Amicable Divorce Solutions Avoid Astronomical Attorney Fees
As a divorce lawyer in Oakland County, Michigan I have come to believe that power and control issues are the biggest cause of divorce.
The best way to resolve family law issues is through an amicable divorce.
There are several reasons for this.
The following are only a few: the high emotional cost and continued resentment, the inability to move forward with one's life after the divorce, the negative impact on future attempts to co-parent when children are involved, the inability to maximize the settlement for both parties and finally the high cost of attorney fees.
In dealing with a divorce, one of the most important aspects of the matrimonial lawyer's job is to attempt to help the client resolve the matter without anger or power/control issues fueling litigation.
If the divorcing couple cannot get over these issues, then they will have an enormous price to pay in a variety of ways.
Huge attorney fees can result when the parties unnecessarily litigate.
The focus of this article is how costly litigation can be when it comes to attorney fees, particularly when the divorced couple cannot negotiate with one another regarding parenting time and custody issues.
The focus of child custody and parenting time (or visitation) should be the children.
Unfortunately, these important issues often become another opportunity for a power and control struggle between two adults that no longer get along.
Too often one divorced parent will make a decision regarding the child and take action on that decision without discussing it with the other parent.
This appears to be what happened in the case of Pierron v Pierron.
In that case which was decided by the Michigan Supreme Court in 2010, a divorced couple could not come to an agreement on which school their child should attend.
There were also continuing parenting time and custody issues which appear to be the result of unresolved power and control issues between this divorced couple.
This issue of which school the child should attend in the Pierron case caused a protracted legal battle which led all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court.
One should understand that in Michigan, where the parties share joint legal custody, they share joint decision making powers regarding important life issues that affect their children.
In most divorce cases involving children, the courts will order joint legal custody.
Case law indicates that where a child attends school is one of these issues that the parents must decide together when they share joint legal custody.
If they cannot, the courts will decide for them.
After the court made its decision, the mother of the child filed a motion to have the father pay for her attorney fees.
In Michigan, a court may order one parent to pay for the other parent's attorney fees in a divorce (or post-divorce case) where the court finds that the parent requesting payment does not have sufficient assets to pay for the attorney fees and the other parent does have sufficient assets.
The mother apparently incurred a whopping bill of $136,449.
12 in attorney fees arguing over which school the child should attend.
The court ordered the father to pay for $64,599.
12 of her attorney fees.
This means he had to pay her attorney this money in addition to whatever amount he incurred in his own attorney fees.
It would seem, that they both would have saved a lot of time, money and emotional stress if they could have rationally and reasonably discussed this issue and come to an amicable resolution.
Neither party comes out ahead when they have to pay this much money arguing over which school the child will attend.
The conclusion is that allowing emotional issues to fuel divorce proceedings is a big mistake.
Resolving all matters in a reasonable manner and putting aside the emotions during legal proceedings is the best way to go, particularly when there are children involved.
If one does not, then this can result in repeated court struggles throughout the lives of one's children.
This is not only damaging to the children but it can result in astronomical attorney fees as well.
One must be careful in choosing a divorce lawyer.
A family law attorney that does not understand the cost of litigation and the value of an amicable divorce can cause a lifetime of problems.
The best way to resolve family law issues is through an amicable divorce.
There are several reasons for this.
The following are only a few: the high emotional cost and continued resentment, the inability to move forward with one's life after the divorce, the negative impact on future attempts to co-parent when children are involved, the inability to maximize the settlement for both parties and finally the high cost of attorney fees.
In dealing with a divorce, one of the most important aspects of the matrimonial lawyer's job is to attempt to help the client resolve the matter without anger or power/control issues fueling litigation.
If the divorcing couple cannot get over these issues, then they will have an enormous price to pay in a variety of ways.
Huge attorney fees can result when the parties unnecessarily litigate.
The focus of this article is how costly litigation can be when it comes to attorney fees, particularly when the divorced couple cannot negotiate with one another regarding parenting time and custody issues.
The focus of child custody and parenting time (or visitation) should be the children.
Unfortunately, these important issues often become another opportunity for a power and control struggle between two adults that no longer get along.
Too often one divorced parent will make a decision regarding the child and take action on that decision without discussing it with the other parent.
This appears to be what happened in the case of Pierron v Pierron.
In that case which was decided by the Michigan Supreme Court in 2010, a divorced couple could not come to an agreement on which school their child should attend.
There were also continuing parenting time and custody issues which appear to be the result of unresolved power and control issues between this divorced couple.
This issue of which school the child should attend in the Pierron case caused a protracted legal battle which led all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court.
One should understand that in Michigan, where the parties share joint legal custody, they share joint decision making powers regarding important life issues that affect their children.
In most divorce cases involving children, the courts will order joint legal custody.
Case law indicates that where a child attends school is one of these issues that the parents must decide together when they share joint legal custody.
If they cannot, the courts will decide for them.
After the court made its decision, the mother of the child filed a motion to have the father pay for her attorney fees.
In Michigan, a court may order one parent to pay for the other parent's attorney fees in a divorce (or post-divorce case) where the court finds that the parent requesting payment does not have sufficient assets to pay for the attorney fees and the other parent does have sufficient assets.
The mother apparently incurred a whopping bill of $136,449.
12 in attorney fees arguing over which school the child should attend.
The court ordered the father to pay for $64,599.
12 of her attorney fees.
This means he had to pay her attorney this money in addition to whatever amount he incurred in his own attorney fees.
It would seem, that they both would have saved a lot of time, money and emotional stress if they could have rationally and reasonably discussed this issue and come to an amicable resolution.
Neither party comes out ahead when they have to pay this much money arguing over which school the child will attend.
The conclusion is that allowing emotional issues to fuel divorce proceedings is a big mistake.
Resolving all matters in a reasonable manner and putting aside the emotions during legal proceedings is the best way to go, particularly when there are children involved.
If one does not, then this can result in repeated court struggles throughout the lives of one's children.
This is not only damaging to the children but it can result in astronomical attorney fees as well.
One must be careful in choosing a divorce lawyer.
A family law attorney that does not understand the cost of litigation and the value of an amicable divorce can cause a lifetime of problems.
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