Sawyer Family Law Lawyer, Michigan

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Includes: Collaborative Law, Domestic Violence & Neglect, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements

Thomas E. Nelson

Estate Planning, Estate, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  47 Years

Talia L. Grieger

Estate Planning, Family Law, Elder Law, Reinsurance
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  32 Years

John R. Colip

Estate Planning, Estate, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  49 Years

Robert G. Vlach

Social Security, Family Law, Gift Taxation, Veterans' Affairs
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  34 Years

Rebecca B. Sanford

Art, Entertainment, Industry Specialties, Family Law, Mediation
Status:  In Good Standing           

Deborah L. Bennett Berecz

Dispute Resolution, Family Law, Mediation, Divorce, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  31 Years

Carl R. Burdick

Litigation, Dispute Resolution, Estate Planning, Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  59 Years

Amber Deann Peters

Estate, Family Law, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Criminal
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  10 Years

Gary G. Hosbein

Family Law, Adoption, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  55 Years

Deborah Berecz

Mediation, Lawsuit & Dispute, Collaborative Law, Family Law, Adoption
Status:  In Good Standing           

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LEGAL TERMS

ZONING

The laws dividing cities into different areas according to use, from single-family residences to industrial plants. Zoning ordinances control the size, location... (more...)
The laws dividing cities into different areas according to use, from single-family residences to industrial plants. Zoning ordinances control the size, location, and use of buildings within these different areas.

BRIEF

A document used to submit a legal contention or argument to a court. A brief typically sets out the facts of the case and a party's argument as to why she shoul... (more...)
A document used to submit a legal contention or argument to a court. A brief typically sets out the facts of the case and a party's argument as to why she should prevail. These arguments must be supported by legal authority and precedent, such as statutes, regulations and previous court decisions. Although it is usually possible to submit a brief to a trial court (called a trial brief), briefs are most commonly used as a central part of the appeal process (an appellate brief). But don't be fooled by the name -- briefs are usually anything but brief, as pointed out by writer Franz Kafka, who defined a lawyer as 'a person who writes a 10,000 word decision and calls it a brief.'

GUARDIAN

An adult who has been given the legal right by a court to control and care for a minor or her property. Someone who looks after a child's property is called a '... (more...)
An adult who has been given the legal right by a court to control and care for a minor or her property. Someone who looks after a child's property is called a 'guardian of the estate.' An adult who has legal authority to make personal decisions for the child, including responsibility for his physical, medical and educational needs, is called a 'guardian of the person.' Sometimes just one person will be named to take care of all these tasks. An individual appointed by a court to look after an incapacitated adult may also be known as a guardian, but is more frequently called a conservator.

ADOPTIVE PARENT

A person who completes all the requirements to legally adopt a child who is not his or her biological child. Generally, any single or married adult who is deter... (more...)
A person who completes all the requirements to legally adopt a child who is not his or her biological child. Generally, any single or married adult who is determined to be a 'fit parent' may adopt a child. Some states have special requirements, such as age or residency criteria. An adoptive parent has all the responsibilities of a biological parent.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT

An agreement made by a divorcing couple regarding the division of property, custody and visitation of the children, alimony or child support. The agreement must... (more...)
An agreement made by a divorcing couple regarding the division of property, custody and visitation of the children, alimony or child support. The agreement must be put in writing, signed by the parties and accepted by the court. It becomes part of the divorce decree and does away with the necessity of having a trial on the issues covered by the agreement. A divorce agreement may also be called a marital settlement agreement, marital termination agreement or settlement agreement.

TENANCY BY THE ENTIRETY

A special kind of property ownership that's only for married couples. Both spouses have the right to enjoy the entire property, and when one spouse dies, the su... (more...)
A special kind of property ownership that's only for married couples. Both spouses have the right to enjoy the entire property, and when one spouse dies, the surviving spouse gets title to the property (called a right of survivorship). It is similar to joint tenancy, but it is available in only about half the states.

RESTRAINING ORDER

An order from a court directing one person not to do something, such as make contact with another person, enter the family home or remove a child from the state... (more...)
An order from a court directing one person not to do something, such as make contact with another person, enter the family home or remove a child from the state. Restraining orders are typically issued in cases in which spousal abuse or stalking is feared -- or has occurred -- in an attempt to ensure the victim's safety. Restraining orders are also commonly issued to cool down ugly disputes between neighbors.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

A document that authorizes a couple to get married, usually available from the county clerk's office in the state where the marriage will take place. Couples pa... (more...)
A document that authorizes a couple to get married, usually available from the county clerk's office in the state where the marriage will take place. Couples pay a small fee for a marriage license, and must often wait a few days before it is issued. In addition, a few states require a short waiting period--usually not more than a day--between the time the license is issued and the time the marriage may take place. And some states still require blood tests for couples before they will issue a marriage license, though most no longer do.

COLLUSION

Secret cooperation between two people in order to fool another. Collusion was often practiced by couples before no-fault divorce in order to make up a grounds f... (more...)
Secret cooperation between two people in order to fool another. Collusion was often practiced by couples before no-fault divorce in order to make up a grounds for divorce (such as adultery). By fabricating a permitted reason for divorce, colluding couples hoped to trick a judge into granting their freedom from the marriage. But a spouse accused of wrongdoing who later changed his or her mind about the divorce could expose the collusion to prevent the divorce from going through.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Johnson Family Ltd. Partnership v. White Pine Wireless, LLC

... At the time, the Johnson Family Trust (the Trust) served as the general partner for the Partnership. ... 480, 482, 722 NW2d 906 (2006). Whether a grant of equitable relief is proper under a given set of facts is a question of law that this Court also reviews de novo. ...

Estes v. Titus

... Toth), Kalamazoo, for Julie L. Swabash. Speaker Law Firm, PLLC (by Liisa R. Speaker and Jodi M. Latuszek), Lansing, for amici curiae the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Howard & Howard Attorneys, PC (by ...

Sinicropi v. Mazurek

... 232, 241, 86 NW2d 336 (1957). Here, the trial court drew on virtually all the traditional equitable principles applicable in family-law cases: the best interest of the child, the fitness of the competing parents, and the past relationships of the parties. ...