Monster Judgment and Decree

The Stipulated Judgment and Decree in a marital dissolution matter, otherwise known as the "Monster" Judgment and Decree, is the product of remarkable collaboration among Minnesota family law attorneys.

Initial Draft

Spearheaded by family law attorney Dana McKenzie, more than twenty family law attorneys met at the Minneapolis office of Gray Plant Mooty in 2008 to share their own J&D provisions, suggest edits, and to provide new language and clauses that did not already appear in a working draft of the document. By the end of 2008, Dana McKenzie's office produced a lengthy document with numerous alternative clauses, and it is now commonly referred to as the "Monster" Judgment and Decree.

McKenzie shared it with the collaborating attorneys, and the document is now freely available to most attorneys throughout Minnesota, either here on practicelaw or shared informally by e-mail. It is also the Stipulated Judgment and Decree available in mndocs, the MSBA's document automation system.

Current Revisions

In 2009, practicelaw staff began a first revision of the Monster J&D, concentrating primarily on formatting and editing, though staff recommended and made some substantive changes. Today, practicelaw maintains a working copy of the document and reviews it quarterly for additional revisions, with the next review scheduled for summer 2011. Accordingly, comments about the content, format, or any aspect of the Judgement and Decree are always welcome and can be shared below.

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