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FAMILY LAW
At the Law Firm of Edward Duke, we are committed to
personal, high-quality legal services. We have more than
25 years of experience throughout the state of Michigan
and have handled hundreds of cases in the areas of
divorce and family law.
Ending a marriage is one of the most difficult
experiences a person will ever face in his or her
lifetime. According to recent Census Bureau statistics,
an estimated 2.5 million people are divorced each year
in the U.S. Divorce is the legal dissolution of a
marriage and its associated distribution of marital
wealth, any spousal support, and to set child custody
and visitation schedules. If you are filing for divorce,
it is important to work with an attorney and a firm who
can help you protect yourself and your children by
developing legal strategies to maintain finances,
insurance, marital assets and family safety (if
appropriate) while the divorce is pending.
It is also important that your attorney takes the
time to understand your values, goals and needs. The
basic philosophy of the Law Firm of Edward Duke is that
divorce cases should be settled without engaging in a
vicious court battle, which generally does not benefit
any of the participants and may result in long-
psychological, emotional and financial
consequences.
There are three distinct ways of legally ending a
marriage relationship in Michigan. In addition to an
action for Divorce, there are also the alternatives of
Separate Maintenance and annulment. In a Separate
Maintenance action, the party filing this proceeding
(the "Plaintiff") is asking the Court's help
in providing for the division of marital property and,
if there are children, for the custody and support of
the children. A party may also request spousal support,
commonly known as alimony. However, in an action for
Separate Maintenance, the Plaintiff does not seek to
have the marriage dissolved. Since a Separate
Maintenance action does not dissolve the marriage, there
are very few actions for Separate Maintenance. In
Michigan, if the other party (the "Defendant")
requests a divorce, instead of Separate Maintenance, the
Court is required to grant this request for a divorce.
In an Annulment proceeding, the Plaintiff asks the Court
to declare that the marriage never existed and is void.
The "grounds" for Annulment include bigamy,
fraud, insanity or the attempted marriage of a minor.
Annulment is a rarely used remedy for most persons,
especially if children have been born of the
relationship.
Divorce is by far the most common way to end the
marriage, and Michigan only permits no fault divorces
where there has been an irreparable breakdown of the
marriage relationship. The residency requirement is six
months, however, the requirement increases to one year
if the breakdown of the marriage arose out of the state.
All divorce, custody and related proceedings are filed
in the Family Division of the County Circuit Court, also
commonly called the Family Court. Typically a no-fault
divorce will take six months to complete from beginning
to end. Family Court proceedings are foreign to most
people and can be intimidating. We will explain the
procedures in a clear and understandable manner to
ensure that you are comfortable during this difficult
and emotional process.
Whether you're looking for guidance to help you plan
and protect your economic future, are trying to avoid
divorce, need help in negotiating settlement agreements,
or require persuasive legal arguments in the courtroom -
the Law Firm of Edward Duke has the resources and skill
to effectively represent your interests.
Our attorneys will guide you through the process. We
will listen carefully to your concerns and efficiently
and effectively process your case, so that you can move
forward with your life.
Contact an attorney at the Law Firm of Edward Duke
today, at (810) 664-2700, or you may contact us via our online
form.
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