Interlochen Divorce Lawyers

Divorce and Child Custody Lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan

If you are thinking of filing for divorce, the Neumann Law Group is a divorce law firm in Interlochen, Michigan that can help you navigate the divorce filing process. The decisions you make during your divorce can impact your family and your finances for years to come. While it’s understandable to want to settle your divorce as quickly as possible, it’s important to take the time to get your divorce settlement and your parenting plan right the first time. Once your divorce is settled, you can’t go back and change the financial decisions you made, and it can be very difficult to change a parenting plan once a child custody agreement has been reached. The divorce lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can help you understand your rights under Michigan marital law, help you prepare divorce paperwork, and assist you with filing.

If you are considering divorcing your former spouse, you might have many questions. You might wonder who gets to keep the family home in your divorce. You might wonder whether you are entitled to receive alimony and might wonder whether you’ll be required to pay alimony. You may have questions about how a judge might split property in your divorce, if you cannot agree.

Many factors can impact how your assets, debts, and family home get handled during your divorce. And whether you’ll be entitled to receive alimony or be required to pay alimony will depend on factors like the length of your marriage, your earning capacity, and your likely financial situation after your divorce. Reaching a divorce settlement is a process that involves balancing each partner’s financial situation, future earning potential, and other relevant factors. The divorce lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help you navigate these crucial questions and help you reach a fair divorce settlement that works for your family.

Who Gets the Marital Home in an Interlochen, Michigan Divorce?

When deciding who gets the marital home, first you and your spouse need to ask yourselves the honest question of whether one of you can afford to pay the mortgage, taxes, and other costs of owning the home. The partner who receives the home in the divorce settlement will usually be responsible for assuming the mortgage, property taxes, and other maintenance costs. Any equity in the home gained during your marriage would also usually be considered marital property, so the spouse who gets to keep the family home often must buy the other spouse’s home equity. So, let’s say there’s a $200,000 mortgage on the family home, but the couple has another $200,000 in equity, if the couple were to sell the home for $400,000, then $200,000 of the sale would go to paying off the mortgage, and the couple would receive another $200,000 in proceeds that they could split. In this instance, each spouse would be entitled to receive $100,000 in proceeds from the sale of the home. So, if one spouse keeps this same home, he or she would likely have to pay the other spouse $100,000 to keep the family home to compensate his or her partner for their share in equity, and possibly refinance the mortgage in his or her name. To do this, this spouse would also likely need to prove to a bank or lender that he or she could afford the mortgage payments on his or her own.

Of course, sometimes couples have other significant assets (like retirement accounts, savings accounts, investments, or other items), or after reviewing their situation, it becomes clear that one spouse might be required to pay alimony to the other. In these situations, one spouse might keep the family home and the equity, while the other spouse keeps other assets of equal value.

Many couples just choose to sell the family home because neither partner can pay the mortgage on their own. Other couples might continue with shared ownership in the home after they divorce, and either rent out the home, or in some rare instances, continue to live together until they can afford to sell the home or rent it out. In other instances, for the children’s best interests, the parent who will have primary custody of the children keeps the family home for the sake of the children’s stability.

It is rarely an easy question when it comes to deciding who can keep the family home. A divorce lawyer in Interlochen, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can help you with this process. We are here to help.

Child Custody Lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan

One of the most important decisions you and your spouse will make when you get divorced involves decisions of child custody and your parenting plan. If you are getting divorced and have children, the court will require that you and your co-parent submit a parenting plan to the court. What must be included in a parenting plan? Here are some things to consider:

• How will you divide time with the children? This often involves settling on a parenting schedule with your former spouse. Some parents decide on a 50-50 split, where both parents will have the children for roughly the same amount of time. Other parents might choose other parenting time splits, with the children spending weekends with one parent, and weekdays with the other parent, or other parenting time arrangements.
• How will holidays and other special occasions be split? Again, each family finds their own solution. Some families choose to alternate holidays, while others might split holidays between them.
• Who will make important decisions regarding medical care, education, and more? Many parents choose to share decision-making responsibility and simply provide a plan for how they will resolve disagreements should they arise. Other parents, especially if there is a great deal of acrimony, might choose to split decision-making, with one parent making medical decisions and the other making educational and extracurricular decisions, or one parent will have sole decision-making rights. If there is a concern that these decisions might be highly controversial, some parents outline some general decision-making guidelines in their parenting plan. For example, during the drafting of the parenting plan both parents will agree which school or schools the child will attend, outline the child’s medical needs and some basic guidelines for medical decision-making, and make decisions about religious education.
• How will you communicate with one another? A strong parenting plan will allow you and your former partner to be good co-parents without the need for too many discussions about the plan. Yet, sometimes emergencies happen, and plans need to change or be adjusted. A parenting plan should include instructions for how co-parents will communicate with one another and should also include instructions for how disagreements will be handled (through mediation? or through your lawyers?).
• How will the children be transported or exchanged between visitations? Again, each family has their own unique way to handle this. Some parents just pick up or drop off the kids from school, to avoid as much contact as possible, especially if the divorce or marriage was high conflict. Other parents might take turns dropping or picking children up. Transportation arrangements should also include guidelines for how transportation costs will be covered.
• Other considerations. No parenting plan can address all potential issues that can arise, but you might also want to include guidelines regarding relocation of either parent in your parenting plan and consider how you want to handle introducing the children to new partners.

Drafting a parenting plan that works for your family and that is in the best interests of your children can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. The child custody lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help. Our child custody attorneys can learn more about your goals for your family and your children’s needs and help you create a parenting plan that is in the best interests of your children.

What to Do If You Are Seeking Sole Custody of Your Children in Interlochen, Michigan

The courts rarely award sole custody to one parent. Typically, the courts want to preserve the child’s relationship with both parents. Yet, there are some unique situations where a parent might want to seek sole custody. If there is a history of domestic violence or abuse, you might want to seek sole custody for the safety of your children and for your safety. If one parent will be moving out of state or will be deployed, one parent might have sole custody of the children.

If you are thinking of seeking sole custody, you might want to speak to a child custody lawyer in Interlochen, Michigan as soon as possible. Sole custody isn’t possible in all situations, but if you are facing a unique situation, the child custody lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group may be able to help you.

How Can I Contact a Divorce Lawyer in Interlochen, Michigan Today?

The divorce lawyers in Interlochen, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can be reached by calling 800-525-6386. We have someone available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take your call. You don’t have to navigate your divorce on your own.