Michigan Divorce Attorney Jannelle Zawaideh

Overall, Oakland County had more than 3,800 divorces during 2012. Each of these couples had to grapple with situations which were unique to their marriage. Couples will have a number of issues that must be dealt with during their divorce including:

Child Custody - children of the marriage must be cared for even if the couple is divorcing. Recent statistics show that more than 50 percent of households have children under the age of 18. Couples must deal with issues of support, health care and custody of children. It is imperative to the well-being of the child these matters are dealt with in a manner that does not encourage alienation of either parent

Spousal Support - in cases where one spouse has worked and the other has remained at home to care for their children, the court may order spousal support payments. These payments are meant to ensure the spouse who is receiving them has some form of income after a divorce. This is especially critical if one spouse is not working or may be disabled. It is also important to note these orders may be modified should financial situations change for either spouse

Property division - assets owned jointly by a couple must be divided equitably during a divorce. Property often includes the marital home, retirement accounts and potentially automobiles or jewelry. Property that was owned by either spouse prior to marriage may also be a source of contention between the spouses and may require special handling if the couple did not have a pre-marital agreement

These are only a few of the issues a couple going through a divorce may be dealing with. However, family law covers other areas of the law including:

Prenuptial agreements - while no one wants to consider the possibility of a divorce before they marry, oftentimes prenuptial agreements are beneficial to couples who have assets they are bringing into the marriage. Family lawyers can help you draw up a fair and equitable agreement that helps protect your assets in the event your marriage ends in divorce

Establishing paternity - when a child is born out of wedlock, it is often necessary to establish paternity. The request may come from the mother or the father of the baby and in most cases, an attorney will need to be involved to deal with custody issues and child support issues after the fact

Annulment in Michigan - Section 552 of the Michigan Revised Statutes states the conditions for an annulment of a marriage. Generally, the only conditions where the courts would grant an annulment are fraud or if one spouse was not able to marry (e.g., lacked mental capacity, still married to another person)

Statistically, only six percent of marriages in Oakland County end in divorce. However, there may be other reasons including paternity, setting up a prenuptial agreement or perhaps an adoption proceeding which would require the services of an attorney who specializes in Michigan family law. Janelle Zawadieh provides Family Law services for Royal Oak. Call us today 248-356-0600.