Providing Creative Solutions For Your Legal Needs
As they were raising their three children, Fred and Mary had managed to scrape together enough to buy a cottage on Houghton Lake and use it regularly for summer vacations. The family thoroughly enjoyed the property and decorated the cottage with mementos of all the “firsts” that happened there: first swim without floaties, first fish caught by all three kids,…
Emily agreed during the divorce proceedings to share custody of their two children with her ex-husband Bob, but she began to regret her decision after seeing the state of the kids when they stayed at his house every other weekend per the divorce decree. When she picked them up on Sunday night, the children generally were tired, cranky, unkempt and…
As I celebrated my fifth-year anniversary in the practice of law recently, the occasion caused me to reflect on what may be ahead for me as well as what has already transpired. And if the past five years are any measure, then I count myself as one lucky guy when I look to the future. One accomplishment that I am…
The early stages of a divorce are especially difficult for clients because of all the uncertainty caused by separation and divorce – where will the parties and children live; how will family expenses be paid; and, more importantly, when will each parent have time with their children? All of these crucial issues need to be decided quickly and on a…
As an estate planning attorney, it seems that about 75% of my clients (or potential clients) don’t have a will – a percentage that continually surprises me with so much at stake. Not having a will is particularly risky for parents with minor children. To die without a will is to die intestate. Without the direction that a will provides,…
In my experience as a family law attorney, I’ve learned that a client facing an imminent divorce – whether my client plans to file for divorce or whether my client has been served with divorce papers – feels less stress and anxiety if I explain the divorce process and what to expect, even before the matter gets to court. My…
In Part 1 of this blog series, I discussed the basic issues my clients need to consider before a divorce goes to court, such as living arrangements and monthly expenses. For Part 2 of the series, I will discuss some equally important issues related to the emotional side of divorce – issues that can be just as challenging as the…
Noah and Emma were moving along pretty well with their life plan – two adorable children, a home in a good neighborhood, minimal debt and some money in their 401-Ks. Like most young couples, they worried about their children should the unthinkable happen – that both parents die at the same time. While they both enjoyed good health and a…
Because it is commonplace for divorced (or widowed) spouses to remarry, blended families – where one or both spouses have children from prior marriages – are now quite common. I am often asked by clients how they can protect their children from prior marriages in situations that involve guardianship and inheritance. In my experience, individuals who remarry after divorce often…
It is becoming increasingly common in the United States for babies to be born to unwed couples – a little more than 40 percent of all births in this country were to unmarried mothers in 2014, compared with less than 20 percent in 1980. That is a sobering statistic for single mothers because studies show they face greater economic challenges…