Postnuptial agreements · Minnesota
It’s time for a postnup.Take care of it together.
Whatever the reason, you want it done with care, and planned now. Work out the terms in one prepared session, then take them to your own lawyers. Ask me anything first:
- Why do we each need a lawyer?
- What does it cost?
- How do I bring it up?
- Does asking mean something's wrong?
- Something else?
Tap one to text it to me.
$1,695 per person, flat. Either of you can book. Booking commits you to nothing.
4.9 stars · 287 Google reviews · St. Paul, over Zoom statewide
“His approach made the entire process feel fair and constructive.”
What Minnesota requires
The law requires two lawyers.It doesn’t require them to argue.
Each of you has your own lawyer when you sign.
Not one lawyer for both of you. Not a mediator standing in for one.
Full and fair disclosure of income and property.
The statute says neither of you can waive it. It’s the part mediation is built around.
In writing, two witnesses, acknowledged.
And if either of you files for divorce or separation within two years, it’s presumed unenforceable unless it’s shown to be fair and equitable.
Minn. Stat. § 519.11, subds. 1b and 1d · read the statute
Summary of what we agreed
Prepared by your mediator · for each of your lawyers
Everything on the table
What the two of you decided
Questions for your lawyers
I write down what you decided. Your lawyers turn it into the agreement you sign.
Our proprietary process
The Flannel Three-Part Process
The same method every Flannel mediation runs on, in this order, on purpose. For a postnup, the homework does most of the heavy lifting.
Part 1 · The one-on-ones
15 to 45 minutes each · private
I meet with each of you, separately.
You tell me what you want protected, what you're worried the other person will hear in the request, and what you think will be hard. They do the same. Neither of you hears the other's call.
Part 2 · The homework
Two halves · before you meet
Numbers first, then your questions.
Every account, balance, and income on one shared sheet, with values you both can see. Then a short set of questions I write after both private calls, so nobody meets a hard one for the first time in the session.
Part 3 · The session
3 hours · Zoom · usually within a week
One three-hour session, together.
You decide the terms. I keep the order and write down what you agreed. Dress casual. Have a coffee. Anywhere other than a moving vehicle.
Then you each take the summary to your own lawyer, who reads it with you and drafts the agreement.
If you’re comparing
Mediation first, or two lawyers from the start
You end up with two lawyers either way. The difference is whether they’re negotiating the terms or reviewing terms you already agreed on.
| What you get | Flannel, then your lawyers | Two lawyers negotiating |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | $1,695 per person, flat, then each lawyer's review | A retainer each, then hourly |
| No meter on prep, calls, and emails | ✓ | Billed |
| Built to keep it a conversation, not a negotiation | ✓ | Each argues one side |
| A method with a name and an order: private calls, homework, one session | ✓ | — |
| Prep informed by conflict research and neuroscience | ✓ | — |
| Every account and balance on one shared sheet before anyone decides | ✓ | Each side's own |
| A private call for each of you before anything starts | ✓ | Each of you, with your lawyer |
| One neutral working for both of you | ✓ | ✗ |
| The two of you decide the terms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Each of you has your own lawyer at signing, as Minnesota requires | ✓ | ✓ |
| Follow-up time at a flat price | $500 / person | Billed |
| Legal advice about your own rights | From your lawyer | ✓ |
Where lawyers fit
Everywhere the law says they do. A lawyer represents one of you. I represent neither of you. Your lawyer is the one who tells you whether the agreement is good for you.
Before either of you says yes
Things you’re allowed to do.
Not explain why.
You don't owe me a reason. A business, an inheritance, a house, or just wanting it settled while things are good. The process is the same.
Not know what you want yet.
You don't need terms in mind to call. Half the work is figuring out what the two of you actually care about protecting.
Already have a lawyer.
Good. You'll need one anyway. Bring them the summary when we're done.
Say no.
Either of you. Mediation only works when both people choose it, and a postnup signed under pressure isn't worth the paper.
Take your time.
Read this with them. Sleep on it. Book a call next month instead of tonight.
Pick someone else.
If fifteen minutes with me tells you I'm not the right person, say so. That's a fine outcome for a free call.
The money, plainly
$1,695
per person, flat.
For both private calls, the homework, the three-hour session, and the written summary. No hourly meter running in the background.
- Not included
- Your lawyers. Each of you hires your own, and their fees are between you and them.
- When
- Nothing gets scheduled until both of you have signed the participation agreement and the invoice is paid.
- If you need more time
- A follow-up runs the same three parts, with a one-hour session, for a flat $500 per person, agreed to before it happens.
- The fine print
- The invoice adds a 3.9% processing fee.
From people who sat in the session
Both people in the room, same attention.
Ryan was incredibly thoughtful and took time to truly listen to both our perspectives. His approach made the entire process feel fair and constructive.
I felt like I could speak more clearly and listen better because of the structure Ryan provided and ways he paid equal attention to myself and the other person in mediation.
He didn’t take sides or overcomplicate things, but instead helped keep both parties grounded and focused on decisions.
Postnup questions
The ones people ask on the first call.
Why do we each need our own lawyer?
Because Minnesota says so. Under Minn. Stat. § 519.11, subd. 1d, a postnuptial agreement is valid only if each spouse is represented by separate legal counsel when it's signed. Mediation doesn't replace that. It means your lawyers start from terms the two of you already agreed on, instead of negotiating them from scratch.
Do you write the postnup?
No. I'm a mediator, not anyone's lawyer. At the end of the session you get a written summary of what the two of you decided. Each of you takes it to your own lawyer, who advises you and drafts the agreement you sign.
Does asking for a postnup mean we're headed for divorce?
I can't tell you what it means in your marriage. I can tell you the session is about money and what happens to it, and it runs the same whether you're asking because of a business, an inheritance, or because you never had the conversation. If one of you is hearing the request as an accusation, say so on your private call. That's what the call is for.
What if one of us is thinking about separating?
Say that on your call. Minnesota presumes a postnup unenforceable if either spouse files for divorce or legal separation within two years of signing it, unless the spouse relying on it can show it's fair and equitable. If separation is already on the table, a different conversation may make more sense, and I'll tell you so.
We don't agree on much. Can this still work?
Disagreeing is the reason mediation exists. What it needs is two people willing to be there and to put every number on the table. If something I learn on a private call makes a joint session unsafe or unfair, I stop.
Is anything here legal advice?
No. Nothing on this page, on a call, or in the session is legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed. Your own lawyer is the one who tells you whether the agreement is right for you.
Fifteen minutes, free
Talk to me first. Decide after.
Either of you can book, or both of you together. If a call feels like too much right now, text me a question instead.
(763) 316-8323. Texts come to my phone, not a front desk.
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