How AI Divorce Tools Are Shaping the Divorce Process in Michigan

Robot's Hand Hitting Gavel on white background. AI Divorce Concept.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot trend in recent years, affecting the public perception of everything from spam emails to artwork. Now, it’s making waves in the legal field—particularly in the AI divorce conversation.Many people believe that AI can improve efficiency and transform how lawyers do their work. But those AI tools should be used along with an experienced attorney when going through the divorce process in Michigan. Spouses who try to replace their divorce lawyer with a chatbot may find the litigation process more expensive and challenging than it needs to be, or worse - they may find they misunderstood the Artificial Intelligence and/or got partial information, incorrect information, or sub-optimal information.

Can You Get an AI Divorce?

Whether you have a passing curiosity with Artificial Intelligence, or are an early adopter of AI tools, you may wonder if there is a way to get an AI divorce without going to court. In Michigan, only a Family Court Judge can dissolve a legal marriage. You and your spouse may choose to live separately, but you will remain legally married until a judge signs a Judgment of Divorce.

Can You Skip Hiring a Lawyer and Use an AI Tool Instead?

There are a number of AI tools out there that promise to make the divorce process easier or even replace a lawyer in court. For example, one AI tool invites spouses and parents to respond to questions about their proposed divorce outcomes and generates a proposed compromise solution. Using this level of AI tools can create problems because those solutions could easily violate Michigan law. Multiple developers have gotten in legal trouble and faced lawsuits themselves for the unlicensed practice of law.

Family lawyers are frequently called counselors at law. Their job includes advising individuals and parents about how Michigan law works and guiding them toward a resolution that fits within the law and meets their client’s goals. This can be done largely out of court using alternative dispute resolution processes like mediation or collaborative divorce.

AI tools can’t provide this specialized advice. It is well established that Large Language Model (LLM) tools, such as ChatGPT will frequently provide incorrect information, and may even “hallucinate” fake cases and laws to give users the answers they want to hear. That is why you should never skip hiring a lawyer or just use AI tools to guide you through the divorce process. While these tools have their uses, you should always rely on legal advice from a licensed attorney in making your divorce litigation decisions.

Should Your Attorney be Using AI Divorce Tools?

While AI tools cannot replace an attorney, if your law firm has adopted professionally responsible AI tools, they can make the process easier, more streamlined, and by extension, less costly in legal fees. In an AI divorce approach, attorneys may use tech tools to:

  • Automatically complete first drafts of forms to be filed with the family court and Friend of the Court
  • Analyzing large volumes of documents, such as financial records, transaction logs, or other discovery (using AI tools that protect your data)
  • Avoiding conflicts by managing attorney schedules and case deadlines
  • Reducing administrative costs (which are passed on to clients)

It is important to have a clear conversation with your attorney about how they have incorporated AI tools into their practice to ensure they are independently verifying any substantive information they learn through, for example, legal research and/or subject matter experts in a particular field such as tax, accounting, and employee benefits.

However, your attorney should never be filing a document created by ChatGPT or other AI tools without carefully reviewing it for accuracy. In many cases, you will also need to review and sign motions, briefs, and other court filings to make sure the factual statements are correct.

AI Tools Individuals Can Use to Make Divorce Easier

There are also AI tools that you can use to reduce conflict and make your divorce process easier. ChatGPT can’t replace human judgment or provide legal advice, but it can help you understand the divorce process better, and avoid making things harder than they need to be.

AI Tools for General Legal Knowledge and Translating “Legalese”

As you are going through the Michigan divorce process, there will likely be terms used that are unfamiliar, sometimes called “legalese” or legal jargon. You can reduce your attorney fees by using ChatGPT or a similar AI tool to give you a general overview of a legal issue, define legal jargon, or break down complex documents into language you can understand. However, AI should never overrule your attorney. There may be state-specific information the AI tool is missing that could change the legal context of your case.

Checklists for Gathering Documents or Negotiating Settlements

You can also use AI tools to help you avoid missing anything as you gather documents for discovery or negotiate the terms of your settlement agreement. For example, AI can summarize a request for production of documents, providing you a checklist you can follow to collect everything you need to disclose. It could also provide a list of topics for you and your former spouse to discuss in resolving your divorce issues. Just remember to talk to your attorney about any resolution you come to, to make sure it is something Michigan law allows and can enforce.

ChatBots to Remove Animosity from Co-Parent Communications

There is often a lot of animosity between spouses and co-parents during the divorce process. This can translate into confrontational or even hostile communication. But this can make it harder to resolve your dispute. There are several AI tools that can review your intended communication with your co-parent for issues with tone and suggest edits to reduce animosity. If both parents use these tools, it can make it easier to communicate, and avoid antagonism that could interfere with settlement, and your children’s best interests.

Get Help Navigating the Michigan Divorce Process

At Nichols, Sacs, Slank, Sendelbach, Buiteweg & Solomon, PC, we know how to responsibly incorporate AI tools into the Michigan divorce process to save you time, money, and conflict. Our Ann Arbor high-asset divorce attorneys can help you navigate the Michigan divorce process, and provide individualized legal advice that you won’t receive from any chatbot or AI device. Call 724-994-3000 or click here to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.

Categories: Family Law Blog