Q: I Am Thinking About Filing For Divorce After the Holidays.  Is There Anything I Should Do Now?

When you're getting divorced in Michigan, there can be many different issues to resolve.  Almost all cases will involve the division of property and debt.  How property is titled or held or whom incurred a debt may not make any difference in a divorce case.  Instead, we basically have to categorize the property as marital or separate, then the marital property will be divided roughly evenly.  The separate property requires deeper analysis.  The same is true for the debts of either party.

If there are children, then issues of legal custody, physical custody, parenting time and child support will have to be sorted out.  A good divorce lawyer should be able to bring-up a variety of different options for the parenting time or visitation schedule for you to consider before you file your case.  The attorney should also be able to at least provide some rudimentary determination of what you might expect when ti comes to child support.  In addition, there are questions that one must resolve about how to handle camps, vaccinations, extra-curricular activities, sports, tutors, school related clubs and field trips as well as holiday schedules in the future, as well as a myriad of other family costs and concerns.

Finally, the other main issue that one must consider is potential alimony or spousal support as it is called in Michigan.  Any time there is a disparity in income and the parties have been married for more than a couple of years, alimony can be a serious issues.  If it is a long-term marriage and one party has not worked throughout the marriage, then alimony will often be the most serious and definitely the most contentious issue.  

Schedule a Consultation Before the Holiday Season Starts or as Soon as Possible.

The above list is only a short list of the different issues that one must consider when filing for divorce and each of those issues have many sub-issues and nuances that have been glossed over.  In order to get a good idea of where your case will go, it is essential to schedule a consultation and meet with a family law attorney (divorce lawyer) to discuss your questions and concerns. 

It is a good idea to have the consultation before the holidays for at least the following reasons: one, litigation for family law attorneys generally slows down toward the middle of December, the offices will close over Christmas and New Year, then it gets very busy immediately after that, so it is much easier to get an appointment and have a plan before the season starts; two, meeting with the attorney before the holidays will give you some good ideas for where your case is going, so you can get started shortly after the new year and three, the consultation should give you some peace-of-mind or at least more certainty regarding what the future may hold so that you can try to relax and enjoy the holiday season a little more.   

If you are considering getting divorced in Michigan after the holidays, Cameron C. Goulding Family Law and Mediation, P.L.C. can help you. Contact us today to request a consultation. 

From our office in Rochester, Michigan, we exclusively practice family law and help clients throughout Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, Livingston, Lapeer, and Wayne Counties navigate their matrimonial problems and other family law issues.