By FindAttorneys.org Editorial Team | Last reviewed: October 2026
Who She Is, in Brief
Jerilynn Brantner Adams is the managing partner of Vogel Law Firm and a family law attorney in its Fargo, North Dakota office. She joined the firm in 1995 and handles divorce, legal separation, paternity, child custody and support, post-judgment disputes, and prenuptial agreements. Best Lawyers has listed her for family law every year from 2010 through 2026.
Most family law clients come to a lawyer once, at one of the hardest points in their lives. Some come back years later, when a parenting schedule stops working or a support order no longer fits. Attorney Jerilynn Brantner Adams has handled both kinds of cases in Fargo for more than three decades, and that long view shapes how she approaches each new divorce or custody file.
This profile covers her background, the parts of North Dakota family law her practice centers on, and what people should understand before starting a divorce, a custody change, or a prenuptial agreement in the state.
Rooted in the Red River Valley
Adams grew up in Harwood, a small town just north of Fargo. She graduated magna cum laude from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1990, then earned her law degree with distinction from the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks in 1993.
She joined Vogel Law Firm in 1995 and has spent her entire career there, focusing on family law. Today she is the firm’s managing partner, overseeing a firm with offices in Fargo, Bismarck, and Moorhead while continuing her own client work. She is admitted in North Dakota and before the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota.
Courtroom Work and Negotiated Agreements
Her practice runs in two directions. She litigates complex divorce and legal separation cases, paternity actions, custody and parenting-time disputes, and child support actions when the parties can’t agree. She has also negotiated many divorce and custody agreements that kept families out of a contested trial.
Those two skills depend on each other. A settlement offer means more when the other side knows the lawyer is ready to try the case, and good trial preparation often reveals where agreement is possible. For more on how lawyers sort through those details early on, see our guide to how family law attorneys assess a case.
When the Divorce Is Over but the Dispute Isn’t
Part of her practice involves post-judgment matters: requests to change custody, parenting time, or child support after a divorce or paternity judgment is already in place. North Dakota makes those changes deliberately hard in the first two years.
Under N.D.C.C. § 14-09-06.6, in chapter 14-09 of the Century Code, a parent generally can’t ask to change primary residential responsibility until two years after the order, unless the parents agree in writing. Before then, a court can act only in limited situations, such as persistent and willful interference with parenting time, a home environment that may endanger the child, or the child having already lived with the other parent for more than six months.
After two years, the parent seeking the change must show a material change in circumstances and that the change is necessary for the child’s best interests. The court first decides on written filings whether that parent has made a prima facie case. If not, the motion is denied without a hearing. Preparing those filings well is often the difference between getting a hearing and not getting one.
Courts weigh the 13 best-interest factors in § 14-09-06.2, from each parent’s ability to meet the child’s needs to the stability of each home and, where the child is mature enough, the child’s preference. For a general overview of how judges approach these factors, see what courts consider in child custody decisions.
Prenuptial Agreements Under North Dakota’s Uniform Act
Adams also drafts prenuptial agreements. North Dakota governs them under the Uniform Premarital and Marital Agreements Act, N.D.C.C. chapter 14-03.2, which sets specific conditions for an agreement to hold up.
Under § 14-03.2-08, an agreement can be unenforceable if a party didn’t sign voluntarily, didn’t have reasonable access to an independent lawyer, didn’t receive adequate financial disclosure, or, without a lawyer, didn’t get a clear notice and plain-language explanation of the rights being waived. A court can also refuse to enforce a term that was unconscionable when signed, and no agreement can reduce a child’s right to support. Business owners have particular reasons to plan, as our guide to protecting a business with a prenuptial agreement explains.
Recognition and Bar Involvement
Adams has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for family law from 2010 through 2026, and she was named a Great Plains Super Lawyer from 2011 through 2020 and again from 2024 through 2026, according to her firm profile. She belongs to the family law sections of both the State Bar Association of North Dakota and the American Bar Association, as well as the Cass County Bar Association, and has spoken at domestic law seminars for other attorneys.
Before You File in North Dakota
- Check residency. Under N.D.C.C. § 14-05-17, in chapter 14-05, the person filing must have lived in North Dakota for six months before filing, or before the decree is entered.
- Expect an equitable split, not an even one. Under § 14-05-24, property and debts are divided equitably, which doesn’t always mean equally. Unless the parties agree otherwise, assets are generally valued as of 60 days before the first scheduled trial date.
- Gather financial records early. Collect tax returns, pay records, account statements, and debt records. Both sides will need them for property division and child support.
- Document parenting issues as they happen. If you hope to change custody later, keep records of missed exchanges, school issues, and communication. Post-judgment motions are decided first on paper.
Disclaimer
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with FindAttorneys.org, Jerilynn Brantner Adams, or Vogel Law Firm. Statutory summaries reflect the North Dakota Century Code at the time of writing; family law rules can change, and every case depends on its own facts. Speak with a licensed North Dakota attorney about your situation. FindAttorneys.org is an attorney directory, not a law firm.
About the Featured Attorney
Jerilynn Brantner Adams is the managing partner of Vogel Law Firm and practices family law from its Fargo, North Dakota office, where she has worked since 1995. She handles divorce, legal separation, paternity, custody, child support, post-judgment modifications, and prenuptial agreements. A graduate of Concordia College and the University of North Dakota School of Law, she has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for family law since 2010.
