Tom and Sarah had a strong friendship long before they were married. Once divorce became imminent, they both committed to maintaining a healthy relationship after their divorce, for their own good but also for the benefit of their two teenage children. Tom and Sarah decided to try mediation before either filed for divorce, based on the advice of close friends who had gone to mediation during their divorce only to find that the divorce process had already turned them into adversaries. 

After 18 years of marriage, Jeff and Michelle were sad to admit that they had grown too far apart to save their marriage. Although they still loved each other and were concerned about the impact of divorce on their young children, they made the difficult decision to go their separate ways.

As an experienced Family Law Attorney in Grand Rapids, I have represented clients in Kent County and throughout West Michigan. My experience has taught me that litigation is stressful and expensive. Litigation also causes anger and resentment between parties that can linger for years. These issues can be devastating when minor children are involved.

In the course of my family law practice, I see on a weekly basis how devastating divorce can be to both parties and their families, often because of the contentious nature of litigation and the lack of privacy in court proceedings.

This is particularly true in West Michigan, where we have a healthy regard for privacy and often choose to think the best of others.
That’s why I’m always searching for new developments in the field of law to alleviate the pain caused by “the airing of dirty laundry” and the hard feelings that often result from contested proceedings.