Blog
As Grand Rapids divorce lawyers, we see spouses decide to end their marriages for a wide variety of reasons. However, we also know that money and financial planning disagreements often loom large. Couples who disagree widely on savings and investments are twice as likely to call it quits than those who are on the same page, according to a […]
As Grand Rapids divorce lawyers with decades of combined experience, we see couples decide to split for a wide range of different reasons. Unfortunately, physical and emotional abuse by one spouse often underlies the decision. Domestic violence cases are increasing across Michigan, according to new data from the state police. The data show that the number of people victimized […]
If this is the first year that you are going to be alone, without a spouse, or without your children during the holidays, it’s time to prepare so that you will survive this as well as possible. Let’s be honest, the holidays will be difficult. It will be difficult on so many levels. We’d like to […]
People get married and divorced at a wide range of ages, with the legal and financial complications of tying the knot or calling it quits varying based on your stage in life. A pair of recent op-eds shines a light on “gray divorce.” At CNN, psychologist John Duffy uses the recent news that Bill and […]
Similar Murders of Children Highlight the Intensity of Child Custody Disputes This past week, in Lowell, Michigan, Derek Thebo, shot his three year old son during his scheduled parenting time and subsequently shot and killed himself. Dylan’s mother had requested and received a Personal Protection Order, but then agreed to terminate the Order when a […]
Judges routinely are tasked with the decision whether a child should be vaccinated. When parents can’t agree whether to vaccinate, then a judge will decide the issue. When parents share joint legal custody, they must reach an agreement regarding major medical decisions or alternatively the judge will decide the issue. Such a decision is not made lightly; […]
There are several reasons why anyone considering a divorce in Michigan or elsewhere across the country should talk with an experienced family law attorney. A new study from Harvard Law School highlights one reason: Those who do not consult a lawyer are more likely to stay in unhappy marriages. The researchers studied a group of […]
A Michigan woman who gave birth to twins while in a same-sex relationship is considered the girls’ parent for custody purposes, even though she does not have any genetic ties to them, a federal appeals court recently ruled. Lanesha Matthews gave birth to the twins after her partner Kyresha LeFever’s eggs were fertilized by a […]
A new survey highlights some of the financial benefits that single mothers get from parenting time arrangements in which the schedule is split 50/50 with a child’s other parent. The study also shows that those arrangements remain relatively rare. Women with a 50/50 parenting time schedule are more than three times more likely (325%) to […]
New research shows that many parents are hesitant about getting their children vaccinated for COVID-19, a development that highlights some of the difficult questions that the pandemic has raised for divorced parents in Michigan and across the country. Less than one-third (29%) of parents of kids under the age of 18 who the Kaiser Family […]