Dowagiac Family Law Lawyer, Michigan

Sponsored Law Firm


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

Annette D. Nickel

Family Law, Criminal, Native People, Children's Rights
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  36 Years

Annette Deborah Nickel

Family Law, Criminal, Native People, Children's Rights
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  36 Years

Sarah Ann Mathews

Juvenile Law, Federal Appellate Practice, Family Law, Criminal
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  16 Years

Thomas D. Swisher

Other, Gift Taxation, Family Law, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  39 Years

Melissa M. Sytsma

Family Law, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  20 Years

Leigh A. Feldman

Family Law, Divorce & Family Law, Children's Rights, Criminal
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  21 Years

Susan L. Dobrich

Veterans' Affairs, Estate Planning, Family Law, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  44 Years

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Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

Member Representative

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800-943-8690

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.

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LEGAL TERMS

MARRIAGE

The legal union of two people. Once a couple is married, their rights and responsibilities toward one another concerning property and support are defined by the... (more...)
The legal union of two people. Once a couple is married, their rights and responsibilities toward one another concerning property and support are defined by the laws of the state in which they live. A marriage can only be terminated by a court granting a divorce or annulment. Compare common law marriage.

CLOSE CORPORATION

A corporation owned and operated by a few individuals, often members of the same family, rather than by public shareholders. State laws permit close corporation... (more...)
A corporation owned and operated by a few individuals, often members of the same family, rather than by public shareholders. State laws permit close corporations to function more informally than regular corporations. For example, shareholders can make decisions without holding meetings of the board of directors, and can fill vacancies on the board without a vote of the shareholders.

SEPARATE PROPERTY

In community property states, property owned and controlled entirely by one spouse in a marriage. At divorce, separate property is not divided under the state's... (more...)
In community property states, property owned and controlled entirely by one spouse in a marriage. At divorce, separate property is not divided under the state's property division laws, but is kept by the spouse who owns it. Separate property includes all property that a spouse obtained before marriage, through inheritance or as a gift. It also includes any property that is traceable to separate property -- for example, cash from the sale of a vintage car owned by one spouse before marriage-and any property that the spouses agree is separate property. Compare community property and equitable distribution.

ISSUE

A term generally meaning all your children and their children down through the generations, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on. Also called... (more...)
A term generally meaning all your children and their children down through the generations, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on. Also called 'lineal descendants.'

ARREARAGES

Overdue alimony or child support payments. In recent years, state laws have made it difficult to impossible to get rid of arrearages; they can't be discharged i... (more...)
Overdue alimony or child support payments. In recent years, state laws have made it difficult to impossible to get rid of arrearages; they can't be discharged in bankruptcy, and courts usually will not retroactively cancel them. A spouse or parent who falls on tough times and is unable to make payments should request a temporary modification of the payments before the arrearages build up.

IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES

Differences between spouses that are considered sufficiently severe to make married life together more or less impossible. In a number of states, irreconcilable... (more...)
Differences between spouses that are considered sufficiently severe to make married life together more or less impossible. In a number of states, irreconcilable differences is the accepted ground for a no-fault divorce. As a practical matter, courts seldom, if ever, inquire into what the differences actually are, and routinely grant a divorce as long as the party seeking the divorce says the couple has irreconcilable differences. Compare incompatibility; irremediable breakdown.

LAWFUL ISSUE

Formerly, statutes governing wills used this phrase to specify children born to married parents, and to exclude those born out of wedlock. Now, the phrase means... (more...)
Formerly, statutes governing wills used this phrase to specify children born to married parents, and to exclude those born out of wedlock. Now, the phrase means the same as issue and 'lineal descendant.'

PATERNITY SUIT

A lawsuit to determine the identity of the father of a child born outside of marriage, and to provide for the support of the child once the identity of the fath... (more...)
A lawsuit to determine the identity of the father of a child born outside of marriage, and to provide for the support of the child once the identity of the father has been determined.

ALIMONY

The money paid by one ex-spouse to the other for support under the terms of a court order or settlement agreement following a divorce. Except in marriages of lo... (more...)
The money paid by one ex-spouse to the other for support under the terms of a court order or settlement agreement following a divorce. Except in marriages of long duration (ten years or more) or in the case of an ailing spouse, alimony usually lasts for a set period, with the expectation that the recipient spouse will become self-supporting. Alimony is also called 'spousal support' or 'maintenance.'

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. ...