Michigan Family Law Blog

There are many issues in any divorce case including the division of property, division of debt, alimony or spousal support and in cases where there are minor children there is custody, parenting time and child support.  This blog is intended to broadly address the issue of which parent should pay...

Going through a divorce is a very difficult time for anyone and can be particularly difficult for spouses with children.  The issues of custody, parenting time and child support can be some of the most difficult issues you will have to handle in your entire life.  One question that should be addr...

When you are considering a divorce, there is a lot of anxiety about a wide variety of issues.  Because the divorce process is often slow and takes time, one consideration that concerns many people in this situation is how they will pay their bills while the divorce case is proceeding.  That is ho...

In many divorce cases there can be a lot of "he said, she said" regarding threats or admissions by one of the spouses.  Typically these types of conversatinos take place between the spouses  privately without any witnesses which leaves it up to the judge to make a decision who is lying based upon...

Going through a divorce will most likely have some effect on nearly every aspect of your life.  This includes not only your finances and savings but potentially how much time you will get to spend with your children.  One issue that often comes up is "what will happen to an inheritance in a divor...

For people that have minor children, the biggest concern they have when preparing to file for a divorce or custody proceeding is custody, parenting time and child support.  The concerns become that much greater when there is no trust between the parents or one of the parents has issues with drugs...

There are many issues to consider when you're contemplating a potential divorce or separation.  One thing that comes to mind for many people is what will happen to their health insurance, particularly if they are self-employed or home-makers who have their insurance through their spouse's employe...

Prenuptial agreements are commonly used to protect the assets and/or income of one or both parties to a marriage.  Sometimes after the parties to a prenuptial have been married for a long period of time, it can seem unfair to one spouse to enforce the contract as it is written.  This leads to the...

There are many aspects to a divorce including child custody, child support, alimony or spousal support as it is known in Michigan, division of debts and property division as well.  This blog is intended to address the limited question of how family law courts in this State will handle an IRA when...

Family law matters are considered to be within the purview of the State government as opposed to the Federal government.  To determine in which state and which circuit court you should file for a divorce is a question of jurisdiction and venue.  Jurisdiction for a divorce matter is what gives the...

When considering a divorce, issues concerning the children are often the primary consideration.  In some cases, there are multiple concerns about custody, parenting time and child support while in others these can worked out relatively smoothly with counsel.  In the case of young children, childc...

When you are considering a divorce or separation from your spouse there are so many things to think about it can be overwhelming.  There are custody and parenting time issues to determine, calculation of child support, potential spousal support, property division and debt division.  This blog is ...

One of the problems with going through a divorce is that it is a slow process and the Michigan legislature has designed it to be that way.  This means that many spouses must continue to reside in the marital home while the divorce case is proceeding.  Many people have asked me whether this can be...

Yes, a valid prenuptial agreement is really the only way to protect yourself from alimony or "spousal support" as it is called in Michigan.  I have been practicing family law in Michigan since 1996 and I am divorced myself.  One conclusion I have reached after handling literally thousands of divo...

There are many concerns for people that are planning a wedding, the venue for the reception, guest lists, seating arrangements, paying for it all and many other things to consider.  A wise thing to consider for many people getting married is a prenuptial agreement or contract.  These contracts ar...

Typically, when you file for divorce, the court will issue an ex parte order to maintain the financial status quo.  This generally means that both parties will continue to pay their bills and handle the finances in the same way that they did during the marriage until the divorce is finalized.  Th...

There are so many different considerations to account for when you have children and are considering a divorce.  One concern that sometimes comes up is traveling internationally or out of the state with the children to see family for the holidays or anytime really.  This blog will address how the...

Custody and more accurately, parenting time schedules in Michigan generally refer to parental rights with regards to a minor child and with whom a minor child will be at any given time during a week or weekend.  There are many different types of parenting time schedules that might be utilized dep...

There are so many things to think about when there's a chance you might file for divorce.  How will property be divided, custody be decided, is alimony an issue and on.  One set of questions that sometimes comes up is "Will I have to stay in the marital home with my soon to be ex-spouse until the divorce is finalized or can I move out?". 

Filing for divorce will most likely have a major effect on many aspects of your life, including division of property and debts, custody and parenting time of the children, alimony or spousal support and many other issues.  When dealing with the property division, all property must be divided, eve...

Filing for divorce is a big decision to say the least and there are many considerations that go into fling a divorce.  One consideration that comes up this time of year is whether you should wait to file for divorce until after the holiday season or the start of the new year to file for divorce.

When it gets toward the end of the year, some of us start thinking about filing taxes and thinking about whether we will have to make additional payments or are we going to be getting some money back?  If you or your spouse is considering filing for divorce as well (two pleasant topics), then tha...

Michigan is a No-Fault Divorce State Most people who live in Michigan are aware that Michigan is a no-fault divorce state but what does that mean?  The term "no-fault" in Michigan is really a response to issues that existed within the old fault based system.  In the former system, you had to pro...

Whether you have a lot of assets and children or no assets and no children, divorce is hard. When it breaks down, in most cases, you don't have to prove one spouse was at fault. No-fault divorces are the most common type of divorce today as opposed to fault-based divorces. To have the divorce app...

When one is faced with the prospect of a divorce, there are a lot of questions and uncertainty.  One question that often comes up in divorce cases, is whether one spouse will be able to keep the marital home after the divorce.  The answer is most often yes, if that spouse can afford it.  There ar...