Christopher R. Braden
Shareholder
Christopher excels at advocating for his clients in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. He is passionate about representing clients in divorce, post-divorce custody, parenting time, child support matters, and guardianship and conservatorship cases. Christopher serves as a contract attorney for child support contempt and child protection cases in Rice County. He has also developed a niche practice of representing grandparents, relatives and other interested parties in obtaining custody of non-biological children.
Christopher graduated from Faribault High School and remains deeply rooted in the community. Christopher is the former President of the Rice County Bar Association and a member of the Faribault Chamber of Commerce, Fifth District Bar Association, and Minnesota State Bar Association – Family Law Section. Christopher also serves as a member of the Rice County Law Library Board. For the last five (5) years Christopher served as a judge for the youth mock trial program offered by the Minnesota State Bar Association. Christopher also annually serves as a volunteer attorney for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services.
Christopher is an avid Minnesota sports fan. Christopher and his wife enjoy cooking together and spending time with their friends and family.
Admissions:
Supreme Court of Minnesota
Education:
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND – B.A.
Thomas M. Cooley Law, Lansing, MI – J.D.
Representative Cases:
Contested marriage dissolution case involving division of high value assets, business interests and various parcels of real property. Significant pretrial and post-decree litigation. Successfully defended the stipulated Judgment and Decree at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Negotiated settlement of high asset marriage dissolution resulting in favorable award of multiple parcels of marital real property, personal property and retirement assets to client.
Negotiated settlement of short-term marriage. Asserted and proved non-marital claim in real property and secured favorable property settlement for client including award of personal property and business interests.
Following dissolution proceeding, engaged in protracted and contested litigation resulting in favorable establishment of child support, while securing post-dissolution judgments (following various findings for constructive civil contempt) for unpaid basic and medical support, out-of-pocket medical expenses, attorney’s fees, and spousal maintenance totaling $170,000.00.
Custody, parenting time, and child support litigation resulting in grant of sole legal and physical custody to client, as well as, restricted and supervised parenting time to non-custodial parent.
Secured Order for Protection on behalf of client then successfully secured sole legal and physical custody for client, as well as, restricted and supervised parenting time to non-custodial parent.
Successfully secured ex parte, temporary and permanent legal and physical custody of a child for clients (neither were biological parents) in a juvenile court proceeding.
Defended against non-custodial parent’s post-dissolution motion to modify custody, parenting time and child support, resulting in an increase to the child support received by client.