Comprehensive Legal Solutions That Work
Biography
Jacquelyn is a top-rated attorney focusing her practice exclusively in family law. She represents fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, grandparents, and other stakeholders in family law cases.
Jacquelyn is motivated to practice in the area of family law by her own childhood. As the daughter of divorced parents, she has personal experience with the struggles that exist when co-parenting and blending families. As a mother of three children herself, she has an intimate understanding of what is at stake for each client. Jacquelyn is dedicated to counseling her clients through the deeply personal - and often complex - issues involved in family practice. She is solution-focused rather than problem-oriented and works closely with her clients to develop creative resolutions that fit their unique family situation. Jacquelyn has been selected as Rising Star by SuperLawyers since 2019.
Outside the Courtroom, Jacquelyn is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law and a volunteer attorney ethics investigator for Minnesota's 19th bar district. She is a passionate advocate for breastfeeding education and has been presenting Continuing Legal Education seminars aimed at the family law bar and judicial bench since 2018. She strongly believes that attorneys and judicial officers should understand the science and practical realities of breastfeeding in order to make informed decisions about families that choose to breastfeed. Jacquelyn also works to boost the accessibility of courthouses for breastfeeding attorneys and other courthouse guests.
In her free time, Jacquelyn enjoys the arts, attending as many musicals and live concerts as she can fit in her schedule. She is a member of See Change Treble Choir, which performs during the Winter/Spring season. She lives in Apple Valley with her spouse and three children.
Practice Areas
- Family Law
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 2013
Honors
- Minnesota Lawyer Top Women In The Law
- Minnesota Lawyer Diversity & Inclusion Award
- Super Lawyers Rising Star
Education
- University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- J.D.
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: Civil Rights Moot Court
- Honors: Dean's List for Academic Excellence
- Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minnesota
- B.A. - 2010
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Honors: Dean's List for Academic Excellence
- Major: Political Science-Public Service Track, Legal Studies
Professional Associations
- Minnesota Bar Association
- Association of Family & Conciliation Courts
Pro-Bono Activities
- 19th District Ethics Committee
- Legal Services of Dakota County
Classes & Seminars
- Keeping Abreast: breastfeeding education for the Family Law practice & bench, Minnesota State Bar Association annual convention, 2018
- Keeping Abreast: breastfeeding education for the Family Law practice & bench, Family Law Institute, 2019
- The Courthouse is Not My Employer But It Is My Place of Work: breastfeeding, lactation, and Minnesota law, Ramsey County Bar Association Diversity Committee, 2020
- Baby In The Middle: How to Handle Custody Cases Involving Infants, Family Law Institute 2022
Representative Cases
- Argued before the court of appeals and won on spousal maintenance award on behalf of a stay-at-home mom.
- Pursued and obtained sole custody of clients’ grandchildren after multiple years of litigation involving an order for protection, custody action, and guardian ad litem investigation.
- Successfully defended and obtained a dismissal of an Order for Protection that affected a mother’s custodial rights.
- Resolved a divorce involving a dad who was unfortunately incarcerated out-of-state; upon his parole, the Dad was able to keep the family home and share custody of the children.
- Years long representation of an unmarried mother and victim of domestic violence. Pursued and obtained an order for protection after contentious trial, successfully resolved the following custody action in the mother’s favor, and defended against post-decree motions wherein the dangerous parent sought visitation with the child.
- Initiated a case on behalf of an unmarried father for custody of his child as well as visitation with the child’s half-sibling; both cases resolved in father’s favor.
- Years long representation of an unmarried father, successfully keeping custody and majority visitation time with his child over multiple hearings.