Michigan Divorce Attorney Jannelle Zawaideh

Highland Township, Michigan is included in Oakland County. The population for Highland Township in 2010 was recorded as 19,202. The area is served by the 52-1 District Court, located at 48150 Grand River Avenue, in Novi, 48374. The phone number for the courthouse is (248)-306-6080. The main County Court is the 6th Circuit Court, located at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac, 48341.

Residents of Highland Township are covered by the laws of Michigan for Family Law services. While this outline provides a brief guide to standard Family Law in Michigan, it is important to seek the advice of an experienced attorney as individual cases do vary.

Divorce

To obtain a divorce in Michigan, one party must be a Michigan resident for 180 days before the divorce papers are filed. One Party must be a resident of the county where the filing occurs for 10 days prior to the filing. Certain exemptions to these rules may be applied. Grounds for divorce include the breakdown of a marital relationship and a No Fault divorce may be obtained with an irretrievable breakdown.

Child Custody

Michigan uses the Uniform Child Custody Act. Joint custody is an option, the child's wishes are taken into consideration and grandparents may receive visitation rights.

Property Division

Michigan is not a community property state. However, the Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act has been adopted. No courtesy or dower is included in the division of community property. Individuals should discuss their unique situations with an attorney to determine laws for debt and property division and inheritance issues.

Spousal Support

Michigan courts may award spousal support temporarily. It may also be awarded on a lifetime or until remarriage basis. Factors used in determining support include the length of the marriage, ability to work, ability to pay, need for support and standard of living prior to divorce.

Prenuptials

Prenuptial agreements are recognized by the state. While do-it-yourself agreements may be entered, it is highly recommended that an attorney draw up any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement to ensure that it meets legal requirements.

Child Support

Child support orders are enforced by the Friend of the Court. Failure to pay support can result in the suspension of a driver's license as well as recreational license for fishing or hunting. Professional licenses can be suspended if the individual is over two months behind in payment. A passport may be revoked if the amount of unpaid support goes over $2,500. The court uses formulas to determine the amount of child support owed.

Annulment

Grounds for annulment in Michigan include underage, force, fraud, idiocy, insanity and physical inability to consummate the marriage. There are time limits for obtaining an annulment. Some of these include two years of marriage with a request for annulment due to incapacity. An underage marriage cannot be annulled if the individuals still cohabitate after reaching the age of majority.

Prohibited marriage includes, bigamy, marriages between descendants or ancestors, brothers and sisters, uncle and niece, aunt and nephew or first cousins. Currently same-sex marriages are prohibited.

Paternity

A notarized Affidavit of Parentage can be used to establish paternity in a Michigan court. A court order for DNA testing may also be used. Paternity must be legally established when a child is born to a mother who is not married or if the birth occurs more than 10 months after a marriage has ended. Jannelle Zawadieh is available to help with your Family Law case. Contact her today for a FREE consultation.