Divorce

Michigan is a “no-fault” state which means you don’t need to prove a reason for your divorce. By state law, a court must find that there has been a breakdown of the marital relationship to the extent that there is no reasonable likelihood that the parties can preserve the marriage.

In all divorce cases, there is a 60-day waiting period from the time you initiate your court action until the day the court can legally grant your divorce. With children, the court will not grant your divorce until at least 6 months have passed although there are times when the court will waive this waiting period.

Most marriages take much longer to dissolve than these statutory waiting periods. This is because spouses must negotiate details of their life from the marriage, and how property and time with children will be divided up after the divorce is final. Each divorce is different, your circumstances are different.

Most cases take 6-9 months to complete, although some complicated situations take longer.

Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash

The process of ending a marriage is not only a legal one but an emotional one, too. Your lawyer should be someone you trust to guide you through the ups and downs of this highly vulnerable time.

You want to choose someone who is always looking out for your best interests as well as those of your entire family.

As of 2018 (according to Centers for Disease Control data), the marriage rate in the United States is 6.5 per 1,000, while the divorce rate is 2.9 per 1,000. This is known as the “crude divorce rate.”

Here is a resource on Marriage and Divorce from the American Psychological Association.