Family Law & Divorce Lawyers in Monroe, MI

If you have a divorce case in Michigan, Bruce Law Firm has the divorce knowledge to assist you. Our lawyers are in the local family law courts and friend of the court almost daily providing representation that best suits the needs of our clients in divorce and family law matters. 

Hiring an attorney in Monroe, MI to negotiate with your spouse and their lawyer can help ensure that your interests are best represented. Having your own attorney make to sure that your rights are protected and that you receive a final judgement of divorce that is in the best interest of you and your children.

Many clients are in a hurry to get their paperwork done and their divorce complete, but a divorce might take months to finalize. For starters, Michigan laws specify that you must have lived in Michigan for at least six months before filing for divorce. Further, the court case for divorce in Michigan can only be filed in the circuit court if there is a breakdown of the marital relationship such that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed and there remains no likelihood that the marriage can be preserved.

An experienced Monroe, Michigan divorce attorney can provide you with understanding of  the complex laws involved in every divorce case. A divorce can involve going to court regularly over the smallest issues, which can become time-consuming and nerve-wracking. As top divorce Michigan lawyers, we have what it takes to help you and guide you through this process.

Divorce law issues revolving around marital property division, spousal support, and division of marital debt are some of the biggest issues in every divorce. If there are minor children involved in your divorce it is equally essential to address issues that revolve around children, which might go wrong without the best MI divorce lawyer.

Our divorce law lawyers can walk you through the three tough issues of child custody, parenting time, and child support. Thanks to our years of experience in divorce cases we can provide you the guidance and approach to allow you to secure the results you are looking for.

Divorces in Michigan always begin with the filing of a divorce complaint in the local family court. To establish local jurisdiction you must have lived in Michigan for at least 180 days and the County you reside for 10 days. The Court will need to be shown that there was a breakdown of your marriage such that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed and that there in no reasonable likelihood that your marriage can be preserved in order for your divorce to be granted.

Often after a divorce is filed the Court will want the parties to attend mediation.  With mediation there will be a mediator appointed by the Court to assist the parties to try and resolve their differences by agreement.  You will want your own lawyer to assist you in this process.

The divorce case is even more complicated when there are minor children involved. When there are no minor children involved, the case can finish in 60 days. When children is concerned, the case gets a waiting period of 180 days before finalizing. This waiting period is meant to ensure that there are no chances of reconciliation between the parties.

You do not want to face trial without a knowledgeable divorce MI attorney, because sometimes, reaching an agreement becomes difficult. Our best attorneys will guide you through the divorce process and make an agreement that is favorable to you and your children.

Reaching out to us offers you the best divorce representation that can make an emotionally difficult time easier. Bruce Law Firm understands the divorce laws in Michigan and can assist you in reaching the best divorce decree possible.

Divorces filed in Michigan come with many challenges, including those involving the custody of children. During the breakdown of the marriage, you grapple with the thoughts of your children’s welfare. Any divorce involving minor children will involve a Court determination regarding divorce and child custody. In addition, if two parties have a child together and are unmarried a court proceeding solely involving child custody can also be filed. Instead of filing a Complaint for Divorce the unmarried parties would file a Complaint for Child Custody. Child custody laws in Michigan can be very complicated.

Imagine the fear of having to lose your children in a child custody battle. When these custody disputes end up in a courtroom, the battle becomes more intense with the Court making decisions that award custody of your children. A family law attorney is essential to protect your custody rights.

There are two types of child custody to be decided in any divorce or child custody case including:

• Legal custody: This is where the parent has to make vital decisions for the child.
  The critical decisions include healthcare, education, and any decision regarding the child’s general welfare. Joint legal custody means that both parents can make these decisions jointly.

• Physical custody: This is where the parent has to make daily routine decisions that impact the child, depending on where the child is physically. Joint physical custody involves both parents sharing in the day to day decision making for the minor children. The child can live with both parents, but one is a primary custodian; this is the custodial parent, while the other spends time with the child on a schedule; this is the noncustodial parent.

If a parent retains sole physical custody or full custody, it means the other parent may or may not have visitation rights. A parent with sole legal custody gets to make decisions affecting their children with little to no input from the other parent. Having sole-custody gives one party most all of the decision making power.

When child custody cases are taken to court, the focus is on what is in the best interest of the minor. Such factors are included in Section 3 of the Child Custody Act MCL 722.23 “Best Child Interests.” The custody of a child is an important court determination.

At Bruce Law Firm our custody lawyers work alongside many parties who end up in child custody battles. This can include all the legal steps necessary for Court as well an assisting in a court ordered custody mediation. The Court can determine many aspects of parental rights, including paternity, supervised visitation, and primary physical custody. You do not want to embark upon this unprepared.

The court might issue custody to either you or your spouse. The party awarded custody is entitled to make the decisions affecting your child. When the custody is joint, both you and the other parent should make choices regarding your children together. When there is no agreement between the two of you, there must be a filled motion to enable the court to resolve the disagreement.

We are an experienced child custody law firm.  We can provide you support in getting the best child custody arrangement possible. We review your cases thoroughly and help you find the best way to move forward.

If there is another way of resolving your matters with the other parent before resorting to the courtroom, we can still help you. We are skilled in developing a plan aligned with your strength and weakness, which is a vital step to take advantage of in the early process.

Throughout the divorce process, our attorney will guide you on answering your questions on custody laws and guide you on how you can include them in your case. They will help you evaluate the options available for you to obtain the custody agreement you desire.

An experienced child custody lawyer is all you need for your child custody cases. We make the most complicated family law case easy.

Once you are married, nobody anticipates the breakdown of the marriage. However, sometimes the inevitable happens, the marriage relationship deteriorates, and you have to file for divorce. If this happens, you may experience a smooth or rough divorce. It would be best if you had a divorce attorney to guide you on marital property division matters.

While you file for divorce, you and your spouse might end up dividing marital property and debt before the judge issues you the go-ahead for a divorce. There are instances where they might let you decide what property each of you should take. We can guide you on issues of marital property division. Alternatively, the judge may decide what asset each should take.

In Michigan, when you and your spouse divorce, the division can be a 50/50 split. The law states property is to be divided equitably. This is often responsible for making equal assets and debt division. It ensures the division is fair considering the circumstances of both parties. A Michigan asset division attorney from Bruce Law Firm can enlighten the court on what is favorable for both parties. Helping you take control of your ending marriage relationship with your spouse, especially in matters relating to property, is our top priority.

The court determines between marital property, where you accumulate your assets while together, and separate property where property or debt was acquired prior. The court will require you to prove your ownership through witnesses, receipts, or any available evidence, in cases where you do not own properties jointly.

We are the best asset division lawyers with experience, who can work with the court on your behalf. We help you understand all the exceptions to these rules, so nothing hits you as new.

A Bruce law asset attorney guides you on marital property issues, finding out about hidden assets, assessing retirement assets, and minimizing tax sequel enveloping from divorces in Michigan. Further support that a Michigan attorney from Bruce Law Firm can offer include: [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->

• Guiding you through property division basics

• Working together alongside you to come to a property agreement

• Helping you create a list of your assets

• Helping you draft a settlement agreement

• Helping you handle specific assets if you cannot come to an agreement

We are here to see you emerging the winner because it does not make sense when you lose your entire life’s work for divorce.

We will support you through all sessions and proceedings both in and out of court.

Children always find themselves involved when there is a divorce in Michigan, which may confuse them.

Some end up trying to figure out which side to take, which is not healthy in your child’s development. To avoid this confusion, support is vital.

When you and your spouse resort to divorce, the court might grant the father visitation rights as he pays the mother support. Such decisions are made to ensure the child’s welfare. A parenting plan is a key component in the child support determination.

At Bruce Law Firm, our family law attorneys have years of experience in these issues, ready to enlighten you on steps to take to get a fair support agreement from the court. Our lawyers in Michigan guarantee you an appropriate and beneficial support order.  We will engage the court to provide you the maximum award allowed under the Michigan Child Support Guidelines.

If you are going through a divorce in Michigan or are not married and not receiving financial support from your child's other parent, you are entitled to support. The level you might receive depends on the Michigan laws pertaining to child support.

During a child support case in Michigan, some factors must be considered in these cases by the court. For instance, the source of income for you and your spouse and the amount of over nights each of you have with the minor children.

It gets complicated when one of the parties is self-employed, has undocumented income, or owns a business. This knowledge is essential. A Bruce Law child support attorney makes the case much easier for you and your spouse through the collection of needed information and applying the support guidelines appropriately.

We take the stress out of the child support process, so you get answers to all your questions.

When the other parent has not paid the support as ordered they can be held in contempt, we can guide you through the process of getting the back child support you are owed.

Our attorneys have years of experience in child support cases. We can provide the legal help you need to understand the steps, the regulations, and the rules that accompany child support orders. These can include the receiving and the making or child support payments.

Our legal practitioners will ensure you receive the child support order you deserve. We do a full assessment of child support cases and file documents, which help us clarify child support orders, help you calculate child support payments, collect and enforce them. We can join in any relevant negotiations on your behalf and protect your interests in court proceedings.

Our attorneys are flexible, accessible, strategic, affordable, and experienced in matters if child support.

In any child support cases, contact us for your informative consultation.

In Michigan a grandparent can get visitation rights with their grandchildren in certain circumstances. If a parent is deceased, incarcerated or in certain instances a divorce where the parent is denied custody or parenting time the grandparents can often get visitation rights from the courts. This allows the grandparents the ability to see their grandchildren at specific times approved by the courts.

Bruce Law Firm can assist you in filing a motion or complaint for grandparent visitation rights. Once the complaint or motion is filed the court will schedule a hearing to determine if a bond exists between the grandparents and the grandchild. Once established the court will look at what is in the best interest of the child to determine an appropriate amount of visitation time.

Imagine a situation in which a judge delivers a lopsided judgment on the matter of spousal support.

While this creates a horrific image of resentment and hostility between the divorcing parties, it is the reality of many couples going through the divorce process.

It is only fair that you and your children maintain the same lifestyle, even after going separate ways.

However, not many couples enjoy this privilege once they go separate ways because they did not have proper guidance when it mattered the most.

Let our Bruce Law firm divorce attorneys hold your hand when issues supporting spousal support arise. As a company that has been in the field for many years, we understand the factors that the court will consider when determining the justification of child support.

These include the spouses' age, earnings, length of the marriage, education levels, and assets and debts of both parties from the divorce.

It would help if you had a strong partner that understands these factors and nobody can do the job better than us.

As a winning attorney in Michigan, we know what you need when the divorce becomes your new reality. However, we assure you that this is not the end of the road. A reasonable and qualified attorney can be your first line of defense to ensure that the divorce is equitable and fair and that you and your spouse can go different ways but on mutual grounds.

A Prenuptial agreement is a legally binding contract that binds you and your spouse and shows how you and your spouse will divide your assets should you file for a divorce in Michigan.

While many people may have heard of prenuptial agreements, they may not understand the intricacies surrounding it. For instance, prenuptial agreements are not for wealthy couples, as many might think. You might be living paycheck to paycheck or owning lots of assets, and in all these instances, prenuptial agreements can be written.

Many do not understand that prenuptial agreements hold in court during divorce in Michigan as long as it was voluntary, fair, and reasonable.

It is vital to have a Bruce prenuptial agreement lawyer to guide you by creating a legal binding contract essential in protecting your assets. It is an excellent tool that helps you in planning for your financial future.

As professionals who understand prenuptial agreements, we walk you through understanding the financial issues you should consider in a prenuptial agreement. Essential factors to consider include your spouse paying spousal support in the wake of a divorce and whether you will be part of each other’s debts. We will help you prepare an entire inventory of your assets, including your debts.

If you want to keep your assets separate, we will guide you on ascertaining that your assets remain with the original owner.

Prenuptial agreements can also protect you in cases where businesses and other properties were acquired during your marriage.

Our prenuptial attorneys will tell you that a permanent decision that could impact your life should the worst happen.

In cases where you get married, we advise you to do a prenuptial agreement draft as this agreement can be essential when you and your spouse have accumulated assets before the marriage.

Additionally, children may miss out due to a lack of prenuptial agreement. When you draft your agreement clearly, your children and heirs are protected. Our enlightened attorneys will guide you through court proceedings for the agreement to be upheld. It would help if you issued full disclosure of assets of both parties because there are high chances the court might not enforce the contract in cases where there is less disclosure of the assets. When you enter into a prenuptial agreement, make sure it is conscionable.

We will guide you in drafting a properly elaborated postnuptial agreement that is fair and equal, supported by proper deliberation.