Rochester Child Custody Lawyer: Preserving Parent-Child Relationships

Last updated on July 7, 2026

When parents go through a divorce or choose to separate, it affects the kids, too. Most parents want to minimize the impact these changes have on their children and protect their relationships with them. We are a Rochester child custody law firm who can help you secure parenting time schedules that are in your child’s best interests.

At Law Office of Ashley M. Kuhn, PLLC, we have collective 14 years of experience representing people in the Rochester area with their family law needs. We know how much influence child custody arrangements have on a child’s development. As a Rochester child custody lawyer, we want to help you obtain the custody terms that are best for you and your children.

How Is Child Custody Determined In Minnesota?

Normally, a separating couple will first attempt to resolve things outside of court, including custody negotiations. If the couple cannot reach agreeable terms in their negotiation, they will then take their custody issues to court for resolution.

When a judge decides the custody and parenting time issues, their primary goal is to uphold the children’s best interests by considering factors such as:

• The ages of the children
• The children’s reasonable custody preferences
• The proposed arrangements of the parents
• The medical, psychological and educational needs of the children
• How primary custody can impact the children’s lives
• Whether either parent is a danger to the children
• The emotional health of the parents

Whether you are going through a divorce or another family transition, our goal as your Rochester child custody attorney and family lawyer is to present all the information that a judge needs to grant a decision that benefits you as well as your children. As an experienced lawyer, once a custody arrangement has been decided, we can also help you pursue a child support agreement that reflects the needs of your children and their custody arrangement.

Understanding Parenting Time, Legal Custody And Physical Custody

When parents separate, one of the first challenges they face is making sense of the language courts and attorneys use. Terms like legal custody, physical custody and parenting time get used interchangeably in conversation, but they carry distinct meanings under Minnesota law, and those distinctions matter when it comes to protecting your relationship with your child.

Legal custody is about decision-making. It gives a parent the right to weigh in on major choices that shape a child’s life, including education, healthcare and religious upbringing. In many Minnesota cases, courts award joint legal custody, which means both parents share that authority equally. Neither parent gets to make those big decisions unilaterally. This arrangement keeps both parents involved in their child’s development even when they no longer share a home.

Physical custody is about where your child lives and who handles the day-to-day responsibilities of raising them. When a parent has physical custody, they are providing the routine care, including meals, school pickups and bedtime routines, and their home is where the child resides. Joint physical custody means those daily responsibilities are structured between two households, which does not necessarily mean an even split of days but rather a consistent, workable arrangement that keeps your child connected to both parents.

This is where parenting time ties everything together. Parenting time refers to the actual time a parent spends with their child, regardless of how custody is labeled. A parent without primary physical custody still has the right to meaningful time with their child, and that time is legally protected. It is the practical expression of the parent-child relationship, not just a schedule, but the foundation for staying present in your child’s life.

Understanding how these pieces fit together helps you go into custody discussions with clear expectations. Whether you are negotiating a parenting plan or preparing for a court hearing, knowing what you are actually asking for and why it matters puts you in a better position to advocate for an arrangement that supports your child and keeps your relationship with them strong.

Types Of Parenting Time In Minnesota

There are numerous ways for the Minnesota family courts to allocate parenting time to adults who live separately but share custody of their children. Judges handling custody cases prioritize the best interests of the children when they decide how to allocate parenting time.

They can award each parent a specific amount of overnight time with the children or impose other restrictions as necessary for the safety of the children. The terminology used can be confusing, especially if you have just separated or filed for divorce.

The types of parenting time frequently integrated into Minnesota custody orders include:

• Reasonable parenting time: In a reasonable parenting time arrangement, judges give parents the flexibility to set a schedule on their own behalf. They can set their own schedule and adjust it as necessary. However, either parent can potentially go back to the courts and request a specific schedule if disputes become a common occurrence.
• Specific parenting time: Also known as fixed parenting time, this arrangement involves a thorough parenting plan that contains a detailed schedule of when each parent has custody. A custody order with specific parenting time generally includes dates and times for custody exchanges, as well as special standards for holidays and school breaks.
• Reserved parenting time: When the family has not yet fully settled into their new living arrangements, a judge may approve a reserved parenting time schedule. This arrangement imposes the presumption that the children spend their overnight time with the parent who has primary physical custody or residential placement. The family can revisit the issue at any point to establish formal parenting time for the other parent.
• Supervised parenting time: In scenarios where a history of abuse, neglect or addiction creates concern about risk for the children if left in the sole care of one parent, the courts may order supervised parenting time. The other parent, trustworthy friends or a professional may supervise visitation.

Understanding the types of parenting time available can help you set reasonable goals before going to family court or assist with creating an uncontested parenting plan.

Consult A Rochester Child Custody Lawyer

Confronting family law issues such as divorce or child custody on your own can risk a potential outcome that is less than you and your kids deserve. Instead of taking those chances, let us work with you to find an effective approach.

Call us at 507-414-5558 or email us to begin the conversation. Schedule your initial consultation today to take the first step in resolving your family law needs with the help of a skilled attorney.