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Valerie Arnold is shareholder with Tuft & Arnold, PLLC. Ms. Arnold practices in all areas of family law including divorce, mediation, interstate and international divorce and child custody, Hague Convention, non-Hague parental child abduction, parental child abduction prevention, third-party custody and visitation, and appellate law. Ms. Arnold is a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and has published numerous articles on interstate and international family law including co-authoring the "Interstate and International Jurisdiction and Custody Issues" chapter for the Minnesota State Bar Association's Minnesota Custody and Child Support Deskbook.  Ms. Arnold is a volunteer for the Chrysalis LAW Program and the Ramsey County Pro Se Clinic. Ms. Arnold is a member of the Collaborative Law Institute and a qualified neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice.   Ms. Arnold is fluent in French.

Current Employment Position

Partner/Shareholder

Bar Admissions:

1997 Minnesota Supreme Court

2004 U.S. District Court District of Minnesota

Education:

University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
J.D. (1997)
Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court
Winter/Spring 1996, Université Jean Moulin, Lyon, France

University of Minnesota, Department of French and Italian, Minneapolis, MN

M.A. French (1992)
Related Field: Art History

Université de Savoie, Chambéry, France
Maîtrise de Lettres Modernes: certificat en linguistique (French Master’s degree in linguistics) (1990)

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN  B.A. French, Minor: Linguistics (1988)

Published Works:

• “Interstate & International Civil and Criminal Remedies to Parents of Children Who Have Been Kidnapped,” Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Forum, Fall 2008, Volume 17, No. 1, co-author Scott Rodman.
• "Interstate and International Jurisdiction and Custody Issues," Minnesota Child Custody and Support Deskbook,  Minnesota State Bar Association, September 2006, co-author Thomas W. Tuft.

• “International Parental Child Abduction,” Bench & Bar, December 2004, Volume LXI Number XI, co-author Thomas W. Tuft.

• “Interpreting and the Law,” Ramsey County Bar Association Barrister, February 2003, co-author Bruce T. Downing, Ph.D.

• “International Custody Jurisdiction: The Hague Convention,” Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Forum, Spring 2002, Volume 12, No. 3, co-author Thomas W. Tuft.

• “Preventing Parental Kidnapping: Jurisdictional and Enforcement Issues,” Minnesota State Bar Association Family Law Forum, Spring 2002, Volume 12, No. 3, co-author Thomas W. Tuft.

• “Determining Child Custody Across Jurisdictions,” Bench & Bar, December 1999, Volume LVI Number XI, co-author Thomas W. Tuft.

• “Parental Kidnapping and Child Safety: Current Case Law Trends,” MILE Seminar, Bloomington, MN (April 1999), co-author Thomas W. Tuft.

Classes/Seminars Taught:

 

• "International Divorce and Child Custody," Dakota County, Apple Valley, MN, December 2009.
• "International Parental Child Abduction,"  U.S. Department of State’s International Leadership Visitor Program, Trafficking in Persons and Crimes Against Women and Children, Maplewood, MN, July 2009.
• "Interstate and International Parental Child Abduction," Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Institute, Saint Paul, MN, March 2009, co-speaker Scott Rodman.
• "Interstate and International Relocation," Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Section, Minneapolis, MN, February 2008.
• "Third Party Custody," Washington County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Stillwater, MN, April 2007.
• "Interstate and International Jurisdiction and Custody Issues," Minnesota CLE, September 2006, co-speaker Thomas W. Tuft.
• "Legal Terms and Concepts," University of Minnesota, Department of Translating and Interpreting, Minneapolis, MN (fall semesters 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009): TrIn 1301  Topics covered included constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, contracts, personal injury law, family law and juvenile law.
• “Third-Party Custody and Visitation," Ramsey County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Saint Paul, MN, January 2005, co-speaker John Jerabek.
• “Custody Issues: An Overview of Child Custody Law in Minnesota," Lorman Education Services, Bloomington, MN, March 2001, March 2002.
• “Interstate Enforcement of Child Support and Child Custody Orders," Ramsey County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Saint Paul, MN, September  2000, co-speaker Thomas W. Tuft.
• “Children’s Records Law in Minnesota: Medical and Mental Health Records," Lorman Education Services, Bloomington, MN, August  2000.
• “Taming the Beast: The Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act," Ramsey County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Saint Paul, MN, April 2000, co-speaker Thomas W. Tuft.
• "Topics in European Studies: An Introduction to Human Rights," University of Minnesota, Institute of International Studies, Minneapolis, MN, spring 1998:  Initiated students to the fundamentals of human rights law and explored the status of human rights in the United States, France and parts of francophone Africa.

 

Professional Associations and Memberships:

International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

Minnesota State Bar Association

Ramsey County Bar Association

Minnesota Women Lawyers

Warren E. Burger Inn of Court

Collaborative Law Institute

Qualified neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice

Co-Chair, Ramsey County Bar Association CLE Oversight Committee, St. Paul, MN (August 2002 - May 2006)

Honors and Awards:

Named “Rising Star” attorney in 2003, 2004, 2006 & 2008 by Law & Politics magazine

Volunteer/Pro Bono Activities:

Ramsey County District Court Pro Se Clinic

Chrysalis