Blog

Anatomy of Divorce

Counseling Choosing an attorney Role of the attorney Filing for divorce Ex-parte or temporary orders Children and who will have custody Legal Physical
Read more... [Anatomy of Divorce]

The Michigan Economy and Divorce

We are presently going through some very rough economic times. A lot of people are thinking about a divorce, but cannot afford it. There are others who want a divorce, but are looking for ways to keep costs to a minimum, especially with regard to attorney fees. Here at Family Law of Michigan, we are prepared to work with people who are looking for a cost effective way of resolving marital problems.

Nine Ways to Survive a Divorce Financially Intact

9. Find out as much about your financials as possible before you file a divorce, so that there will be no surprises.

8. Try to find out as much as possible about your job security and if you aren’t employed, see what your options are for employment.

Nine Ways to Survive a Child Custody Dispute

9. See if there is some way to talk to the other parent, face to face, to resolve issues involving custody and parenting time before you start litigation.

8. Make sure you have a thorough understanding of the Child Custody Act and the Twelve Factors of the Best Interests of the Child Statute. Try to be as objective as possible, and weigh yourself and the other parent step-by-step through the twelve factors to determine whether or not you have a legitimate case for full custody or shared custody.

Nine Ways to Stay out of Court in 2009

9. Before taking any legal action, communicate with your spouse.

8. See if the marriage can be saved through counseling.

7. Try to resolve as many issues as possible, first of all through mediation, or using the collaborative process, which is where you each have independent attorneys, but you do not file until everything is settled. There is an article on collaborative law elsewhere on this site that explains the collaborative process in more detail, but it is a win-win situation for everyone.

Nine Ways to Deal with the Legal System in Tough Economic Times

9. Once your divorce is filed, find out as much as you can about the judge.

8. Stay out of court as much as possible because court appearances are costly, not only financially, but also from an emotional standpoint. Judges will not know you or your case unless you are in a situation where you are in court every week on motions or hearings, and often the judge will be getting a very negative impression of you.

7. Make sure that you and your attorney are well prepared before you go to court. Floundering around in court can create a bad impression, and is also costly.

Nine Michigan Child Support Issues in 2009

9. How is child support determined? This varies from state to state, but normally it is a formula that looks at the income of both parents, the amount of time that the child or children spend with each parent, and then a computer formula is run to come up with the appropriate amount of child support.
Read more... [Nine Michigan Child Support Issues in 2009]

Nine Issues Regarding Domestic Violence in 2009

Domestic violence is on the rise, especially with people losing their jobs, losing their incomes, and facing a drastic reduction in lifestyle as is happening too frequently in ‘09. The following are nine issues to consider with regard to domestic violence:

9. Domestic violence consists of physical abuse, and if there is physical abuse, call the police at once.

8. Domestic violence includes using economic abuse. This can include preventing someone from getting, keeping, or leaving a job, damaging someone’s credit rating, making a spouse ask for money, destroying checkbooks, credit cards, money or property, giving a spouse an allowance. Domestic violence can include using coercion or threats. Threats are statements which promise negative consequences for certain behaviors or actions; for example, I’ll kill you if you ever leave me.”

Nine Key Parenting Time/Visitation Issues in 2009

9. How specific a schedule do you need for parenting time/visitation? The better your communication and the older your children, the less specificity that you need.

8. What is the typical schedule? The typical, traditional schedule has been alternate weekends from Friday until Sunday, along with alternate holidays consisting of Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter, sometimes New Years, Mother's Day with mom and Father's Day with dad, sometimes alternating or sharing the children's birthdays and the children having the parent's birthday with each parent, along with any other visitation/parenting time that is agreed to between the parties.

Nine Ways To Communicate WIth Your Michigan Family Law Attorney

9. Call your attorney, but not every day.

8. Communicate with your attorney by e-mail, but don't abuse it.

7. Of course you can communicate with your attorney by fax.

6. Communicate by snail-mail. Bear in mind that this is a good way to communicate if there are several issues to be raised, but it is also a slow way to do so.

More Articles...