- 209 S. Bridge St., Grand Ledge, MI 48837
- Phone: 517.925.1378
Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marital relationship regardless of whether or not the bonds of matrimony have been destroyed and there is no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved. Matters pertaining to divorce are always emotional, multidimensional, complex, and stressful. We can help you navigate through the system while providing aggressive representation to help ensure you will receive a fair and equitable distribution of the marital estate as well as fair and comprehensive child custody.
It is important to understand that there are two types of custody: Legal and Physical. Legal Custody is the right to make important decisions regarding your child's health, schooling, spirituality, etc. Physical custody is the actual living arrangements for the child. With a change in custody or parenting time, there are important legal questions to consider:
Many times in an adversarial divorce, a parent is left with little to no custody or parenting time. We have been successful in getting clients the custody and parenting time that they deserve!
Modifications in child support are available until the child reaches 18 years of age. Michigan law provides for modification:
It is also important to know that the Friend of the Court is required to periodically review support orders and dependent health care coverage in open cases. If you are interested in changing your child support order, please contact us.
A legal separation is a way to formalize a marriage separation without the finality of a divorce. In a legal separation, couples can agree upon provisions for child support, spousal support, and the division of property. Separated couples often live at different residences, and their lives can be difficult to distinguish from divorced individuals. The main difference between the two is the fact that legal separations can be reversed through a relatively simple process. This has the benefit of allowing spouses to begin to move on with their lives before taking the final step of divorce. Legally separated spouses can have the benefit of continuing family health insurance plans and tax benefits for married tax filers as well.
Legal separation usually entails a court order that two spouses can live apart as unmarried persons, except that they are still married. A couple that is legally separated must still deal with the typical divorce-related issues such as alimony, child support, child custody, and property division.