I believe that I am the father of the child. What should I do? Paternity suits are usually brought by four different parties: the child’s mother, the child, the Family Independence Agency or the child’s reputed father. The Family Independence Agency gets involved if the child’s mother receives state assistance. If the child’s reputed father seeks paternity, he will not have standing in court to determine paternity of a child born while the mother was married to another man, unless … Read More →

The rule in Michigan is that both parents are required to provide financial support for their children. In order to determine the amount that each parent is required to pay in child support, Michigan uses guidelines developed by the Friends of the Court Bureau. The guidelines take several factors into consideration, such as: Financial resources of the parents; Family size; Ages of the children; Child care and educational expenses; Health care coverage costs and medical/dental expenses; and Other criteria The … Read More →

I want guardianship over my family member or person. What should I do? If you are seeking guardianship of a loved one or a family member, there are certain procedures that you can expect to take place. In Michigan, a guardianship proceeding takes place in the county’s probate court. The probate court will appoint a person for the incapacitated individual to make necessary legal decisions. The first step is to file a petition with the probate court. This petition must … Read More →

What are the different types of alimony/ spousal support forms? Alimony, also called spousal support, is a sum of money paid to a spouse, during or after the divorce, to fill the financial needs of the spouse. You don’t have to be married for at least 10 years in order to ask for supposal support, the court may grant it to you for marriages less than 10 years, depending on the circumstances of you case. The amount, frequency and duration … Read More →

Do I need the judge’s permission to move my child out of state, if there is no custody order for my child? The short answer is No. But, please be aware that if you have pending litigation regarding custody, you may want to speak to an attorney first. If the case is pending, the other parent, as well as, the judge may be upset that you have frustrated the other parent’s ability to see the child, or removed the child … Read More →