Inevitably, divorce has an effect not only on children, but on their grandparents. The effect is not only emotional, but potentially financial. In the uncertain, post-recession economy, many grandparents are helping cover daily living costs for grandkids. Indeed, a...
Month: July 2012
Yours, Mine or Ours: Who gets the wedding ring and wedding gifts?
A recently published Oregon opinion found that a wife's wedding ring was her own separate property, and not a marital asset that was "acquired during the marriage." The Oregon Court of Appeals disagreed with the grail court's finding that the $8,320 ring was a marital...
Military Pensions
Mark Sullivan, an attorney who is the "go to" person for all things military, including the Servicemember Civil Relief Act, has recently created a guide to drafting military pension orders. The guide can be easily downloaded at www.dfas.mil. Such a guide is quite...
Governor Signs Revocation of Paternity Act into Law
On June 12, 2012, Gov. Snyder signed into law the "Revocation of Paternity Act," which changed years of firmly established law concerning a putative father's ability to seek custody rights to children born or conceived during a marriage. Under the old paternity...
Divorce Property Conflicts: The Role of Temporary Court Orders
Sometimes it gets ugly in a divorce. This is as true for divorce in Southeast Michigan as it is anywhere else.Sure, some couples are able to settle their differences in a relatively amicable way. But many others face various forms of conflict.Physical violence is of...
Accepting the Challenges of a Repeat Divorce
It isn't necessarily easier going through a difficult experience again. To be sure, as the philosopher Nietzsche once said, if something doesn't kill you it can make you stronger. But sometimes, when you're facing your second divorce, or even a third, you have to be...
Relocation Often Raises Child Custody Issues
After the economic crisis of the past few years, Michigan families have come to understand that sometimes you have to relocate. If there aren't enough jobs where you live, you might have to move elsewhere to find work. But what happens when there are child custody...