Atty. Gary A. Debele | Attorney

EMPLOYMENT

Walling, Berg & Debele, P.A. Minneapolis, Minnesota
President. January 2001- Present.
Shareholder. January 1996 - Present.
Associate Attorney. September 1991 - December 1995.

Practice devoted exclusively to all aspects of adoption, assisted reproductive technology services, family law and juvenile law in state, federal, and tribal courts; professional licensing board investigations; appeals in all of these areas of practice; and estate planning, including pre-nuptial, post-nuptial, and cohabitation agreements. Practice also includes mediation in all of these areas.

Family and Civil Mediator registered with the Minnesota Supreme Court and Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice.

Certified Adoption Mediator, American Academy of Adoption Attorneys.

Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America since 2001.

Repeatedly designated as a "Super Lawyer" in the Law & Politics survey of lawyers who are tops in their field. This designation has included being named a "Top 40" family law attorney and appellate attorney since 2003, a "Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyer" since 2005, and a "Top 10 Minnesota Super Lawyer" in 2007 (lists of the top 100 and 10 lawyers respectively in Minnesota from all areas of practice).

University of Minnesota Law School. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Adjunct Instructor. September 1993 - May 1995.

Instructor to first-year law students in legal research, legal writing, and appellate advocacy.

Mahoney, Walling & Kelley, P.A. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Associate Attorney. August 1989 - August 1991.

General practice of law consisting of civil and commercial litigation, family law, adoption, debtor-creditor and bankruptcy, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, appellate practice, probate and estate planning, and real estate.

Minnesota Court of Appeals. St. Paul, Minnesota
Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Edward J. Parker. August 1988 - July 1989.

Responsibilities included legal research, drafting of memoranda, citation checking, editorial work, and review of appellate record.

District Court of Minnesota, Third Judicial District. Rochester, Minnesota
Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable O. Russell Olson and the Honorable Lawrence E. Agerter, Aug 1987 - July 1988.

Responsibilities included attendance at motion hearings and trials, legal research, drafting of legal memoranda and orders, and chair of Olmsted County Law Library Committee.

MEDIA APPEARANCES

WCCO Radio. Presentation and question and answer program regarding interstate custody disputes. Minneapolis, Minnesota (1995).

Minnesota Public Radio. Interview regarding the Minnesota Birth Fathers Adoption Registry. St. Paul, Minnesota (1997).

Channel 6, (local cable television) Presentation on Minnesota Birth Fathers Adoption Registry, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1997).

Metro Cable Network. Participation in the "Meet Your Court" program on the topic of "Access to Justice," with a focus on dealing with unrepresented litigants and unbundled legal services. (December 21, 2005).

Cited in articles appearing in Minnesota Lawyer, Mpls./St.Paul Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, and The Star Tribune .

SELECTED UNPUBLISHED APPELLATE COURT DECISIONS

Velasco v. Velasco, 1990 WL 115179 (Minn. App. 1990)

Olson v. Olson, 1991 WL 34683 (Minn. App. 1991) (spousal maintenance)

Pew v. Hope Intern. Family Services, Inc., 1992 WL 25434 (Minn. App.1992) (wrongful adoption)

Wybrow v. Wybrow, 1992 WL 71992 (Minn. App. 1992) (spousal maintenance)

Matter of Welfare of Y.B., 1992 WL 89650 (Minn. App. 1992) (contested adoption and CHIPS)

Evans v. Getty, 1992 WL 160849 (Minn. App. 1992) (domestic abuse)

Aitkin County Family Service Agency on Behalf of Landmeyer v. Demenge, 1993 WL 99453 (Minn. App. 1993) (custody)

Huneke v. Huneke, 1994 WL 111094 (Minn. App. 1994) (spousal maintenance)

In re the Marriage of Long v. Long, 1995 WL 465610 (Minn. App. 1995) (child support)

In re G.J.S., n/k/a G.J.C., 1995 WL 673386 (Minn. App. 1995) (custody)

In re Marriage of Heffelfinger v. Heffelfinger, 1996 WL 453562 (Minn. App. 1996) (spousal maintenance)

In re the Marriage of Schumacher v. Schumacher, 1996 WL 469341 (Minn. App. 1996) (dissolution)

Lofstrom v. Lofstom, 1997 WL 118121 (Minn. App. 1997) (spousal maintenance)

Knapp v. Knapp, 1997 WL 118142 (Minn. App. 1997) (domestic abuse)

In re Termination of Parental Rights of Edward Landt to J.J. L., 1997 WL 207601(Minn. App. 1997) (termination of parental rights)

Wilkie v. Wilkie, 1998 WL 113949 (Minn. App. 1998) (marriage dissolution)

Schultz v. Minnesota Bd. Of Psychology, 1999 WL 1101219 (Minn. App. 1999) (denial of psychology license)

In re the Welfare of L.A.M., 1999 WL 1216461 (Minn. App. 1999 )( termination of parental rights)

Smith v. Carlson, 2000 WL 760437 (Minn. App. 2000) (custody)

Ramsey County v. Bulman, 2000 WL 1617763 (Minn. App. 2000) (child support)

Musty v. Musty, 2001 WL 826956 (Minn. App. 2001) (spousal maintenance)

In the Matter of the Custody of N.A.K., 2001 WL 1568752 (Minn. App. 2001) (third-party custody).

Ford v. Mostaghimi, 2002 WL 46996 (Minn. App. 2002) (child support in a paternity matter)

E.S.K. for Herself and on Behalf of the Minor Children, D.J.K., S.L.K, and A.S.K,. v. M.S.K., 2002 WL 979754 (Minn. App. 2002) (domestic abuse).

Lemtouni v. Lemtouni, 2003 WL 21321830 (Minn. App. 2003) (child support).

In re Adoption of D.Z.S., 2004 WL 2050095 (Minn. App. 2004), rev. denied (Minn. Dec. 14, 2004) (adoption).

Foster v. Foster, 2007 WL 1893238 (Minn. App. 2007) (spousal maintenance).

In re P.L., 2007 WL 4564169 (Minn. App. 2007)(adoption).

Boland v. Murtha, _____ WL _____ (Minn. App. 2008) (child support).

Hubbard County Health & Human Services v. Zacher , 2009 WL 3364256 (Minn. App. 2009)(child support).

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Married and the parent of one child

1980 Honors graduate of Cloquet Senior High School, Cloquet, Minnesota.

Selected to represent Cloquet Senior High School in the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans, Washington, D.C.

Recipient of Century III Leadership Award, Cloquet Senior High School, Cloquet, Minnesota.

Junior Rotarian in Cloquet; Recipient of Junior Rotarian Scholarship

Research Assistant, Carlton County Historical Society, Cloquet, Minnesota

Member of Wayzata Community Church (Congregational), Wayzata, Minnesota

Member of Lafayette Club, Minnetonka Beach, Minnesota

Member of Saint Olaf College Liberal Arts and the Law Committee

Member of Masterworks Chorale of Augsburg College

Former Piano Student and Current Voice Student, MacPhail Center for the Arts

Participant in KARE 11 Bike Classic, Summer 1988 (150 mile bike-a-thon for the benefit of St. Paul Children's Hospital)

Volunteer attorney with "Partners for Students Program" at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota High School, Spring 1999, (a curriculum adjunct to teach family law and relationship skills)

Member, Board of Directors, Beacon Academy (charter school), Plymouth, Minnesota (2005 to 2006).