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I have been practicing family law in Oakland County for over thirty years and I am experienced with the grief and anxiety the news that your spouse has filed for divorce brings with it.  Do not panic, threaten or do anything erratic, you will make it through this.  This blog is written to generally address what steps you should take if your spouse has told you they have filed for divorce and you live in Michigan.  If you would like to schedule a consultation, please click on this link or call (248) 608-4123.

What Should I Do If My Spouse Tells Me They Have Filed For Divorce In Michigan?

One thing you can do right away is check with the local circuit court online explorer to see whether your spouse has actually filed a Complaint for Divorce.  You should be able to determine when they filed, what they filed and the name of their attorney, if they have hired one.  The next step you might take is to check your bank accounts and credit card accounts to make sure that your spouse has not made significant withdraws or other out-of-the-ordinary transactions.  You can also try to determine how much they may have paid their attorney for a retainer. Then you can print out your most recent statements from all accounts that you can including bank accounts, credit cards, mortgage balances, etc.  If you can get pay information, copies of the last three years of W2 forms and the most recent pay statements are also helpful.  I do not recommend contacting your spouse's attorney directly and you should take what your friends, family and well-wishers tell you about divorce and the process with a healthy dose of skepticism, both the good and the bad claims.

All of the above are helpful steps to take, but the most important thing to do is to contact a family law attorney in your area and schedule a consultation.  You should look for someone that practices only family law, preferably with several years of experience.  Do not hesitate to schedule the consultation even if you cannot get together any of the documentation listed above or your spouse has kept that information secret and hidden.  The attorney should help you get a picture of the process and discuss the various issues that your case presents and how those may effect you.  If you are able to determine who your spouse has hired as an attorney and how much your spouse paid as a retainer, it can help to advise the attorney of that information.

If you hire the attorney, that attorney can contact your spouse's attorney and they will be able to accept service of the documents for you so that you do not have to be personally served, which is an unpleasant experience.  If you are not able to collect the above information regarding accounts and income, the attorney will be able to get that information for you during the period of the divorce process known as "discovery".  Finally, the divorce lawyer should be able to guide you through the process and help you come to a reasonable settlement given the circumstances of your case.  While most family law cases are resolved without the need for a trial or much intervention from the judge, if it is necessary, your attorney will fight for you in court and work to get you what you are entitled to under the law. 

I hope this blog has been helpful, if you have questions regarding any area of family law, please contact us to schedule a consultation by clicking on this link or calling (248) 608-4123.