Michigan Family Law Blog

There are many concerns that people have when they are faced with the breakdown of a relationship and the potential for divorce.  Everything in your life is subject to potential division and change, that includes the family cat.  Pets have become more and more a part of the family and are often c...

I have been practicing family law in Oakland County, Michigan since 1996.  It seems that more often than ever I am handling cases where one of the spouses in a divorce case has moved out of Michigan either for work or to pursue an online romance.  When this occurs I am often asked if the spouse t...

When it comes to a divorce, everyone faces a significant amount of uncertainty about their future.  People worry about how it will effect the kids, how it will effect their finances and where they will be able to live.  It becomes even more difficult for people to make the decision to file for divorce in times of economic or political uncertainty.  Frankly, if you are considering a divorce, you should meet with an attorney to discuss the issues regardless of the economy or the current political climate.

The issue of the marital home becomes more complicated when the parties have been separated for some time and one spouse has been living in the home and paying all the bills associated with the home including the mortgage.  This blog is written to broadly address how that issue is handled by the family law courts here in Michigan.

This blog is written to very broadly address where a parent should file for divorce if they have children and one of the parents resides in another country.  If you have specific questions, please contact us to schedule a consultation by clicking on this link or calling (248) 608-4123.

When a person gets divorced all of the property and debts will be divided equitably or roughly equally unless one spouse can prove that the property is their separate property and should not be subject to division.  I recently came across an interesting case that addressed this issue.  In that case, the divorce was dragging on for more than a year, the spouse's were separated and had separate bank accounts.  Before the divorce was finalized, one spouse hit the lottery and won several million dollars.  The winning spouse claimed that this should be considered his separate property and not surprisingly the other spouse claimed it should be considered marital property subject to division.  This blog is written to generally address what happens to lottery winnings or other property that is acquired by one spouse before they are fully divorced, if you have questions about your own situation and property division, please do not hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation by clicking on this ling or calling (248) 608-4123.

Many people seem to think that alimony is no longer around in Michigan but that is simply not true.  Alimony is called spousal support and it is alive and well in Michigan.  Very frankly, it is the biggest grey area in family law or divorce.  This blog is written to broadly address the factors the court may consider if a divorce goes to trial and which of those factors come into play most often when determining alimony.

Property division is one key aspect of virtually every divorce.  This includes all types of property, from personal property like jewelry, to real estate to retirement accounts.  This blog is written to very generally address the issue of taxes with regards to division of 401(k) plans/accounts, if you have questions regarding your retirement assets and divorce or separation, please do not hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation by clicking on this link or calling (248) 608-4123.

One aspect of divorce that seems to have become more prevalent in recent years, is the division of personal property such as family jewelry, gold or other personal property like photographic equipment or sports equipment.  This blog is written to very generally address what happens to personal property in a divorce or separation in Michigan, if you have specific questions about your own personal situation, please do not hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation by clicking on this link or calling (248) 608-4123.

This time of year everyone is getting ready to file their taxes which is never a fun time for anyone.  If you are considering a divorce, you might be wondering whether filing before or after April 15 will have any effect on your tax filing status.  This blog is written to very broadly address the issue of how starting a divorce case in Michigan may impact your tax filing status.

There are so many things that one must take into account when facing a divorce but one of the biggest is what will happen to the real property or real estate, such as the marital home, when you get divorced. 

If you are planning to get married this spring or summer, you are certainly thinking about the ceremonies and the celebration, but frankly the most important thing to consider is a prenuptial agreement.

In recent years, I have handled several divorce cases involving couples where one of the spouses has come out as transgender to the other spouse after being married for a matter of years.  Frankly, it is not an uncommon situation that the family courts handle in Oakland, Macomb and Genesee Counti...

If you are married and transitioning gender it can unfortunately lead to the breakdown of your marriage.  I have worked with many people in the LGBTQ+ community over the years and understand that this is a difficult reality one has to face.  This blog is written to very generally address the question of how the courts in Michigan; specifically, Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties, will handle a divorce case if one of the parties to the divorce is transitioning gender. 

Photo by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash The family court system in Michigan is designed to handle divorces between individuals without the need for having to state any fault or cause for the breakdown of the marriage.  All one really has to say is that there has been a breakdown of the marriage to t...

If you are facing a potential divorce or separation in Michigan and you have children, custody, parenting time and child support may be at the top of the list of concerns you have for the future.  Child support is based upon a formula that takes into account a number of factors including the pare...

Rising prices and other issues have made it more difficult recently for people to make ends meet and some may have to request a loan from a relative to handle the short-term financial issues.  Alternatively, you might be considering a divorce but do not have the full amount of money to handle the...

Sometimes when people are getting divorced, one person may think that they both agree on how to settle the case or both parties may actually agree on how to divide the property, handle custody, alimony and the other issues that must be addressed when people are divorcing.  In that case, I am ofte...

If you have chilidren and are considering a divorce or separation in Micihgan, one of your primary concerns will be the custody of the children.  This blog is written to broadly address the issue of custody in Michigan, if you have particular questions, please do not hesitate to contact us to sch...

If you are not married but you have a child or children, divorce may not be an issue, however if you separate from the other parent you will have to handle custody, parenting time and child support.  This blog broadly addresses the answer of what you should do with regards to these issues if you ...

The decision to file for divorce is not one to be taken lightly, however, if you have reached that point, then it is best to file sooner rather than later.  The divorce process is inentionally designed to be slow because the State's public policy is to encourage marriage and discourage people fro...

The thought of going through another holiday season with your spouse or their family may make you consider filing for divorce.  This blog generally addresses the issue of whether to wait to file a Complaint For Divorce until after Christmas. If you have specific questions, please click on this link to schedule a consultation.

This blog generally addresses whether day care expenses are included in child support in Michigan in cases where income is imputed to a parent that is not working "full-time" outside the home after the parents divorce or separate.

If you have children and you are considering divorce or separation; custody, parenting time and child support are likely your primary concerns going into the potential divorce or separation.  Child support is based upon a formula but that begs the question of what is included in the formula. The following blog is written to broadly address whether day care expenses are included in the Michigan Child Support Formula and how that impacts child support.

Regardless of your position on owning firearms, if you have a child, you should be aware of new legislation that took effect in 2024 which may have an impact on you.  There are possible criminal repercussion's and potential serious family law problems that could result as an unintentional violati...