Family Law

The practice of family law is a critically important one, as it involves the most important aspects of a person=s life, including relationships, children, finances and property. Decisions rendered or consented to in such matters often have life-long implications. To effectively serve in this area, an attorney must come alongside those in the midst of such issues and provide wise counsel, compassionate understanding and effective advocacy. In practical terms, an attorney must help the persons they serve to realistically assess where they are at, to identify what legal and life issues confront them, to consider how to best resolve those issues, and to formulate a plan designed to most effectively get such persons from where they are at to where they need to beBas such ends are defined by the one being served. This approach requires a genuine concern for the person experiencing the family law issue, a wealth of related legal experience and an ability to assist those involved to reach effective solutions without gratuitous collateral damage.

There are many areas of family law practice. These include: ante nuptial and postnuptial agreements, marriage and annulments, divorce, actions for separate maintenance, child custody, parenting time, child support, spousal support, property divisions, the division of retirement benefits, the tax consequences of divorce, domestic violence, guardianships, emancipation, name changes, child protection law and juvenile delinquency. Each of these areas presents unique issues and considerations which must be handled by an experienced family law practitioner.

Our attorneys have assisted those we serve in effectively resolving all types of family law issues in hundreds of casesBranging from the most simple to the most highly complicated matters, involving a multitude of intertwined issues. We have effectively assisted individuals and families in resolving family law issues through both alternative dispute resolution and informal negotiation. In those cases where agreed ends cannot be achieved, we have skillfully and effectively advocated the positions of those we serve in literally hundreds of hearings and trials in local and appellate courts throughout the state of Michigan.

Our family law attorneys stand ready to assist you in whatever legal circumstance life presents. For more information or to discuss a family law matter, please contact A. Brooks Darling, Eric W. Phelps, Michael J. Long or Kathryn M. Traband.