Maple City Divorce Lawyers

Divorce and Child Custody Lawyers in Maple City, Michigan

The divorce lawyers in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help you navigate your divorce and are here to help you file for divorce if you’re thinking of taking this step. Divorce can impact many aspects of your financial life and can affect your family, if you have minor children.

The decisions you make during your divorce can impact you years down the line. Once you finalize your divorce there’s no going back, and changing a parenting plan once one has been approved by the court can be difficult. The divorce lawyers in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help you navigate the legal aspects of divorce. We can help you file for divorce, help you understand your rights when it comes to dividing assets and debts, and help you create a parenting plan that is in your children’s best interests.

Divorce can be a very stressful time, but the divorce lawyers in Maple City, Michigan are here to help. We can walk you through the divorce process step by step and help you take the next step that’s right for you. If you have questions, we are here.

How Are Property and Debts Divided in a Maple City, Michigan Divorce?

Under Michigan law, property isn’t always divided equally. Michigan law allows for marital property to be divided equitably in a divorce. This means that courts will consider various factors when dividing property and debts, including how long you were married, your earning capacity, your age, your financial situation independent of your marriage or spouse, and your spouse’s behavior during your marriage. In general, the courts don’t want to divide assets in a way that leaves one partner well-off and the other partner destitute. So, the courts will look at the full financial picture and each partner’s contributions to the marriage. If one partner stayed home to raise the children, while the other pursued a career, this could also affect the divorce settlement agreement and may result in alimony.

One of the bigger questions a couple might face when getting divorced involves deciding how to deal with the family home. Various factors will determine who will get the family home, but couples should also ask themselves important questions before making this decision. For example, can you afford to pay for the mortgage and property taxes on your own? If neither partner can afford the costs of the home on their own, the couple might either decide to sell the family home or rent the home, share the proceeds, and downsize their living space. There are many ways a family home can be dealt with in divorce, and a divorce lawyer in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can help.

Another important thing to consider is debt. Marital debts are also subject to division during divorce, but again, these debts might not be equally divided. Bad behavior during the marriage could impact how debt is divided in divorce. For example, if one partner got into gambling debt, or ran up the credit card to wine, dine, and cheat on their spouse, the court might not look at this debt as shared. Other factors can affect debt division, especially if only one partner benefitted from the debt (think of debt taken out for business expenses or to grow a separately owned business; or debt for college and university where the spouse still hasn’t finished school).

The divorce lawyers in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can help you explore your options and help you divide assets and debts during your divorce. The decisions you make regarding splitting assets and debts in divorce are final. Before you sign away your rights or settle your divorce, you might want to speak to a divorce lawyer in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group to understand your rights and take the next steps.

How Do Courts Decide Custody During a Maple City, Michigan Divorce?

While judges are granted guidelines when making custody decisions, these guidelines tend to be very broad and allow for a great deal of discretion when a custody battle is taken to court. Because of this, parents are often encouraged, whenever possible, to settle their custody disagreements outside of court. Of course, there are certain situations where parents need to take their custody battle to court. If you are leaving an abusive relationship, a relationship characterized by coercive control, or violence, you’ll want to take steps to protect your children’s safety, and this can involve going to court over custody.

Michigan judges are given broad guidelines when deciding child custody. These guidelines include evaluating several factors about the family home and each parent. Here are some things judges will look at:

• Each parent’s ability to provide love and support to the children.
• Each parent’s emotional connection to the children.
• The ability of each parent to promote the education of the children, and to provide love and affection.
• Each parent’s ability to provide for the children’s basic needs.
• The judge will look at the children’s current living situation, and all things being equal, will choose the living situation that promotes stability and continuity for the children.
• The stability and permanence of each parent’s home environment.
• Each parent’s mental and physical health.
• The child’s ties to his or her community.
• The children’s preferences, if the children are old enough.
• Each parent’s willingness to promote the child’s relationship with the other parent.
• Domestic violence.
• Other considerations.

These are just some factors, and they can involve a great deal of discretion on the part of a judge. If you have questions about your rights if you anticipate your child custody case going to court, you might want to speak to a child custody attorney in Maple at the Neumann Law Group. Our child custody lawyers are here to help you navigate various aspects of your child custody case, including creating a parenting plan that works, and taking your child custody case to court, if needed.

Contact a Child Custody Lawyer in Maple City, Michigan

To finalize your divorce if you have minor children, you’ll need to submit a parenting plan to the court. The child custody lawyers in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help you craft a parenting plan that works. A strong parenting plan should contain guidelines about how you and your former partner will divide time with your children, should outline how holidays will be split, and should specify how major decisions for the children will be made. If you have questions about the next steps if you are getting divorced and have minor children, the Maple City, Michigan child custody lawyers are here to help. We can help you understand what your parenting plan should contain and help you write a parenting plan that is in your children’s best interests. Contact our child custody lawyers today to take the next steps and create a parenting plan that works.

How to Contact a Divorce Lawyer in Maple City, Michigan

The divorce lawyers in Maple City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 800-525-6386. We are here to answer your questions and offer you guidance on the next steps. Divorce can be one of the most stressful things a person can experience, but you don’t have to navigate the legal aspects of your divorce alone. Contact the Maple City, Michigan divorce attorneys at the Neumann Law Group today.