The Michigan Divorce Process: What You Need to Know

June 5th, 2020

couple sitting next to one another with crossed arms

It is easy to get caught up and intimidated by the prospect of going through a divorce. Beyond even the emotional considerations, fears of the divorce process itself can deter you or make you delay choosing that path. After all, family law does not have the best reputation and media portrayals of public courtroom battles with ruthless attorneys over children and property do not help. However, modern family law has evolved, and the Michigan divorce process doesn’t have to be as ugly as seen on TV.

Many family law attorneys understand the need for a less destructive approach. Our firm was founded on those very principles in an effort to bring forward-thinking family law to our communities. We want everyone to know that litigation is not the only path to divorce. There are several alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options within the Michigan divorce process that you can use to resolve your marriage with less conflict, and more dignity.

The Various Paths to Divorce

Couples considering divorce in Michigan have options ranging from least contentious to most expensive:

Party-negotiated settlement
Facilitative mediation
Collaborative law
Attorney-negotiated settlement
Trial

The first three options put the decisions around dissolving your marriage in the hands of you and your spouse with the help of trained mediators, divorce coaches, financial advisors and attorneys. The last two options involve intervention by attorneys, Friend of the Court staff, and judges, to recommend and ultimately make decisions for you when you are unable to work matters out yourselves. Often, you and your attorney can combine two or more options to create a hybrid approach to meet your unique needs.

“Do It Yourself Divorce”: Party-Negotiated Uncontested Divorce Process

Party negotiated settlement, also known as a “kitchen-table” settlement, is one of the lowest-conflict paths and involves the parties reaching an agreement together, sometimes entirely on their own. It can also be the least expensive. In a party-negotiated resolution, you and your spouse work together to decide the terms for dissolving your marriage over the course of one or more conversations. Together you decide how to:

Divide personal property
Split up bank accounts, retirement accounts, and other financial assets
Deal with real estate
Cover family debts, mortgages, and other financial obligations
Assign custody and parenting time of the children
Make sure the children’s needs are met through child support
Providing for the non or low wage earning spouse through spousal support if needed

Usually, the conversations are just between the parties, but sometimes trusted family members or friends are brought in to help. Although, parties must take care to shield children from these negotiations.

Why Choose a Party-Negotiated Settlement

This kind of “do-it-yourself” divorce helps families keep costs down. Parties may try to complete their divorce entirely on their own using forms they found online or received from the court. If you can resolve your dispute before the complaint is filed, you can take advantage of Michigan’s uncontested divorce process to speed things up and get your divorce finalized more quickly. If you file your complaint first, though, it will be up to you to follow the court’s timelines and get everything resolved in time to avoid having your case dismissed or set for trial.

When Opting for a Party-Negotiated Settlement is a Bad Idea

As you can imagine, this approach is not for everyone. The process is very dependent upon the relationship between you and your soon to be ex-spouse. It is also not recommended in cases where one spouse has all or most of the power or control of assets and information or in cases of domestic violence. In those cases, the spouse without the power and control may feel forced into an agreement that will leave them unable to care for themselves, or their children, after the divorce is final. The dominant partner may also hide family assets that the less powerful partner is entitled to, resulting in an unfair settlement.

How a Lawyer Can Help Party-Negotiated Settlement

While court staff can help self-represented parties (aka Pro Pers) to a certain extent, they cannot offer legal advice. If you and your spouse choose an uncontested divorce option you will still be expected to follow the court rules and procedures. Court staff also can’t help you identify problems in your agreement, like those described above. They will not warn you if your agreement is unfair or won’t work from a practical perspective.

Even if you and your spouse decide to work out the details yourself, it is a good idea to hire an attorney to memorialize your agreement and file the divorce paperwork with the court. You can also consult with your attorney while you negotiate your “kitchen-table” settlement, to make sure you aren’t overlooking issues or creating problems with the way you fill out the paperwork.

Talking to a lawyer during the negotiation process can avoid costly and time-consuming post-judgment conflicts that could take you back to court after the divorce is final. In the interest of keeping costs down but still obtaining professional help, you can consider entering into a limited scope agreement with an attorney who will review or draft your final judgment and related paperwork. Keep in mind, however, an attorney cannot represent both parties.

Facilitative Mediation: Help for Spouses Trying to Resolve Divorce Disputes

Michigan divorce mediation is the most well-known form of alternative dispute resolution and is quickly becoming the most common divorce process. Mediation is meant to be a less formal setting than a courtroom. It encourages you and your spouse to communicate with the help of a neutral mediator to reach mutually agreeable solutions that are right for your family.

Many local judges order parties to try mediation before taking their divorce case to trial. Michigan divorce mediation often costs less than traditional litigation. You and your spouse can agree to try facilitative mediation early in the process, even before filing your complaint, to reduce the time and expense of filing for divorce.

How Michigan Divorce Mediation Works

During mediation, a trained professional mediator, preferably one with family law experience, helps the parties work through each outstanding issue. The mediator does not have any authority to make decisions or dictate the outcome of the negotiations. Instead, a mediator’s role is to empower the parties to make decisions themselves about how to structure the dissolution of their marriage. Mediators do this by offering general family law knowledge, insights into local judges’ perspectives, and creative solutions to roadblocks the parties are facing.

The mediator is a neutral, third-party and cannot offer legal advice or counsel to either party. However, you and your spouse are free to bring attorneys with you to the mediation table if you choose. If your case includes complicated legal questions, your mediator may encourage you and your spouse to each hire your own lawyer as part of the mediation process.

Mediation usually starts with you and your spouse (or your attorneys) each providing a written summary about the basic background facts of the case and issues to be resolved. This will usually include your suggested resolution to each issue.

A few days after the summaries are exchanged, you and your spouse, along with your attorneys if you choose, will meet with the mediator. Mediations are usually done in person, but can also be held virtually using platforms such as Zoom when circumstances require it.

The mediator will meet with each person individually to screen for domestic violence concerns. If you are a domestic violence survivor you will be asked to sign a waiver saying you are voluntarily participating in mediation and have not been forced to attend. The voluntary nature of mediation is very important. Your mediator will need to ensure that you feel safe and not coerced into making any decisions. You cannot be forced to mediate if you are a domestic violence survivor, even if a judge orders you to attend mediation.

Depending on the dynamic between you and your spouse, and your preferences, mediation can be done with everyone in the same room or through “shuttle mediation” where each side is in separate rooms and the mediator goes back and forth. This format allows you to talk privately with your lawyer, or with the mediator, when you want to.

Some cases can be settled in the course of one session while others require two or more sessions. Depending on the complexity of the case, you may need to enlist the help of other professionals such as:

financial advisors to suggest divisions of retirement assets
business experts to set values on family-owned businesses
child specialists who can propose custody and parenting time arrangements

In these cases, you may need to schedule follow-up mediation sessions to allow those professionals to do their work and provide feedback.

Do You Need to Be Careful About What is Said During Mediation?

Mediation is a confidential process. To encourage open communication and facilitate settlement, anything said or prepared as part of the mediation process is shielded from use in court later. Your mediation agreement will also include language that neither side will bring the mediator to testify in court or try to get access to his or her notes. Settlement documents, recordings of the negotiation, or anything else prepared for your mediation is inadmissible in court.

However, you can’t shield evidence just by bringing it with you to mediation. Bank statements, bills, reports, and other types of admissible evidence are sometimes disclosed or used during the settlement discussions. If settlement fails, you may find your spouse will try to get access to those records, or admit them at trial.

What Happens When You Settle Your Divorce at Mediation

If you and your spouse resolve all the outstanding issues through facilitative mediation, your mediator or attorneys will help you prepare a written settlement agreement based on those decisions. This settlement agreement will be incorporated into a Judgment of Divorce to be signed by the judge assigned to your case. Sometimes for privacy reasons, all the terms may not be included in the court document itself but instead will be incorporated and merged by reference only. If your spouse refuses to sign the judgment, or if you need help enforcing the terms of the settlement later on, you can bring the settlement agreement to court to enforce the agreement.

Michigan Collaborative Law: Resolving Your Divorce with Dignity

The collaborative divorce approach is probably one of the most overlooked and undervalued options for divorcing couples. It is another method of alternative dispute resolution which encourages the parties to resolve issues between themselves without involving the courts. What makes this approach different is that it enlists the help of specially trained Collaborative lawyers, mental health, and financial professionals. The goal is that all these professionals working together can help to educate, support, and guide parties in reaching a balanced, respectful and lasting agreement.

How Collaborative Divorce Works

If you and your spouse choose to use the collaborative divorce process, you will each need to hire your own collaboratively trained attorney, as well as at least one neutral mental health professional to serve as a divorce coach, and a neutral financial expert to serve as neutral advisors. You or your spouse may also benefit from additional counseling or mental health treatment, but this would be provided through a separate mental health professional. A child specialist or other professionals can also be retained as necessary to address the particular issues in your case.

Once the team is assembled, everyone signs a participation agreement which spells out the process, scope, and responsibilities of everyone involved including good faith efforts and full disclosure of all relevant and material information. That agreement makes it clear that if either you or your spouse walks away from the collaborative process and files a complaint or motion with the court, the attorneys and professionals are released and you will need to find new representation for the contested court proceedings.

Next, the divorce coach will schedule meetings between the parties and their neutral professionals, either together or separately. Each expert will help you and your spouse work through what your lives will look like post-judgment. This can include:

Communication between you and your ex-spouse
Co-parenting strategies
Finances
Budgeting

The professionals and attorneys stay in touch and keep one another informed, providing full disclosure according to the nature of the process. Once you and your spouse are ready, the divorce coach will set up meetings with your attorneys and the other relevant professionals to dive into making agreements on each subject. The number of meetings needed varies depending on the complexity of the case and the needs of the parties.

Unlike many of the other options, in a collaborative case, a complaint for divorce is not filed until the end of the process, after the parties have reached a settlement. As a result, the team can help the parties move at a pace appropriate to their case without arbitrary court timelines adding pressure.

Why Choose Collaborative Law

Divorce is almost never just confined to the legal arena. Family law intrudes into some of the most intimate aspects of a person’s life. Instead, divorce impacts three primary areas of life:

Emotional
Financial
Legal

Attorneys may sometimes be called “counselors” but your divorce lawyer usually isn’t trained to help you work through the emotional effects of a relationship ending. Nor are attorneys necessarily fluent in finance or tax issues. While your divorce attorney may be able to provide general suggestions about emotional and financial issues, it’s almost always better to get that advice from the experts.

Financial advisors, child specialists, and other professionals are often engaged in other divorce routes anyway, especially in traditional litigation. However, in the collaborative process, you and your spouse agree to work together with the same professionals. This can save money by allowing you to split the cost of the experts’ fees, rather than each of you hiring your own.

The collaborative law process also focuses on proactive solutions, rather than simply responding to conflict. Most financial professionals work with the parties to budget for the process. Your mental health professional will help you and your spouse learn conflict management strategies that will help your resolve future co-parenting disputes. These strategies offer long-term savings by avoiding sending both parties back to court after the divorce is final.

Attorney-Negotiated Settlement: Settling Your Divorce Outside of Court

In high-conflict cases, when you and your spouse aren’t able to come to an agreement on your own, you may file a complaint for divorce to get the help of the courts. However, the start of formal court processes doesn’t mean that alternative dispute resolution processes need to stop. In those cases, your attorney and your spouse’s attorney can negotiate settlements on your behalf even as the traditional Michigan divorce process continues.

The Traditional Michigan Divorce Process

Once you or your spouse files a complaint for divorce, it triggers a series of hearings, status and settlement conferences, and interviews with Friend of the Court (FOC) personnel. At the same time, depending on the issues in the case, you may also need to attend hearings on temporary motions to resolve issues related to:

Custody and parenting time
Child support
Spousal support
Attorney fees
Payment of household expenses
Use and occupancy of the marital home
Enforcement of discovery court rules

The back and forth between attorneys, filing of motions, evidentiary hearings, FOC services, and evaluations/reports by experts all add up to make this a very costly process in high-tension cases.

These types of cases also usually involve a high degree of discovery beyond the initial Verified Personal Financial Disclosure form. While your attorneys negotiate, you may need to work with members of their staff to respond to interrogatories, requests to produce documents, subpoenas, and depositions.

Attorney-negotiated settlements take place in a variety of settings from telephone conferences and emails to office meetings and courthouse-step discussions. In high conflict cases, settlements are often not reached until the 11^th hour right before commencement of a hearing or a trial. While those conversations continue, you will still be incurring expenses for hearings and trial preparations, even if they ultimately don’t happen, adding to the costs of this process.

However, in other, low-conflict cases, attorney-negotiated settlements can be a cost effective alternative to going through the formal court process. When you and your spouse agree on the broad issues, but not the details, you can get an attorney’s help to iron out the agreements and refining the details into an agreement that will carry you into the future after the divorce is final.

The Divorce Trial: The Final Step in the Process

When all attempts at negotiations fail, you and your attorney will need to present your case to the judge at trial. Even in high-conflict cases, in Michigan, only a very small percentage of divorces end up going to trial in front of a judge. (There is no right to a jury trial in the family law cases.) A trial is the most extreme, costly, and emotionally draining option of all the Michigan divorce process choices. You will almost always have already gone through other options, including court-ordered mediation and attorney-negotiated attempts at settlement. Often, by the time you get to trial, the judge may be very familiar with you and your case and you will have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars battling with your ex-spouse.

Leading up to the start of trial, attorneys for the parties will engage in extensive trial preparations including:

Completing outstanding discovery
Filing pretrial motions and appearing for hearings
Drafting trial briefs that summarize the issues
Subpoenaing and preparing witnesses to testify
Organizing documents and exhibits to prove your case

The trial itself could last several days. Once each side has presented their case, you will likely still have to wait for the judge to make their final decisions if they are not prepared to make a ruling from the bench. Trials are also public proceedings. This means that barring a restraining order, the trial transcript, admitted exhibits, and the verdict are all part of the public record and in many counties are accessible online. Once the judge makes their ruling, it is essentially final. However, an unsatisfied party could file an appeal. That would trigger another round of time consuming and expensive litigation.

To be clear, while having trials in family law cases is not favorable, in some cases it is the only viable option. If you or your spouse cannot negotiate in good faith, one of you wishes the other harm, there is a struggle for control, or the presence of domestic violence, the formal divorce trial process provides a safety net, allowing the judge to make the final decision. However, for anyone considering a divorce, trial should always be the last resort.

Choosing the Right Divorce Process

Each of these divorce processes have their advantages and their challenges. To determine what option is best for your family, you and your attorneys must consider the specific circumstances and needs that shape your case. After all, family matters are some of the most intimate and often no judge or attorney is better equipped to make those decisions than you are. However, selecting between the different processes will depend on how well you and your spouse can communicate, the complexity of your case, and whether there are complicating factors like domestic violence or unequal access to information.

Before you decide to file for divorce in Washtenaw County or other circuit courts throughout Southeast Michigan, you should talk to an experienced Ann Arbor divorce attorney about your situation and choose the Michigan divorce process that fits best.

At NSSSB, our divorce attorneys are trained to work in all these forms of alternative dispute resolution. Our Southeast Michigan family law attorneys are happy to review your case and help you consider alternative dispute resolution options that may be right for your family. We can also through the sometimes difficult traditional divorce process. Click here to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.

Article Updated: 09/17/2020

Categories: Choosing the Best Divorce Process, Family Law Blog, Selecting a Divorce Lawyer

Thank you for your excellent guidance and generous help during the process of my divorce. Karen was kind and compassionate as well as savvy about the entire process. I appreciate her!”

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Thanks to your skill and caring, my daughter finally has a shot at a stable life. Our settlement allows her to maintain a relationship with her mother while having a secure place to call home.”

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To be an over-60 mother of two coping with divorce after almost 40 years of marriage has been incredibly challenging. Thank you for transforming this time into a meaningful learning and growing experience.”

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Liz was clear, compassionate and kind. I appreciated her honesty in letting me know up front that she might not be able to help me. In the end, she did help, and I’m very grateful to her.”

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I felt like Liz had my best interest in mind. She made me feel very comfortable throughout the process.”

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All my experiences with this law firm were superb. Everyone acted like a genuine, caring person, way beyond the typical attorney/client relationship. Lori’s counsel prevented me from making a decision on the timing of my family that could have…”

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We so appreciated your willingness to listen and help us implement the unique desires of our family. We’re moving forward in a kind and respectful way, although we are all facing a blank page we never anticipated. With your leadership, we are able…”

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I immediately felt comfortable with Karen. The high level of communication was greatly appreciated given the tight timelines required.”

– mother, Ann Arbor

The work you do can really make or break the lives of people who are going through a divorce. I honestly think that if I had worked with someone else, it could have been a disaster.”

– Business owner and father of 2, Ann Arbor

From the moment I entered, everyone was personable, caring, and professional. For many businesses, that’s hard to do consistently—and you did. I was amazed how fast Karen communicated with me. My husband would have dragged out the divorce forever…”

– Mother of 1, Gregory

Thank you for all your help with my divorce. I really feel you may have been the most objective, level-headed and fair person among everyone involved.”

– Physician, Ann Arbor

Karen has a knack for helping people relax under pressure. She listens intently and explains the law in simple terms. Her firm has a positive and uplifting environment despite the serious nature of the work they do.”

– Wife, Ann Arbor

I was very pleased with all of the staff and I felt I was treated with compassion and respect. They handled the tactics of my wife’s attorney well and represented me with professionalism.”

– Husband, Lansing

I’m hoping we are the poster children for the benefits and positive power of successful mediation. Both my husband I feel we had an excellent team guiding us, and the process had immeasurable benefits to the well-being of our children. Our unif…”

– Mother of 3, Ann Arbor

I felt a lot better walking out of your office after our mediation session than I did walking in. I appreciate all you did to ensure we came to an agreement today.”

– Single woman, Ann Arbor

Thank you very much for making a new (and good) chapter of my life possible. I appreciate that you did a lot of extra things for me, and understand now why you came with such superb recommendations.”

– Single woman, Ann Arbor

Karen was as much a part of the solution as any counsel I have ever seen in any case. To get as much agreement as we got is a real testament to your ability to remain patient and forward-moving.”

– Attorney/Mediator, Ann Arbor

That was some pretty breathtaking lawyering. I can’t think of too many others who could have negotiated a win/win situation under these circumstances, especially in that short amount of time.”

– Mother of 3, Ann Arbor

I appreciated Karen’s professionalism, knowledge, and friendly approach.”

– Mother of 1, Ann Arbor

I can’t tell you how much my life has improved due to our interaction. Thank you so much for your intensely professional service.”

– Single man, Ann Arbor

You’re my all-time hero…you don’t know what it means to have someone of your integrity stand up for me after all I’ve been through. Thank you more than I can express.”

– Physician and mother of 3, Maine

I came to you for expertise and guidance, and in addition, you made me feel cared about and supported, which made all the difference in getting through the legalities of the divorce process.”

– Mother of 1, Ann Arbor

I will never forget how you flawlessly seemed to pre-empt opposing counsel’s efforts to divert attention from the critical issues. People remark over and over how lucky I was to have you as my attorney.”

– Father of 1, Ann Arbor

Thanks again, Karen, for your support, calming influence, professionalism, humor, and all-around good care. I’m sleeping better and enjoying the newness of spring; life is good.”

– Wife, Ann Arbor

Thanks to your skill and caring, my daughter finally has a shot at a stable life. Our settlement allows her to maintain a relationship with her mother while having a secure place to call home. Outcomes like this may be commonplace for you, but it wil…”

– Father, divorce/custody

I wanted you to know how much respect—profound respect, in fact —I have for you as an attorney. You are ethical, hard working, personable, and wise. I have seen you in the role of advocate, mediator, and arbitrator. You have an uncompromising com…”

– Attorney, Ann Arbor

I loved Karen’s style of engagement and advice, and she worked hard to keep my charges reasonable.”

– Husband, California

Thank you for fighting hard for me today and explaining how the court will decide the amount of alimony & child support.”

– Father of 2 Ann Arbor

My thanks for your wonderful representation and personal kindness. I am better off for having had both.”

– Wife, Washtenaw County

I recognize all the hard work you are doing and how effective you are in court.”

– Father, Washtenaw County

Karen, you are great to work with—a class act.”

– Family law attorney representing the opposing spouse in a divorce settlement.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your understanding and efforts during my custody case. It’s the first time in a long time that I will sleep peacefully, and my daughter is very happy, too.”

– Father who obtained sole custody of his daughter, Ann Arbor

Karen is a whip-smart attorney who kept my head on straight during my own painful divorce. Her unquestionable expertise and gentle sense of humor kept the process as classy as possible. She manages to negotiate a difficult situation with much grace a…”

– Divorced woman, Ann Arbor

Thanks to you for all you’ve done and are doing. My kids are adjusting very well to the divorce, and it’s great for me to be part of their lives again. Picking them up directly from school, which you arranged, is a joy.”

– Father of 3, Ann Arbor

Karen, I am so happy that you are on my team. I love how you phrase things to get the desired result. When my partner kept raising old issues, you intervened to advocate for the best interests of our son.”

– Mother, Ann Arbor

Thank you for the most efficient, smart, pleasant and well run mediation I have ever attended. Way more than two thumbs up!”

– Attorney – Ann Arbor

I absolutely love Eileen. She is very kind, patient, and explained everything to me. I never felt rushed or that I was bothering her. Everyone seemed genuinely eager and happy to assist, not stuffy at all. I am a very pleased client!”

– single woman, Jackson

The process was overwhelming to me, but I felt if I needed more attention, I could always turn to Eileen for help.”

– mother, Ann Arbor

Eileen’s compassion and support carried me through this difficult time. How her practice operates is a reflection of each and every employee’s help, no matter what their position—a belief that was confirmed throughout my experience.”

– Father of 2, Milan

Eileen made me comfortable with her, both professionally and personally.”

– Husband, Ann Arbor

Eileen helped me survive a terrible ordeal. At the beginning of my case, I had no idea what was ahead of me. For all the stress we went through, your fees were more than reasonable.”

– Wife, Ann Arbor, MI

I was impressed by the firm’s experiences lawyers and Eileen’s timely responses and knowledgeable advice.”

– Mother, Dexter, MI

Eileen is always professional and an expert at what she does. I appreciated getting all the documents in a timely way, and I always knew what was going on. Your firm is THE BEST family law practice in the area.”

– Single woman, Saline

Eileen was so professional and knowledgeable. She took control of the case and was considerate and fair to the other side, which was the way I wanted it from the beginning. I had two law firms handling my case, and yours was light years ahead in term…”

– Father of 2, Ann Arbor

I can’t thank you enough for your tenacity, diligence, support and guidance. The conditions under which you worked would have tested the most patient person…I’m certain that my case has earned you sainthood status!”

– Mother of 2, Livingston County

My case was complicated, and I felt as if I was in an emotional fog. Eileen helped me sort things out.”

– Wife, Ann Arbor

Unlike the opposing attorney, you acted fairly toward everyone (which is a good thing), while I know you worked hardest to help me.”

– Father of 2, Ann Arbor

I would recommend Eileen and your firm to anyone.”

– Mother, South Lyon

I always felt that I could call or e-mail Eileen at any time, and she always kept me informed. I also really appreciated her sitting beside me when we went to court.”

– Wife, Ann Arbor

You and Penny made the process easy and comfortable. I felt your sincere efforts in working on my behalf. I will definitely recommend you to others.”

– Mother of 1, Dexter

Thanks for all your support on my case. The process went very smoothly and the outcome was good. You honestly cared about me and my kids.”

– Mother of 2, Ann Arbor

Eileen was excellent to work with and handled a difficult, emotional and time-consuming situation very professionally.”

– Husband, Tennessee

Eileen, I appreciate your professional services, encouragement and support. All the best as we go forward.”

– Husband, Saline

I could tell by my attorney’s attitude and knowledge of the law that I was going to be OK. The settlement had everything I was fighting for—joint custody of our children and fair alimony payments.”

– Father, Livingston County

I felt very well cared for. Everyone in the office is professional and approachable.”

– Mother, Ann Arbor

I hope others will benefit from the woman you are and the expertise you possess in the field of law.”

– Attorney, Ann Arbor

Everyone was very caring and sensitive about our case.”

– Wife, Adrian

I felt I was heard and given good advice.”

– Husband, Whitmore Lake

I always felt I had a very powerful ally going to bat for me. And your evening hours are so convenient for those of us who work during the day.”

– Wife, Ann Arbor

Karen, thank you again for being so amazing. You are the best! If any of my friends ever need a divorce attorney in the future you will be highly recommended.”

– mother of 2 - Saline

Karen, first of all…whoa. I seriously can’t begin to EVER thank you enough. I am at least forever grateful to you. In all seriousness, if it wasn’t for all of the work you and your staff put in, I don’t know where I would be right now, but it…”

– mother of 1 - Ann Arbor

Karen, you are literally my favorite lawyer in this whole world and have convinced me that lawyers can care and often do care about those in need. thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

– young adult client

Thank you for your help this past year. As I have said to you, the single most important thing I accomplished all year, and I bought and sold a company, was getting more time with my children. Thank you for the help and support to make that happen. I…”

– Father of 2

Jackie Chan is credited for saying, “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” The kindness of Lori Buiteweg has repeatedly helped me through the toughest times of my life. Her knowledge and…”

Karen, you did an amazing job today. Thank you so much for your hard work and your awesome settlement agreement. Top to bottom, from the comfortable environment and the almonds at the end of the day to the great chocolate when we closed, you kept it…”

– mediation clients

Had a wonderful experience with Lori and associates! Divorce is one of the hardest things to go through, but Lori was there as a friend as well as an amazing and brilliant attorney! I highly recommend”

Ms. Solomon was outstanding. She made a hard process as pain free as possible. Answered all my questions and concerns in a timely fashion. Provided great legal advice mixed with compassion. I would highly recommend her to anybody going through the pr…”

Well it’s official … I completed my Masters through MSU💚 Thank you for not only being my amazing lawyer but also my wonderful friend. Thank you for believing in me when I’m not sure I really believed in myself 😘 When I received the em…”

– Single Working Mom

“Lori Buiteweg was absolutely fantastic. She is incredible at her job and is well-informed, skilled and dedicated to her clients. More importantly, she is compassionate and deeply cares about her clients.””

– Satisfied Client

I engaged Karen Sendlebach after a strong recommendation from a friend who used her services. Going through a divorce is the worst thing you can go through as an adult, other than losing a loved one. One of Karen’s greatest strengths is that she is…”

– Past Client

I really appreciate you going above and beyond your job today. You showed patience, kindness and warmth to a stranger. It really meant a lot to me. It felt like light during my darkest hour.”

– Mediation Client

As a mother of three young toddlers and a business owner, I cannot say enough about Lori’s expertise, honest and blunt guidance, as well as prompt responding! Her staff has performed above my expectations for kindness and promptness. My case was no…”

– Mother of 3

Thank you for all your help today. You handled the other attorney extremely well.”

– anonymous

“That was a lot of time and effort to dedicate to helping this family. Thank you soo soo much for working with us and resolving this case!!” “I second that wholeheartedly. You had what felt like an impossible task and did an amazing…”

– from attorneys who mediated their case to settlement a week before trial.

I really appreciate all your efforts throughout the mediation. I truly felt that you had [my child’s] best interests in mind, which was incredibly reassuring. I still dont know how you kept going yesterday without eating all day! I know that I was…”

– Ann Arbor Mother and Business Owner

524 S Main St, Suite 210

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Phone: (734) 994-3000

Fax: (734) 994-1557

Email: Email

40900 Woodward Avenue, Suite 111

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Phone: (248) 594-5776

Email: Email

The Michigan Divorce Process: What You Need to Know

The Various Paths to Divorce

“Do It Yourself Divorce”: Party-Negotiated Uncontested Divorce Process

Why Choose a Party-Negotiated Settlement

When Opting for a Party-Negotiated Settlement is a Bad Idea

How a Lawyer Can Help Party-Negotiated Settlement

Facilitative Mediation: Help for Spouses Trying to Resolve Divorce Disputes

How Michigan Divorce Mediation Works

Do You Need to Be Careful About What is Said During Mediation?

What Happens When You Settle Your Divorce at Mediation

Michigan Collaborative Law: Resolving Your Divorce with Dignity

How Collaborative Divorce Works

Why Choose Collaborative Law

Attorney-Negotiated Settlement: Settling Your Divorce Outside of Court

The Traditional Michigan Divorce Process

The Divorce Trial: The Final Step in the Process

Choosing the Right Divorce Process

Practice Areas

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Testimonials

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Nichols, Sacks, Slank, Sendelbach, Buiteweg & Solomon, PC.