post-decree matters, and orders for protection.. Jenny is committed to solving her clients’ problems by listening carefully to the challenges they face and implementing sustainable solutions.  Jenny enjoys the combination of social and financial issues involved in the practice of family law, and she most enjoys complex asset valuation and non-marital tracing claims.. Jenny graduated summa cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law.  After graduation, Jenny served as a law clerk at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.. Jenny’s personal interests include running, reading, and music.

Rachel received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.  At Georgetown, Rachel worked as a law tutor for first-year law students and volunteered for a Congressman on Capitol Hill.  Rachel also represented domestic violence victims in Washington, D.C.. Rachel has worked in both large and small law firms, representing a variety of individual and business clients.  Rachel focuses on identifying the needs and goals of the client and then identifying how best to achieve these objectives.  She is a fierce advocate for her clients, but believes that every case is best served by examining the realities of the situation and determining a path that makes economic, emotional, and legal sense.. Outside of Southtown Law, Rachel serves as an Adjunct Professor at William Mitchell College of Law.  She also represents children in foster care as a volunteer attorney for the Children’s Law Center.  Rachel currently serves on the Board of Sejong Academy of Minnesota, whose purpose is to open a Korean immersion charter school in the Twin Cities area.. Rachel is conversational in both German and Spanish.  She is always looking for an opportunity to sharpen her skills in this area.

Carlo practices exclusively in the area of family law. Through his professional experience and the matters of various people close to him, he is fully cognizant of all of the sensitive dynamics that can arise during family law issues.. Family law is an area that is ripe with the potential for emotional stress and conflict for clients. While any legal issue is not one to be taken lightly, quite often family law issues subject individuals to an inordinate amount of emotion and stress. Carlo’s approach is that a large part of his role is to be a shield for his clients, working hard to insulate them from any unnecessary hostility or stress while at the same time providing them with honest, learned advice.. A graduate of Creighton University School of Law, Carlo has taken the Jesuit philosophy of “cura personalis”-Latin for “care of the whole person”- and applied it to his practice. He views clients as individual people and treats them with the utmost courtesy and care.. In what little spare time he has, Carlo spends it with his wife (the love of his life) and their wonderful children. As a New Hampshire native, the majority of Carlo’s summer is spent supporting the Boston Red Sox, although his better half has gotten him to take an interest in the Twins. On mornings when the wind chill is above -10 degrees, you can find Carlo running around the North Metro preparing for one marathon or another.. Areas of Practice. Divorce. Custody/Parenting Time. Child Support. Post-Dissolution. Family Law. Spousal Maintenance. Mediation, arbitration, and evaluative processes representation. Same-sex divorce, dissolution of domestic partnerships, and other LGBT family law issues. Education. Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, Nebraska, J.D.. Emmanuel College, Boston, Massachusetts, B.A. with distinction in the field. Political Science. Bar Admissions. Minnesota. Professional Associations and Memberships. Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Section, New Lawyers Section

I am an experienced family lawyer practicing in Wayzata, Minnesota.  In my fourteen years of practice, I had a lot of success inside the courtroom, from successfully arguing high net worth asset division, custody and spousal maintenance cases, to succeeding in the Minnesota Court of Appeals.   However, often my greatest successes happen when I can help my client negotiate a fair and final divorce settlement early in the case, saving them time, money and stress.    I work hard to educate my clients about the road ahead, and do my best at the beginning of representation to predict likely outcomes.  Together we look to figure out ways to make the case less contentious at the outset for the benefit of the parties, and when necessary, the children.

Gillian J. Blomquist grew up in California and lived in Arizona and Vancouver, Canada, before adopting Minnesota as her home.. Gillian has worked in the legal field since 1998, starting as a paralegal with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and then working as a family law paralegal while she completed her master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota. In Arizona, she worked for the Attorney General’s Office on child protection matters. Upon returning to Minnesota, she spent time working for the 10th Judicial District as a Guardian ad Litem advocating for children in juvenile and family court. As an attorney in Minnesota, she has handled matters as diverse as estate planning, contested probate matters, bankruptcy, family law, and guardianship. Since 2014, she has practiced exclusively family law.. Gillian’s law practice consists of handling matters such as divorce, child custody, parenting time, paternity, child support, spousal maintenance, and other related matters. Gillian believes that an attorney’s role is to provide realistic expectations based on the law, to consider creative ways to solve complex problems, and to reduce client stress by acting as a steady guide through difficult times. While she prefers to work with her clients towards negotiating solid and fair agreements, she also has the skills necessary to advocate for her clients in court when necessary.. Gillian spends her time away from the practice of law raising four busy kids with her husband, running with two energetic dogs, and restoring an old house.

Rebecca has practiced family law for nineteen years, and guided many clients through challenging life transitions – including marriage dissolution, child custody and paternity matters. Rebecca also practices as a family law mediator, and an early neutral evaluator.. Rebecca understands that the amount of legal advising her clients need and the scope of each case is varied, so she customizes her services to meet these needs.  She may serve as a consultant to review legal paperwork or a full representative for a straightforward or a complex matter. Many of Rebecca’s clients have difficult property issues, including closely held businesses, tracing non-marital assets, and cash flow analysis. She also assists clients with child-centered parenting plans that encompass unique family structures.. Rebecca’s marital dissolution practice also includes Collaborative Law clients, all of whom have chosen to focus on settlement rather than litigation. Collaborative Law promotes peaceful resolutions to conflict whenever possible so as not to increase the financial and emotional costs to the parties or children. Rebecca encourages clients to use the Collaborative model as a method of empowerment as well as a vehicle for achieving a more emotionally balanced and fiscally sound outcome for both themselves and their children. Rebecca strives to provide exceptional guidance and advocacy to each one of her clients whether they are parties in a collaborative case, mediation or litigation.

During law school I focused my education on the practice of family law. I have practiced exclusively in the area of family law throughout law school and as a licensed attorney. I use the experience I have gained, and my knowledge of both Minnesota law and the judicial system to give my clients the best opportunity to achieve their goals as they manage both the financial and emotional aspects of going through family transitions and family litigation.. I have been recognized by Minnesota Super Lawyers as a "Super Lawyer" each year since 2020. Prior to earning that designation, I was named as a “Rising Star” each each beginning in  2012.. My practice includes Divorce, Custody, Spousal Maintenance, Paternity, Step Parent Adoption, Complex Marital Estates, and Orders for Protection.. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.. I am a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association and Ramsey County Bar Association.