DENTON LAW OFFICE

Brenda Denton accepts cases in Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Carlton, and Pine Counties.  Though she has experience in various areas of the law, her main focus remains with family law.  The area of family law can be quite complex and the law often changes.  It can be very difficult for people to work their way through the sometimes overwhelming court system and the civil process. 

Family law includes topics such as child support, child custody, single parent’s rights, paternity, divorce (dissolution), legal separation, third-party custody, grandparent’s rights, parenting time (visitation), orders for protection (OFPs), harassment restraining orders, motions to move out of state with a minor child, post-decree(order) motions or modifications, and spousal maintenance.  Depending on the complexity of the case, sometimes an individual can represent themselves.  However, Ms. Denton suggests always consulting with an attorney beforehand.

Brenda Denton also accepts cases involving non-family law related legal issues, such as landlord/tenant/housing matters, unemployment compensation cases, powers of attorney, drafting of basic wills, and other general civil litigation.  She also has experience arguing before the Minnesota Court of Appeals and will take cases to the appellate level depending on the issues presented.

OTHER AREAS OF PRACTICE
In addition to being a lawyer, Brenda Denton is also a Guardian Ad Litem who contracts with the State of Minnesota.  A Guardian Ad Litem is neutral person appointed by the court to represent the best interests of a child in a court proceeding, whether it be in a custody dispute or child protection matter.  She is also a Custody Evaluator, which is a person hired by parties in a custody dispute to do a full evaluation of family dynamics and provide a recommendation as to custody and parenting time; this may include a more in depth examination of issues such as mental health, domestic violence, and chemical dependency. 

Brenda Denton is also an Early Neutral Evaluator, which means that she may work with another evaluator to assess the best interests of a child in a custody dispute and provide a recommendation to the parties as to custody.  This is a new pilot project in Duluth, MN in an attempt to assist parties in resolving their custody dispute more quickly than if they were to go to court. 

Mediator and Parenting Time Expeditor:  Ms. Denton is a Qualified Neutral on the State of Minnesota's Roster of Qualified Neutrals.  She provides mediation services in family disputes, which allows parents to create their own solutions to their problems, rather than having a judge decide for them.  She also accepts cases as a Parenting Time Expeditor, which means that after court order, she will arbitrate parenting disputes between parents and provide a decision whichis binding on the parties.  This is a cost-effective way for parents to resolve disputes without having to go back to court.

During her years as a legal aid attorney, Brenda Denton has conducted scores of trainings and informational meetings for various local groups in the community on various topics.  She has conducted trainings for social workers, domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, religious leaders, housing workers, medical personnel, etc.