Divorce Lawyer in Shelbyville, MI
Shelbyville couples facing divorce in Allegan County are looking at a lengthy and stressful process, but it is one that cooperative divorce attorney Margaret L. Webb is trying to improve.
Divorce is difficult anywhere in Michigan, but there can be an added bitterness to trying to separate in a rural area like Shelbyville, where you might live across the way from the inlaws, and no one has the blessing of anonymity that a big city like Detroit might offer. To add injury to insult, divorce is often a lengthy, drawn-out, stressful, and even expensive procedure.
While it might only seem natural for the end years long of emotional and legal relationship to be rocky, one Shelbyville attorney is trying to help couples approach divorce differently, and in so doing, make it easier, shorter, and less stressful on themselves and their children.
Along with a compassionate focus on family and children, attorney Margaret L. Webb brings a keen eye for efficient and accurate legal procedures to Allegan County divorces. Her firm, Legacy Legal & Business Services, helps couples find more cooperative and effective solutions through divorce agreements and mediation.
Why Is Divorce So Difficult In Shelbyville, MI?
Divorce can creep up on you over years, or arrive, suddenly and unexpectedly. In an ideal world, divorce would be a way through the stress of a souring or unhappy marriage, it should be liberating, but for too many couples in Michigan, it is a very stressful experience.
Why? Because it involves making decisions with the one person you might least be able to cooperate with at the moment. Important decisions about financial assets, child custody, visitation rights, and more. Decisions that, if you cannot agree on, require the intervention of a judge to decide for you.
In such cases, going to trial for divorce in Shelbyville, MI brings even more stress and expense to the process while dragging it out further. It could take years of ugly back and forth battles, courtroom anguish, and separate hearings, only to end up with a decision that makes everyone miserable. That is the kind of outcome Shelbyville, MI divorce attorney Margaret L. Webb wants to help you avoid at all costs.
How Can a Shelbyville, MI Couple Divorce…Cooperatively?
While the final word of a judge is required to formalize a divorce and set it into law, a judge does not have to rule on any given issues you and your ex-spouse are able to agree on. By drafting your divorce agreement beforehand with the help of a skilled and experienced Shelbyville child custody attorney like Margaret L. Webb, you can dramatically reduce the amount of time and tension involved in the overall proceeding.
However, that will require cooperating with your ex-spouse, and that is not always easy.
You will have to reach a consensus on anything and everything from the division of your assets, to who keeps the family home. This becomes even more difficult if you have children, especially minor ones. If you do, you will have to figure out custody arrangements, visitation schedules, and more, with your child’s happiness and future on the line, as well as your own.
As a matter of fact, it is actually by working with and for children and their parents that Shelbyville divorce attorney Margaret L. Webb decided to pursue the path of cooperative divorce, through mediation.
How Does Divorce Mediation Work In Shelbyville, MI?
Even when these decisions seem daunting, and the prospect of cooperating with your ex fills you with despair that it could ever work, there are tools to help make it easier. Most notably, mediation.
Mediation works by getting you to cooperate, not directly, but through a neutral third party. This mediator will help narrow down your options, get everyone to set priorities, and generally help smooth over the negotiation process inherent in trying to draft a divorce agreement.
You might not even need mediation for everything in the divorce. For example, if you can agree on a division of assets and child support payments, perhaps you might only need mediation for the child custody arrangements. Mediation is a tool you can use as much, or as little, as you need, to get you through the toughest parts of the divorce agreement.
Do You Need A Lawyer To Attend Divorce Mediation?
While the mediator who will help you throughout the process is often a trained and experienced attorney, they are not able to take your side during the process; they have to remain neutral. You can, if you want, bring an additional attorney to the proceedings or seek their advice outside the mediation procedure.
Even if you do not, it is always advisable to have an attorney familiar with your case and situation should the mediation break down and you have to go to court. An attorney should also be contacted to review your final divorce agreement, especially if any of it was made outside the mediation process.
Nevertheless, because mediation can bypass so much of the court side of the divorce process, it is almost always cheaper and shorter, saving you money and stress twice over.
Who Should You Call When Considering A Divorce In Shelbyville, Michigan?
You deserve a divorce lawyer who will prioritize getting you through this divorce as smoothly and painlessly as possible.
If you are heading for a divorce in Shelbyville, Margaret L. Webb’s office is barely 15 minutes away in Dorr. You are more than welcome to stop by, or call (616) 681-0100, or contact her team online to set up a meeting to get started on the path to a more cooperative divorce, and the fresh start on life that you deserve.
Fight For Your Family Today
Legacy Legal & Business Services PLC
If you are facing a child custody issue in Shelbyville, MI, our experienced lawyers are here to help. Email us or call us at (616) 681-0100 today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can assist you in navigating this complex area of family law. From mediation and negotiation to litigation and advocacy, we are dedicated to protecting your rights and securing the best possible outcome for you and your child. Let us be your trusted ally during this challenging time.