Traverse City Divorce Lawyers

Divorce and Child Custody Lawyers in Traverse City Michigan

The divorce lawyers in Traverse City, Michigan at the Neuman Law Group are here to help you with your divorce. Divorce can be one of the most difficult of all life experiences, but you don’t have to navigate the legal aspects on your own. Emotions can run high, and your divorce can impact your whole life—including your finances and your child custody. Divorce can be a very stressful time, but with the help of a Traverse City, Michigan divorce lawyer, it can become more manageable. The divorce lawyers in Traverse City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help you tackle the toughest challenges of your divorce and reach a divorce settlement that works for you and your family. Contact us today to learn more.

What Decisions Will I Need to Make in my Divorce?

Divorce raises a range of crucial decisions that can impact your child custody and your financial life. What are some of the key decisions you’ll need to make during your divorce? Here are a few:

• Who will keep the family home if you and your spouse own a home together?
• How will you divide bank accounts?
• How will you divide investment accounts?
• How will you divide retirement accounts and IRAs?
• How will you divide debts?
• Will alimony be paid and if so, how much and for how long?
• How will child custody be arranged?
• If you own a business, how will the business be handled, especially if both partners have a stake in the company?
• If you own other property, collectibles, and assets, how will these be divided?
• What assets are considered marital shared property, and what assets were acquired before the marriage?
• Is there a prenuptial agreement, and how will it impact the questions above?

These are just some of the questions that your divorce lawyer can help you navigate during your divorce. As you can imagine, the answers are seldom straightforward and the solutions to these questions will vary from situation to situation. For example, if you have questions about who will keep the family home, both parties will need to get honest about whether they can afford to pay for the home’s expenses on their own, or whether it makes more sense to sell the home and split the proceeds. When it comes to splitting bank accounts, your divorce lawyer will also consider each party’s financial situation and earning capacity, and how splitting bank accounts might impact alimony or other division of assets. Investment accounts and IRAs can get tricky, depending on whether taxes will be owed when these assets are sold or cashed out. Your divorce lawyer might suggest that you speak to a financial planner to help you divide these assets. If you have debts, your divorce lawyer will need to determine which debts are shared or separate, and how these debts should be divided given each partner’s earning capacity and financial situation. If you own a business, experts might need to come in to value the business. And if you have children, you will need to consider your children’s needs to determine, with your co-parent, what living situation would be least disruptive and, in your children’s best interests.

These are not easy questions to answer, but your divorce lawyer in Traverse City, Michigan can help you navigate these questions and find solutions. Contact the Traverse City, Michigan divorce lawyer at the Neumann Law Group today. Our divorce attorneys in Traverse City, Michigan are here to help.

Will I Receive Permanent Alimony?

Whether you will receive alimony at all will depend largely on the length of your marriage, and each partner’s financial situation and earning capacity. If you are leaving a shorter marriage, you might not be entitled to receive alimony at all. If your marriage has been longer, you might receive temporary alimony. Usually, permanent alimony is reserved for situations like gray divorce, or cases where a couple has been married for many years, usually decades, where one partner is not likely to be able to support themselves financially. If you have questions about alimony, the Traverse City, Michigan divorce attorneys at the Neumann Law Group can help. Our divorce attorneys can review your situation and help you understand your rights and options.

Child Custody Lawyer in Traverse City, Michigan

The child custody lawyers in Traverse City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group can help you with your child custody case and assist you with creating a parenting plan that works for your children and your family. One of the most important decisions a couple will need to make during their divorce is deciding how to co-parent their children. Parents must decide how to split parenting time, how major decision-making for the children will be arranged, and address other important details like communication, holidays, and more. The decisions you make during your divorce can impact your family’s life for years to come. It can be very difficult to change a parenting plan once one has been finalized by the courts.

Here are some things you’ll want to think about when crafting a parenting plan:

• Where will the children primarily live? Will you and your co-parent split parenting duties 50-50 or settle on another arrangement?
• How will you split time with the children? What makes sense given your schedules and your family?
• How will major holidays be split?
• Who will make major decisions regarding your child’s schooling and medical decisions? If both parents will share decision-making, how will you resolve disputes?
• How will the children get from one parent’s house to the other and who will pay for transportation?
• How will other factors be addressed—like introducing the children to a new partner, long-distance travel, and moving to another city or state?

These are just some of the things you may need to consider when crafting a parenting plan. Every family’s situation is unique. Some parenting plans may involve special provisions if one parent will live in another state, will travel frequently, or will be deployed in the military. Other special considerations may need to be considered if there is a history of domestic violence or concern about one parent’s safety. These are all special issues that must be addressed during a child custody case and during the creation of a parenting plan. The child custody lawyers in Traverse City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group are here to help you address the major concerns that can arise with child custody and help you and your former partner create a parenting plan that works for your family—and one that is in the best interests of your children.

Can My Children Decide Where They Want to Live?

Children cannot decide where they want to live until they turn 18. Yet, the court may consider a child’s preference for child custody matters if the child is “of sufficient age.” Yet, what constitutes “sufficient age?” There isn’t a specific age at which the courts will always ask a child their preferences. Instead, the courts will consider the child’s age, ability to communicate their preference, and other factors, like the child’s perceived maturity level. One could imagine a situation where a very young child has a deep desire to express their preference and has the ability to effectively communicate this preference. And one can likewise imagine a situation where an older child or even a teen might not be seen as sufficiently intellectually mature to make their preference known. The ability of the child to express their preferences will depend on each child and the situation. If your child does want to express his or her preference, this is something you should make known to your child custody lawyer in Traverse City, Michigan. The Neumann Law Group is a Traverse City, Michigan child custody law firm that can help you navigate all aspects of child custody, including making your child’s wishes known to the court.

Finally, it is important in these situations to avoid putting a child in the uncomfortable position where he or she must “choose” between one parent or the other. This can understandably be very distressing. A child custody attorney in Traverse City, Michigan can help you navigate some of the more challenging aspects of child custody and co-parenting. We are here to help. Contact us today.

How to Contact a Divorce Lawyer in Traverse City, Michigan

The Traverse City, Michigan divorce lawyers at the Neumann Law Group can be reached by phone at 800-525-6386. We are here to learn more about your situation and offer guidance on the next steps. We can help you file for divorce and navigate the divorce process. We can also help you if you are facing a child custody battle or need help creating a parenting plan. Divorce can be a very stressful time for individuals, families, and their children, but you don’t have to navigate the legal aspects of your divorce on your own. The Neumann Law Group is a divorce law firm in Traverse City, Michigan that is here to help. Contact us today.