Helping Families with Child Custody and Child Support in Michigan

For most parents, the most difficult aspects of their family law matter are those affecting their children: child custody, parenting time and support. If there were issues regarding the care of the children while the parents’ relationship was intact, those issues can be amplified upon separation.

Some parents decide they want to get much more involved in a child’s life when plans to separate or divorce are made. Such a change needs to be discussed mindfully, with the best interests of the children in mind: often, a child therapist can help. We can refer you to well-respected mental health professionals with whom you can work before parenting time becomes a heated issue. Meanwhile, patience and understanding is key to minimizing conflict in front of the children, which must be avoided at all costs.

Understandably, parents often have a lot of worries around child custody and support. If the children live primarily with the other parent, you may be worried that you will no longer be a central figure in their lives. If the children live primarily with you, you may be concerned that different rules, or people living at the other parent’s home, will confuse the children or make discipline more challenging. If you are paying child support, you might worry about whether you will have enough money left for your own needs. If you are receiving child support, you might fear that your co-parent will fail to make payments or that you still won’t have enough to meet your family’s needs.

In Michigan, courts must resolve child custody, parenting time, and child support issues in the best interests of the minor children. Learning the basics of Michigan law on child custody, and how child support is calculated, will help you feel in control of the process. As experienced Michigan family law attorneys, we will address your concerns, give you the information you need, and help you achieve the outcomes that will work best for you and your children.

Nichols, Sacks, Slank, Sendelbach, Buiteweg & Solomon, P.C. serves families with children in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne, Livingston, Jackson and Lenawee Counties in Michigan, helping them resolve child custody and support issues in the best interests of their children, and to enforce and modify orders that no longer work for the family. We invite you to contact us to schedule a consultation regarding your child custody or support matter.

Child Custody

The family law attorneys of Nichols, Sacks, Slank, Sendelbach, Buiteweg & Solomon, P.C. have helped thousands of Michigan families navigate custody disputes before, during, or after a divorce or breakup. We are committed to minimizing the stress…

Child Support

Michigan Child Support Basics In Michigan, both parents have a duty to support their children. A child support order provides predictability about the amount and frequency of child support payments. Child support is calculated according to the Michig…

Parenting Time

The time each parent spends with their child is called parenting time. Sometimes the term “physical custody” is used, but it is not a statutorily defined term, so “parenting time” is preferable. Although it is common for parents to have equal…

Paternity

Paternity issues depend on whether the parents were married or unmarried at the time of conception. When a married couple has a child conceived during the marriage, the child is presumed to be the biological child of both parents. This means that bot…

International Child Custody

In our increasingly mobile world, it is not uncommon for one or both parents to have ties with a country other than the one in which they are currently living with their child. Unfortunately, those global connections can increase the risk of one pare…