Michigan Divorce Attorney Jannelle Zawaideh

Lake Orion, Michigan is located in Oakland County and home to nearly 3,000 people. It began as a resort town, but is now a bedroom community. A number of families live there. If you're one of the Lake Orion residents and experiencing problems in your marriage, you may need to find a local family law attorney to help you initiate divorce proceedings. Even if the split with your spouse is amicable, it's still a good idea to have an advocate on your side.

An attorney can help ensure you receive all you deserve in your divorce settlement, and that's especially important if you have children. Child support and child custody agreements are some of the most contentious points for people who are getting divorced. In some cases, paternity issues even come up. Those kinds of issues will have to be handled before a divorce can proceed, and having a lawyer can help move the process along.

Property will also need to be divided. Some divorcing couples are very good at dividing up their property, but others will argue over both big and small things. If an agreement can't be reached by the spouses, the judge at the divorce hearing will determine who gets specific items. It's much better to decide all of that beforehand, which can help avoid surprises. If you're having trouble coming to an agreement with your spouse over property, a family law attorney can help you see what's most important and how an agreement might be reached.

The same is true for spousal support, commonly called alimony. Not that many people receive alimony in divorce settlements anymore, but there are cases where it is warranted. It's generally not something you can get without a lawyer to help you, though, especially if your spouse doesn't think it's necessary or won't readily agree to pay it. That doesn't mean you don't deserve it, though, or that it's not worth fighting for. Your lawyer can help you determine whether you might qualify for it.

If you have a prenuptial agreement with your spouse, it can dictate much of what you'll receive and not receive during the divorce proceedings. It's important to give that agreement to your lawyer right away, as some prenups are not valid due to various reasons. If you're concerned that yours might not hold up in court, a family law attorney is the person to ask. Even if some of the provisions won't be enforceable, it's likely that others will be.

Annulments are another area for family law attorneys. If you find that your spouse was married to someone else when you got married, or you discover other evidence that shows you were seriously misled about your spouse, it's possible you'll be able to have your marriage annulled. In that case you would not be granted an actual divorce. The marriage would be dissolved to the point that it would be as though it never existed at all. That only happens in specific cases, and your attorney should be the one to advise you about it. Contact Us at 248-356-0600, we offer a free consultation.