Ruta Johnsen

Ruta is an attorney at Henschel Moberg, PA. Ruta is a devoted advocate for her clients and their children. Ruta’s practice includes areas of marriage dissolution, custody and parenting time matters, child support, paternity, spousal maintenance, international family law, international parental child abduction matters, and appeals. Ruta’s background in child protection and juvenile justice gives her a distinctive perspective in working with families going through a variety of family transitions such as dissolution, custody disputes and child protection proceedings. Ruta thoroughly enjoys working on international family law matters such as international child abductions, and jurisdictional challenges. Ruta was born and raised in Lithuania, and as such, has first-hand understanding of the unique and complex issues of foreign nationals. Ruta graduated from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law where she was a recipient of the Student Award of Merit. She is admitted to practice in the state of Minnesota and Federal District Court, District of Minnesota, where she has handled The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction matters.
Outside of the office, Ruta enjoys traveling, her dog, and spending time with her family and friends.

Education

• Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Juris Doctor – May 2016
• University of Alaska-Anchorage, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2007

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Hennepin County Bar Association
• Family Law League

Honors and awards

• Super Lawyers Rising Star 2018 – 2023
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, recognized since 2021 in Family Law
• Student Award of Merit, May 2016

Published works

• Author, Minnesota Custody and Child Support Deskbook – Custody Modification and Relocation in Minnesota, Chapter 14, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, 2017 – 2022
• Co-Author, Family Law: A Global Guide from Practical Law – Family Law in the United States: Minnesota, 2019 – 2022
• Author, Legal Stuff – Marriage and Family Chapter, 2017

Representative cases

• Fehr v. Fehr, No. A22-0412, 2022 WL 17574692 (Minn. Ct. App. Dec. 12, 2022)
• Kaml v. Skarphol-Kaml, No. A21-1234, 2022 WL 2794024 (Minn. Ct. App. July 18, 2022)
• Briggs v. Briggs, No. A19-1156, 2020 WL 6266354 (Minn. Ct. App. Oct. 26, 2020)
  In re M.L.H., No. A19-0092, 2019 WL 6835977 (Minn. Ct. App. Dec. 16, 2019)
• Foss v. Topel, No. A18-1849, 2019 WL 4009155 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug. 26, 2019)
• Burdette v. Raiche, No. A18-0626, 2018 WL 5780443 (Minn. Ct. App. Nov. 5, 2018)
• Amarreh v. Amarreh, No. A18-0198, 2018 WL 3826604 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug. 13, 2018)
• In re Welfare of Child. of S. S., No. A16-0270, 2016 WL 4421494 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug. 22, 2016)
• In re Welfare of J.L.C., No. A15-1723, 2016 WL 1397245 (Minn. Ct. App. Apr. 11, 2016)

Classes and Seminars

• Co-Presenter, International Family Law: How to Approach 5 Common Issues, Family Law Institute 2023
• Speaker, Handling Ethical Issues in Family Law Practice, Fundamentals of Legal Assisting in Minnesota, 2023
• Adjunct Professor, Mitchel Hamline School of Law, Trauma-Informed Advocacy: Survivor-Focused Advocacy, 2019 – current
• Co-Presenter, Child Custody: Custody Modification and Relocation In Minnesota, Minnesota CLE Webcast Seminar, February 2022
• Co-Presenter, Managing High Conflict Family Cases, First District Judge’s Clerks, February 12, 2021
• Co-Presenter, The Hague Case Has Been Decided. Now What? AFCC 56th Annual Conference, The Future of Family Justice: International Innovations, Toronto Canada 2019
• Co-Presenter, 10 Mistakes New Attorneys Make in Their Practice and How to Avoid Them, 2018
• Moderator, What All Family Lawyers Should Know about CHIPs Cases. Family Law Institute 2018
• Speaker, Handling Ethical Issues in Family Law Practice, Minnesota Family Law Practice for Paralegals, 2018
• Presenter, “Global Implications at the End of the Road: Anticipating, Recognizing, and Dealing with International Legal Issues in Family Law Matters.” July 13, 2017

Pro Bono Activities/ Community and professional involvement

• Children’s Law Center
• Open World Learning Community Mock Trial Coach
• OWL Athletic Booster Club board member