Tara L. Smith Ruesga
Year Joined Firm
- 2008
Areas of Practice
- 100% Family Law
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 2009
Education
- William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, Minnesota
- Juris Doctor - 2009
- Honors: Minnesota Justice Foundation/Achievement in Volunteer Public Service
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- Bachelor of Arts (Summa Cum Laude) - 2006
- Major: English Honors
- Normandale Community College, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Associate of Arts - 2003
- Honors: Highest Honors; Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Published Works
- Cooperative or Collaborative Practice Models; Using ADR to Meet Clients' Needs for Unbundling, Family Advocate (ABA Section of Family Law), Vol. 35, No. 2, Fall, 2012
- Cooperative Practice: The Flexible ADR Framework, co-authored with Lisa J. Kallemeyn, Esq., Family Law Forum ( A Publication of the Minnesota State Bar Association Family Law Section, Bol. 19, No. 3, Spring/Summer, 2011
- She Is Strong, She Is Invincible, and She Outearns Him: Husbands Seeking Spousal Maintenance in the Modern Era, Family Law Forum, Vol. 18, No. 3, Summer, 2013
Classes/Seminars
- The Nuts and Bolts of Cooperative Practice, co-presented with Terryl Johnson, CDFA and Becca Wong, Esq., Cooperative Practice Network of Minnesota, April 17, 2013 - Present
- Cooperative Practice: The Flexible ADR Framework, co-presented with Lisa J. Kallemeyn, Esq. and R. Leigh Frost, Esq., Minnesota CLE Webcast, November 10, 2012 - Present
- Cooperative Practice: The Flexible ADR Framework, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) - Minnesota Chapter, November 2, 2012 - Present
- Introduction of Family Law - Law and the Legal Process Course, Metro State University, October 11, 2012 - Present
- Cooperative Practice: The Flexible ADR Framework, Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Section, October 8, 2011 - Present
- Cooperative Practice: The Flexible ADR Framework, co-presented with Lisa J. Kallemeyn, Esq., Ramsey County Bar Association, September 30, 2011 - Present
- She is Strong, She is Invincible, and She Outearns Him, Ramsey County Bar Association, December 22, 2010 - Present
- Participation Agreements and Informed Consent: How to Get Your Cooperative Agreement in Writing, Cooperative Practice Network of Minnesota, December 1, 2010 - Present
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Member, 2010 - Present
- Cooperative Practice Network, Founding Member, 2009 - Present
- Minnesota Women Lawyers, Member, 2010 - Present
- American Bar Association, Member, 2009 - Present
- Minnesota State Bar Assocation, Member, 2009 - Present
- Hennepin County Bar Association, Member, 2009 - Present
- Hennepin County Bar Association, Family Law Section, Member, 2009 - Present
- Ramsey County Bar Association, Member, 2009 - Present
Past Employment Positions
- Law Office of Thomas T. Inkelaar, Omaha, Nebraska, Law Clerk, 2008
- Stewart D. Walker, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota, Manufacturers' Representative and Office Manager, 1997 - 2009
Pro Bono Activities
- Guardian ad Litem, 2nd Judicial District, Ramsey County, Minnesota, 2007 - 2008
