Stefan Otterson

Stefan Otterson has lived and practiced law in Anchorage since 1988. Stefan lived and worked in Europe for three years before attending the University of Utah, graduating suma cum laude in 1984. He received both an MBA and Law Degree from the University of Utah schools of Business and Law in 1988. Stefan started out in private commercial legal practice, but joined the Attorney General’s Office in 1990. There he was a child protection and juvenile delinquency prosecutor, and also represented the Divisions of Public Safety, Mental Health, and Medicaid. Since 2000 Stefan has practiced family law in courts all over Southcentral, Southwest and Northwest Alaska. Stefan is also trained in mediation and collaborative law, and has been a mediator for the court system, and a child advocate (guardian ad litem).

Family Law

Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law

Arbitration & Mediation

Business - Arbitration/Mediation, Consumer - Arbitration/Mediation, Family - Arbitration/Mediation

Divorce

Collaborative Law, Contested Divorce, Military Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce

Juvenile Law

Appeals & Appellate

Civil Appeals, Federal Appeals

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, Victims Rights , Victims Rights

• Adoption
• Collaborative Law
• Collaborative Divorce
• Child Abuse & Neglect
• OCS Relative Placement

• Credit Cards Accepted

Alaska

Since 1988

Otterson Law & Mediation, P.C.

Current

University of Utah

MBA (1988)

1984 - 1988

Honors: Wm & Opal Fields Scholarship

The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

J.D. (1988)

1984 - 1988

University of Utah

B.A. (1984) | English with writing emphasis, German minor

1980 - 1984

Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Activities: Graduation speaker, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi

Alaska State Bar  # 8811198

Member

Current

Alaska Association of Collaborative Professionals

Member

2008 - Current

Adoptive Parent Training, Quarterly Adoptive Parent Workshops, Anchorage

Catholic Social Services

Legal portion of adoptive parent training

Adoptive Parent Training, Quarterly Adoptive Parent Workshops, Anchorage

March 12, 2017

Catholic Social Services

Legal portion of adoptive parent training

Q. Grandmother adopted children from OCS can mother live there after her parental rights were terminated

December 29, 2022

A: As the adoptive parent, the grandmother has the legal right to make all decisions for the child, including who is around the child. So the unfit bio mother being there is not in itself a problem. However, like all parents, the grandmother could lose her parental rights just like the mother did. If she leaves the child unsupervised with the bio mother and something bad happens, then OCS will have good reason to take action, including possible removal of the child from the grandmother/adoptive mother's care. Depending on how bad the bio mother's troubles were, just leaving the child with her unsupervised might, in itself, be considered too risky. If a report were filed with OCS, and their investigation found the child had been harmed or exposed to unreasonable risk of harm, they could open a new Child In Need of Aid case.

Q. If my grandkids in Michigan are removed from their mother's care, her wish is to have them sent to me in Alaska.

December 3, 2021

A: It sounds like the kids are already in the custody of the state in Michigan. That means you will have to work with their Child Protective Services office (CPS). Ask your daughter for the contact information for the assigned social worker and contact that person to let them know you are requesting placement with you. Michigan can't send a child to another state without the other state's permission, so there's a complicated process that has to occur before the move can be made. You'll need to keep the pressure on the social worker to start that process immediately, and to follow through. Then you'll need to cooperate fully, providing any information or documentation that's requested without delay. If the CPS social worker doesn't move quickly enough, you may need to hire an attorney in Michigan to find out if court intervention would help. There is an expedited process that requires a court order, and state agencies are never motivated to do all the work required to get that order. You may have other rights under Michigan law, for which you'd need to consult a Michigan attorney with CPS experience.

Q. I'm in a divorce with no underage children. I have a question about emotional abuse and mediation:

September 24, 2021

A: 1. The reason for the divorce is generally not relevant to property division. 2&3. In Alaska, mediation is always voluntary. The court will order mediation if the parties both agree it would be useful, but would probably not do so if one party tells the court that emotional abuse is a concern. (However, mediation can sometimes be useful even in high conflict situations. You would need to let the mediator know the history of emotional abuse, and you might ask that the mediator not put the two of you together, but rather shuttle back and forth between you.) Even if the court ordered mediation, the only obligation is to show up and make an effort. Either party can pull the plug at any time if it's not productive. The judge generally doesn't get details of why a mediation failed to conclude, so that wouldn't count against you.