Farhan Hassan

For twenty-five years, Farhan Hassan has crafted his practice around all areas of family law, including divorce and custody proceedings that have interstate and/or international complexities; complex divorce and child custody cases; temporary and permanent spousal maintenance; multi-million dollar estates involving business interests, real estate, fraud, concealed and/or dissipated assets, executive benefits, stock options, and trusts; and high-conflict custody cases with allegations of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, parental alienation, mental health complications, and third-party custody and parenting time petitions.

Mr. Hassan’s prosecutorial background in criminal law also make him a skilled Trial lawyer and a strong advocate for his clients. Mr. Hassan has appeared before numerous Trial Court judges throughout the seven-county metropolitan area at Trials, Motion hearings, and other contested hearings involving various facets of family law. Mr. Hassan has also successfully tried several jury Trials.

Mr. Hassan’s family law experience includes the following:

• Successfully litigating divorce issues, including complex property division and spousal maintenance;
• Successfully litigating numerous modifications of legal and physical custody, including emergency Motions;
• Successfully litigating numerous initial establishments of legal and physical custody;
• Successfully litigating and defending Emergency and Temporary Motions;
• Successfully litigating and defending Motions for Contempt;
• Successfully litigating numerous Motions to Compel Discovery;
• Successfully litigated divorce and custody disputes where one parent or party is in another country;
• Successfully obtaining numerous property settlement awards in complex, high-net worth, dissolution cases;
• Obtaining need-based and conduct-based attorney fee awards, of up to $50,000;
• Negotiating settlements involving privately held businesses and self-employed individuals;
• Successfully litigating and obtaining an award in excess of $300,000 in a case involving dissipation of assets;
• Successfully litigating and defending numerous Order for Protection cases, including custody and parenting time;
• Successfully representing individuals seeking out-of-state relocation;
• Successfully representing individuals opposing out-of-state relocation;
• Significant experience working in conjunction with financial planners in spousal maintenance cases; mental health professionals in custody/parenting time conflicts; and financial experts in cases involving business valuations and forensic accounting issues;
• Extensive experience in Motions for Amended Findings/New Trial, and Appeals to the Minnesota Court of Appeals;
• Successfully defending clients charged with sexual abuse;
• Extensive litigation in the areas of temporary and permanent spousal maintenance, establishment and modification of custody and parenting time, property settlement, allocation of debt and child support;
• Appeared in numerous Financial Early Neutral Evaluations and Social Early Neutral Evaluations on behalf of clients; and
• Successfully negotiated numerous settlements through Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mediation, SENE, FENE and/or settlement conferences).

Mr. Hassan represents a wide variety of individuals, including self-employed professionals, professional athletes, public figures, entrepreneurs, physicians, attorneys, engineers, and executives.

Mr. Hassan also has extensive experience in Motions for Amended Findings/New Trial, and representing clients at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He has successfully argued before the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and has obtained favorable decisions on behalf of his clients. Most recently, in December, 2022, Mr. Hassan successfully defended the Trial Court’s decision in the published case of Nelson v. Nelson. Other representative cases where Mr. Hassan has appeared before the Court of Appeals are as follows:

• Sommer v. Sommer, C7-02-179, filed July 16, 2002.
• Young v. Young, C9-02-104, filed June 4, 2002.
• Hennepin County v. Johnson, A06-938, filed January 16, 2007.
• Van Dyck v. Van Dyck, A06-442, filed February 20, 2007.
• In re the Paternity, Custody and Support of A.E.M.L. by J.D.E., and S.M.L.,A07-1207, filed July 1, 2008.
• Jessica Hafermann and obo PH, KH, and TH v. Kevin Hafermann, A10-591, filed January 4, 2011.
• Herath v. Herath, A18-0694, filed June 3, 2019.
• Nelson v. Nelson, 983 N.W. 2d 923 (Minn. Ct. App. 2022).

While Mr. Hassan strongly believes in attempting to cooperatively settle or mediate cases, he is also a zealous advocate when litigation is the only viable option. Mr. Hassan has received Financial Early Neutral Evaluation Training and Social Early Neutral Evaluation Training through the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Mr. Hassan has also received Mediation Training, and he is a Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. Mr. Hassan has also received Professional Development training for Negotiation Skills from the Harvard Division of Continuing Legal Education.

Mr. Hassan received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the William Mitchell College of Law in 1998. He is currently licensed to practice law in the State of Minnesota.

Mr. Hassan has also received a ranking of AV Preeminent^©, the highest rating of excellence in the Martindale-Hubbell^© Peer Review Ratings^TM, and has been listed in the “Rising Star” peer-reviewed legal ranking for several years. Mr. Hassan has also been listed in the “Super Lawyer” peer-reviewed legal ranking each year since 2014.

Mr. Hassan is also a member of the Minnesota ADR Ethics Board, a position that is appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court.