St. Paul Divorce and Family Law Attorneys
Family is the cornerstone around which many people build their lives. When that support is broken, it can often feel as if the ground has been pulled out from beneath you. At Maxim Smith Family Law PLLC, we help individuals resolve their most challenging family law disputes. Together, we will help you get back on solid ground, rebuild your life and lay the groundwork for a better and brighter future. Read more.
Interstate Family Law
In today’s always-on, always-connected society, families are making bigger, more frequent moves for a variety of reasons. The logistics involved are never simple, but adding family law issues like a divorce or child custody agreements across state lines can bring even greater complexity. St. Paul-based family law attorneys Allison Maxim and Tara L. Smith are well-versed in all of the laws, processes and procedures necessary to assist your family with managing interstate family law matters of all types. Read more.
Providing International Family Law Representation
As technology continues to advance and society becomes mobile, individuals throughout the world feel more connected than ever before. This globalization means individuals no longer feel tied to one place or even one country. Today it is common for an individual to live in multiple states or countries during his or her life. As such, families have become increasingly international in nature. However, when these international relationships break down, complicated legal issues often arise. Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, Maxim Smith helps clients overcome their most complex international and interstate family law challenges and protects clients’ interests worldwide. Read more.
Watch Allison Maxim on KSTP!
Allison Maxim
Allison Maxim is a well recognized attorney with clients’ choice awards from AVVO. Located in St. Paul, Maxim Smith represents clients in the Twin Cities area, including Minneapolis, Shoreview, Roseville, Maplewood, Mendota Heights, Edina, Woodbury and St. Louis Park. Our firm represents clients throughout Minnesota in Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County and Hennepin County.
Allison Maxim has also represented clients located throughout the United States and internationally throughout the world, including clients in France, Australia, Peru and Canada. Learn more about Allison →
Tara Smith
While Tara Smith’s legal practice style is steeped in compassionate advocacy, she also practices with curiosity and agility, striving for innovative solutions and thriving as an agent of change in the legal industry. Distinguished by a robust background in both business management and legal services, Tara focuses on providing exceptional value to all clients; she offers a tailored and efficient approach to each client’s unique circumstance.
Prior to graduating from law school, Tara both managed and served as an inside sales representative at an independent manufacturers’ agency in the commercial construction industry. Learn more about Tara →
Solo Practitioner of the Month: Allison Maxim
“American author Pat Conroy wrote: “Each divorce is the death of a small civilization.” The trauma of divorce is felt deeply, even under the best of circumstances.
When complicating factors arise such as disputes over which state or country has jurisdiction over the divorce, child support or custody, an already stressful situation can reach crisis proportions. It takes a knowledgeable and composed professional to assess the facts and create resolution.”
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Additional Services by Maxim Smith
Collaborative law provides an alternative to resolving family disputes by taking the disputed matter out of the courts and working collaboratively with your spouse and the collaborative lawyers you have chosen. While traditional divorces are often about “fighting and winning,” a collaborative divorce is more about “troubleshooting and problem solving.” Read more.
Many couples today don’t know they have an option to go through an uncontested divorce. If you and your spouse agree on major decisions involving your children, your family home, splitting debts, sharing assets, and other areas, you may qualify for Maxim Smith’s Friendly Divorce service. In a Friendly Divorce, one member of the couple retains our firm to draft and file divorce documents. A non-contested divorce is generally accomplished more quickly, and at a lower cost than traditional divorce. Find out by taking our survey if you are a good candidate for Friendly Divorce. Read more.
Our Mindfulness Approach
We know that when you are facing divorce, it can be one of the most stressful times in your life. In addition to being a family law lawyer, attorney Allison Maxim also holds a Master’s Degree in psychology. Allison works only with clients who express interest, to utilize mindfulness tools including setting intentions, guided meditation, mind mapping and various other approaches you can read about here. You can also review Allison’s answers to questions posed by her clients about what it means to apply a mindfulness approach when going through a divorce. You can read more about Allison’s approach to mindful family law here.
Jazel Flores: Fall 2021 Social Justice Scholarship Winner
At thirteen years old, I was almost engulfed by the school-to-prison pipeline. After being truant only twice, I was arrested and placed on probation. For the remainder of the school year, teachers and...
5 Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Child Custody Case
As a parent, your child custody case may be the most important legal case of your life. Naturally, you want to be able to maintain the bond you have with your child even after a divorce. The time you ...
Creating A Successful Coparenting Plan
Whether you were in the middle of a divorce when the pandemic hit or have only recently made the decision to separate from the other parent of your child, you’re now in the position of creating a pl...
Laajlim Khang: Spring 2021 Social Justice Scholarship Winner
As a first-generation Hmong American college student, I have been exposed to institutional racism and the detrimental effects it has on Asian Americans. I have seen how anti-immigration rhetoric and t...
Can You Threaten Litigation in the Collaborative Law Process?
Collaborative law doesn’t get much air time in pop culture; it is a lot less dramatic than a contentious divorce in court. Still, unless domestic violence and/or coercive control are an issue, many ...
Legal Rights and Resources for Victims of Abuse
COVID-19 has caused many of us to feel isolated in our homes. For domestic abuse victims, isolation can be dangerous and terrifying. Thankfully, victims of physical, emotional, sexual, and/or financia...