Our Story

Where to begin? What do you all want to know? After 25 years of Kraayeveld Family Law, there’s a lot to tell, some of it interesting, some of it you may not care about, a lot of happy clients, and a lot of emotion.

When Jim Kraayeveld, the founder of the firm, was accepted into law school, he knew one thing: he wanted to practice corporate law, drafting legal documents, and pretty much avoid the court room. Family law clearly was not his goal. And then, family law clients found him. Jim started with one divorce and was very successful. Clients with family law needs continued asking Jim to represent them, and within a few years, Kraayeveld Family Law became a premier family law firm.

A New Location

In 2007, the firm had outgrown its Cascade, Michigan location. The attorneys were spending a lot of their time in court and they needed a location closer to the downtown court building. The firm moved to its current historic building where they have been continuing to provide great services to their clients, just like the Little Sisters of the Poor did so many years ago in this building.

And We Added Additional Talent

Before passing the Michigan Bar examination and becoming a licensed attorney, Courtney Sierra stepped in to help out the Kraayeveld Family Law team on a temporary basis because we were really busy. Within weeks, we could see that Courtney was a talented writer and that she vigorously advocated for her clients. As soon as she passed the bar examination, we immediately made Courtney an offer of employment, and we and our clients are happy that she joined our team.

Kendra Ortega joined our team after a career change. Kendra was working with families through the Department of Health and Human Services. While working full-time, she attended law school. When Kendra applied to join the Kraayeveld Family Law team, we realized that her grit and determination and work experience would greatly assist our clients.

We have a great team. We know our clients agree because they tell us in their reviews. We think we have a great team because we love working together. We have weekly firm meetings to brainstorm together to get the best results possible for our clients. We help each other. And, well, we laugh a lot to offset the stress of the seriousness of this job. We feel the burden of the responsibility you, as our client, give us when you hire us. We all have children too, and we realize the heartache and stress you are dealing with when a judge will decide your child’s future.

We could tell you a lot more about us, but it may get a bit boring. We’d rather meet you in person so that you can get to know us. Please call us so that we can start a conversation.