Bloch & Whitehouse, P.A.

Focus and the shape of the practice

Bloch & Whitehouse, P.A. is a family law firm in Bloomington, Minnesota. The firm limits its work to divorce and family law, and it says so plainly across its pages. That focus is worth noting at the start, because a firm that takes only family matters tends to see the same issues day after day.

The client base sits in the Twin Cities. The firm serves people in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the wider metro area. In my opinion, that geographic clarity helps a reader decide quickly whether the firm fits their situation.

What the divorce work covers

Divorce sits at the center of the practice, and the firm names several types it handles. These include high-asset divorce, cases involving a business owner, contested divorce and uncontested divorce. The range suggests the firm is set up for both straightforward splits and ones with harder financial questions.

Alongside the divorce itself, the firm handles the money side of ending a marriage. That work covers property and debt division, the division of retirement accounts, and spousal maintenance. Prenuptial agreements are part of the practice too, which points to work done before a marriage as well as during a separation.

For high-asset and business owner cases, the financial detail can get involved. Splitting a retirement account or valuing a stake in a company is not the same as dividing a checking account. The firm listing these as distinct areas tells a reader it expects that kind of complexity.

Matters involving children

A large part of family law concerns children, and the firm covers that ground. It handles child custody and parenting time, along with child support. When circumstances change, it also handles modifications to existing arrangements.

The firm reaches past parents as well. It takes on grandparents' rights and third-party custody, which are matters that come up when someone other than a parent seeks a role in a child's life. Those cases can be delicate, and it helps that the firm names them directly rather than folding them into a general custody heading.

How disputes get resolved

Not every family case belongs in a courtroom, and the firm offers several routes that stay outside one. It provides mediation, collaborative law and Early Neutral Evaluation. These are structured ways to reach agreement without a trial.

The credentials behind that work are specific. Both attorneys are family mediators and qualified neutrals under Rule 114, the Minnesota rule that governs alternative dispute resolution. Both are also members of the Collaborative Law Institute. As a reviewer, I read that as a sign the out-of-court options are more than a line on a menu.

The firm does not stop at settlement, though. It represents clients in court when a case needs that. So a reader weighing mediation against litigation can consider a firm that offers both under one roof.

Why the two tracks matter together

Some family disputes settle. Others do not. A firm that can move between a negotiated process and a contested hearing gives a client room to change course if talks break down. That flexibility is one of the more practical things this listing shows.

The two attorneys

The firm is run by Ashley Bloch and Cortney E. Whitehouse. Both have practiced family law since 2001, so each brings the same long stretch of time in the same field. The firm name reflects that pairing.

Ashley Bloch works with individuals and families across the Twin Cities on a range of family law issues, including divorce. Her practice has run since 2001. The site keeps the description tied to the work itself rather than to titles or accolades.

Cortney E. Whitehouse graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2001 and has practiced divorce and family law exclusively since that time. She is a Qualified Family Mediator under Rule 114. That exclusive focus lines up with the firm's stated approach of taking only family matters.

What a prospective client can expect

The firm offers free initial consultations, which lets someone talk through a situation before committing. It accepts Visa and MasterCard for payment. These are small details, but they answer the sort of practical question people ask early on.

Reading the practice as a whole, a picture forms of a small firm with a single subject. Two attorneys, both practicing since 2001, both trained as neutrals, both members of the same collaborative institute. In my opinion, that consistency is the clearest thread running through the listing.

For someone in the Twin Cities facing a divorce, a custody question or a prenuptial agreement, the firm covers the common ground and some of the harder corners, such as business valuations and retirement account division. It also gives a choice between settling and going to court. Those are the facts the firm puts forward, and they give a reader enough to decide whether to book that first consultation.