Category: For Your Information
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Michigan Divorce and Digital Assets: Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and Online Businesses in Property Division
As digital technology continues to expand, divorces in Michigan are no longer limited to dividing homes, vehicles, and retirement accounts. Increasingly, courts in counties like Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Livingston, and across Michigan have had to find a way to address digital assets such as cryptocurrency, NFTs, and online businesses. While Michigan law provides that all…
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What Happens If a Child Refuses Parenting Time in Michigan?
Many issues arise during a divorce and persist even after the divorce case is finalized. One common issue family law attorneys encounter is disputes over parenting time. One question that frequently arises is: What happens if my child refuses to attend court-ordered parenting time with the other parent? Sadly, there is no simple answer. Michigan…
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Divorce Mediation Around Lansing:
Top Tips to Prepare Your Case Divorce disputes in and around the Lansing area can be complex and overwhelming, especially when it comes to custody, parenting time, property division, and spousal support. For many couples in Ingham County, Clinton County, and Eaton County, divorce mediation offers a path to resolution without the high expense and…
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Can Child Support Be Changed After a Job Loss in Mid-Michigan?
A Guide for Parents around Ingham County, Clinton County, Lansing, and Eaton County Facing Financial Changes Losing a job is already stressful and scary. You are rushing to apply to new companies and waiting for interviews without knowing how you will provide for yourself in the meantime. Unemployment can be even more complicated when you…
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Michigan’s Use of Videoconferencing in Family Law: What Parents Need to Know About Hearings on Zoom and MS Teams
Since COVID, Michigan courts have increasingly used videoconferencing in family law cases, including custody, parenting time, and divorce proceedings. In counties such as Ingham, Clinton, Eaton, Jackson, and Ionia, videoconferencing has become a permanent and useful part of our family court system. Understanding how it works and how it can impact your case is important.…
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Can Spousal Support Be Modified After Retirement in Michigan?
Divorce settlements in Michigan often include spousal support (alimony), but what happens when the paying spouse reaches retirement age? Retirement typically brings a significant reduction in income, which raises the question of how this affects the spousal support obligation. Michigan Law on Spousal Support Modification Michigan law allows a court to “revise and alter” an…
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What the Friend of the Court Does (and Doesn’t Do) in Michigan – A Brief Overview
In Mid-Michigan, if you and your spouse have minor children when going through a divorce, chances are you’ll have some involvement with the Friend of the Court (FOC). The Friend of the Court is an arm of your circuit court created under the Friend of the Court Act, and it is there to assist the…
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Professional Degrees and Property Division in a Michigan Divorce
When couples here in Mid-Michigan divorce, the court must divide marital property in an equitable way under Michigan law. Courts must make a fair, not necessarily equal, division of marital assets. But what happens when one spouse has earned a professional degree during the marriage, such as a law degree, medical degree, or MBA? Degrees…
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Ex Parte Orders for Parenting Time and Custody in Mid-Michigan
In genuinely urgent situations, Michigan courts can issue what is called an “ex parte order” under the Child Custody Act to provide immediate, temporary relief. For families in Ingham County, Lansing, East Lansing, Eaton County, Okemos, St. Johns, Mason, Clinton County, Charlotte, Jackson County and throughout Mid-Michigan, understanding these orders can be critical. What Is…
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Reunification Therapy vs. Family Systems Therapy:
What Mid-Michigan Families Should Know Divorce and custody disputes can cause families in Ingham, Eaton, Lansing, Clinton, and Ionia counties to experience profound and long-lasting conflict and dysfunction. When these emotional challenges arise, therapy is normally recommended to help children and their parents begin the healing process and rebuild relationships. But there are different therapeutic…