About Doug Mentes, Esq.
Douglas Mentes is an alum of Drake University with a degree in journalism, who has covered news in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. He has a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law and ran his own law firm for more than 10 years in St. Paul, Minnesota, earning designation as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. He practiced in the areas of family law, real estate and probate, handling several successful appeals. He currently covers bankruptcy law for Thomson Reuters.
Articles written by Doug Mentes, Esq.
Finding a Minnesota Family Law Attorney You Can Trust
The questions to ask as you try to select a competent and honest lawyerThere are approximately 28,000 licensed attorneys in Minnesota alone. Those attorneys practice across different areas of law, but even when you narrow the field down to family law, it’s difficult to wade through the large pool of options. You want to hire the best experienced attorney, but determining which lawyers are among the elite is not easy. you may need a Minnesota super lawyer What should a consumer look for in family lawyers? Someone You Can Trust The Minnesota Rules of Professional …
What To Do if You Find Errors in a Credit Report
More than one in five Texans have them, but here’s where to seek helpThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the consumer watchdog for Americans. They released a study in 2012, which reported that, of the 200 million credit files maintained by the credit reporting agencies, 40 million Americans have inaccurate information in their credit files and 20 million have serious errors within their credit files. Credit report errors make consumers look riskier than they are, and can cost Americans thousands in losses, due to: lenders charging higher interest rates …
How to Prove Your Car is a Lemon
Indiana vehicle owners must meet strict requirements or risk losing out on reliefDriving a brand new motor vehicle should be enjoyable for any car owner, but some struggle with their new purchase and, instead, find their new car at the mechanic more than on the road. If new vehicle owners continue to experience car trouble after several visits to the mechanic, they may qualify for relief under the state lemon law. Is the Vehicle a Lemon? To be covered, a vehicle must: suffer a significant impairment to value, use or safety have an impairment that is not repairable by the …
How to Save a Pet from an Abusive Household
Minnesota courts and shelters offer protectionThere are 78 million dogs and 86 million cats owned in U.S. households, meaning 44 percent of homes have a dog, and 35 percent have a cat. When living in a home that is dealing with domestic abuse, pets can often get stuck in the middle. Research shows there is a correlation between abuse toward significant others and abuse toward animals. In fact, pet abuse has been identified as a predictor of domestic abuse; 71 percent of female domestic violence victims report that they witnessed animal …
Frustrated With a Vehicle Purchase?
Many Illinois automobile owners aren’t aware they may qualify for reliefMany Illinois vehicle owners simply grin and bear it while dealing with vehicle problems. Those car buyers may not understand that any breach of their warranty can be remedied for no cost or risk to themselves. In fact, a vehicle owner’s first step should be to contact an experienced Illinois consumer law attorney like Scott M. Cohen. “The biggest challenge we face is educating the public that we are out there,” he says. “We can help people in these situations because most people are …
Do I Need an Order of Protection or Harassment Restraining Order?
What victims of domestic violence in Minnesota need to knowIf you’re a victim of domestic abuse, harassment, you must understand your legal options to protect yourself and family members. The two forms of protection orders used statewide in Minnesota are the Order for Protection (OFP) and the Harassment Restraining Order (HRO). There are important differences between the two, and to ensure a victim gets the relief they need, they must understand these differences. Are You in an Intimate Relationship? The first difference is that an OFP is meant to …
Do You Need Comp Coverage for Your Employees?
With few exceptions, Florida employers are required to have workers’ compensation insuranceWorkers’ compensation coverage is insurance coverage purchased by the employer that provides benefits such as medical care and loss of wages to injured employees for job-related injuries. While some states have lenient requirements, chances are good that employers in the state of Florida must offer workers' compensation benefits. Except for some employers in the construction trade, Florida state law requires employers with four or more employees to carry appropriate workers' compensation …
Should I Get My Custody Agreement Signed By a Judge?
Unmarried parents in Minnesota with non-binding custody agreements put themselves at riskIn an effort to avoid having to obtain a child custody order or potentially rocking the boat, many unmarried parents co-parent their children based on verbal parenting agreements. For most parents, however, it’s not a matter of “if” an issue arises, but “when.” And when a dispute does arise during the child’s youth, many parents—especially fathers—wish they had a child custody agreement signed by a judge. The Child Custody Laws Under Minnesota law, the mother-child relationship …
How to Sell Your House Without an Agent
Consider hiring a real estate attorney insteadMany home sellers hire a real estate agent for their home sale, and it may be the safest and easiest route for some. But selling a home isn’t complicated for all sellers. And if it isn’t for you, you can protect yourself by working with an attorney at a cost that is often much less than an agent’s commission fee. Why Sell Your Home Yourself? Sellers can save up to 6 percent of the sale price. Even if a seller offers a 3 percent commission to the buyer’s agent, a seller still stands to …
Who Gets To Choose the Kids’ School if the Parents Are Unmarried?
It's a difficult decision for the court to make with joint custody in MinnesotaSchool choice is a major decision to resolve for unmarried parents. Many of these parents live in different school districts from each other, or have different ideas regarding their child’s education. If parents share joint legal custody and still disagree, there is no simple solution. What Is the Legal Custody of a Child Designation? If there is a legal custody agreement in place, the analysis begins there. In Minnesota, legal custody means the right to determine the child’s upbringing, …
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