Blog

Parenting With a Jerk

Courts in Michigan prefer awarding joint legal custody of minor children. In fact, the statute requires the court to make a finding of why joint legal custody should not be granted, if either parent requests it. This is based on the research that sho… Read More
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When Your Spouse Becomes an Impaired Parent

In most cases, parents can co-parent effectively. If one parent is chemically dependent or suffers from a mental illness, much more work will fall to the the healthy parent. If the impaired parent does not address the problem, the children may be pla… Read More
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Why You Need a Good Negotiator as Your Lawyer

I often hear that potential clients want a “pitbull” or a “fighter” for their lawyer. This sentiment is often fueled by fear that if they are not meaner or stronger than their spouse or partner, that they will lose something i… Read More
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Settling Your Divorce in Court is NOT Necessary

Particularly if you have children, there are tremendous benefits from maintaining a civil relationship with your spouse. Even couples who do not have children may need to work together in the future. In Michigan, starting a divorce requires the word,… Read More
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The Hard Talk - Telling Your Spouse the Marriage is Over

How to do it? Have the courage to sit down and talk with your spouse/partner what you are thinking and why. GIve them the courtesy of a face-to-face talk. Yes, there will likely be tears. Yes, it will be uncomfortable for both of you. Still you owe t… Read More
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Early Stage Mediation Works Better

Anyone filing a domestic case in Washtenaw County has a 75% chance of receiving an order to mediate when the Clerk of the Court returns the summons. As we know, Judge O’Brien and Judge Wheeler both require mediation unless the parties have reached… Read More
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Judge: “I don’t love your children.”

Judges give the following admonition to people who litigate, in different forms. One particularly forthright judge stated it this way. “I don’t love your children. I have only met them once for a very short time. You know them and their needs bet… Read More
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Moving with the Children to Other States

In our mobile society, we often encounter clients who have moved to Michigan from other states. When their marriage is threatened, they prefer to have the support of their extended families and want to move back home. When the couple has children, th… Read More
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How to Have a Successful Divorce When One Partner Cheats

Nothing quite matches the level of betrayal one spouse feels when she finds out that her husband has been cheating on her. Recently, we have witnessed the break-up of the Schwartzenneger-Schriver marriage over Arnold’s reported over-a-decade long a… Read More
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How Do Divorce Lawyers Handle Their Own Divorces?

How do divorce lawyers handle their own divorces? They try to do everything they can to stay away from court. Why? They know that going to court is a losing proposition. It wastes money, time, energy and future good-will. They know that dwelling on t… Read More
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