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.

Emily agreed during the divorce proceedings to share custody of their two children with her ex-husband Bob, but she began to regret her decision after seeing the state of the kids when they stayed at his house every other weekend per the divorce decree.

When she picked them up on Sunday night, the children generally were tired, cranky, unkempt and behind on their homework. Bob would let them eat junk food, stay up late watching movies or playing video games, and sleep in late the next day. The kids quickly were beginning to label her as the “unfun” parent who was overly strict, made them do chores and pursue good grades in school.