Posted on December 27,2017 in Divorce

When parents decide to end their marriage, they often disagree about custody arrangements for their children, and battles over who will retain primary custody can be an especially contentious part of divorce proceedings. The children are often the ones who suffer the most in these types of conflicts, and in order to provide a better environment for children following divorce, the Michigan House of Representatives is currently considering legislation which would give equal parenting time to divorced parents.

Proposed Changes to Michigan Law

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, there are around 26,000 children in Michigan every year whose parents get divorced. In many of these cases, family courts award primary custody to one parent. However, polls have shown that there is overwhelming support for divorcing parents to have joint custody and equal parenting time, with 84% of registered voters believing that this is in the best interests of children, as long as a parent does not have a history of abuse, substance addiction, or mental illness.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Family Law

For many parents, one of the most difficult things about getting divorced is that they no longer get to see their children every day. This can be a very hard adjustment for both parents and children, and many parents seek ways to see their children more often.

Because parents have to divide their time with their children in a legally binding parenting plan, questions often come up about what happens when one parent has the children but is not actually available to be with them for some reason. If you are wondering whether you can spend more time with your kids because your ex is unavailable, talk to a Michigan family law attorney about the right of first refusal.

The Right of First Refusal: What it Is and When it Applies

The “right of first refusal” is a complicated name for a very simple concept: It just means that if your ex is not available to be with your child for a minimum time period during your ex’s parenting time – perhaps a half day, a whole day, or a weekend – the first person your ex has to ask for help is you. If you say no, your ex can then look for childcare from other people, such as a babysitter or grandparents.

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