Theresa E. Bea

• Represented relatives in adopting their grandchildren, nieces, and nephews after successfully terminating the parental rights of the parents, both by the consent of the parents and through contested litigation.

• Represented single mother in obtaining majority parenting time with her children after father obtained an order restricting her to supervised parenting time based on father’s allegations of maltreatment.

• Represented client in a dissolution and secured unequal property division award after finding cash assets in excess of $100,000 were transferred abroad.

• Represented business owners and their spouses in obtaining property settlements and spousal maintenance payments to preserve business profitability and maintain a fair standard of living for both spouses.

• Represented relatives seeking third-party custody in obtaining sole legal and sole physical custody of their grandchildren, nieces, and nephews after being subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse; neglect; and exposure to drugs by their parents.

• Represented numerous fathers and mothers through Order for Protections and their subsequent dissolutions, with favorable custody and parenting time arrangements.

• Represented privately-held business owners through mediation with minimum court involvement, protecting the integrity and private information of their respective businesses.

• Guided parents through child-inclusive mediation in which their children’s voices were heard and used as part of the settlement negotiations.

• Guided grandmother in raising concerns about the care her grandson was receiving through the mediation process, protecting the grandmother-child relationship while avoiding court involvement and litigation.

• Represented client in mediation, developing creative spousal maintenance and property equalizer payment structures to ensure both parties were properly compensated without affecting the functioning their operating businesses.

• Represented countless individuals in reaching successful agreements outside of the courtroom, and avoiding the cost and time involved with litigation.

• Represented parents in child protection litigation when accusations of intra-family sexual abuse allegations were raised and successfully defended against any finding of maltreatment.

• Represented parents in terminating parental rights after the adoption was determined to be unsuccessful and no longer a situation that was in the best interests of the child.

• Represented foster parents throughout the child protection process, while pursuing adoption.

Publications

• Minnesota Custody and Child Support Deskbook (Chapter 14), Co-Author with Ruta Johnsen, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, 2015-2023

• The Cohabitation Conundrum: What’s new in Minnesota’s new cohabitation law?, Co-Author with Michael Boulette, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, January 9, 2017

• Diversity Award Honorees Judge Peter Reyes, Hennepin Lawyer Magazine, May 2016

• Child Support and Financial Responsibility in Third Party Custody Matters, Co-Author with Azure Schermerhorn-Snyder and Brandon Zumwalt, Family Law Forum, Vol. 23 No. 1, Winter 2014-2015

Presentations

• Co-Presenter, Custody Modification and Relocation, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, February 24, 2022

• Co-Presenter, Advanced Strategies for Modifying Spousal Maintenance: Minnesota’s New Cohabitation Law, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education/Family Law Institute, December 7, 2016 and March 21, 2017

• Co-Presenter, Family Law Series: Financial Issues − Receiverships and Divorce, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, November 20, 2015

• Co-Presenter, Unlocking the Secrets of Chamber Conferences, October 13, 2015

Admissions

• Minnesota

• Wisconsin

• United States District Court, District of Minnesota

• Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Associations

• American Bar Association,  Member

• Minnesota State Bar Association, Member

• Hennepin County Bar Association, Member

• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Member

• American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Member

• Family Law League, Member

• Hennepin County Law Library, Member

• Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, Member

• Minnesota Women Lawyers, Member

• Public Access to Court Electronic Records, Member

Certifications

• Qualified Neutral under Rule 114, Family Mediator, Minnesota Supreme Court

Community Involvement

• Limited Scope Attorney through Ramsey County, Volunteer Attorney

• Minnesota Super Lawyers®: Rising Star, 2017-2023

• North Star Lawyer (pro bono service), Minnesota State Bar Association, 2019
• Minnesota Monthly: 2023 Top Lawyers in Minnesota
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, 2023-2024