When a marriage ends or a custody arrangement stops working, Chesterfield Township families need more than legal paperwork filed correctly. They need someone who will explain what’s happening and why. Mihelich & Kavanaugh, PLC has represented clients near the 23 Mile Road corridor near I-94 in Michigan family courts for years, and we approach every case the same way: listen closely, ask what you actually need, and then build toward it. You don’t have to have this figured out before you call us.

When Families Need Legal Help

Michigan family courts divide property under equitable distribution rules, which means a judge aims for what’s fair, not necessarily an even split. Custody and parenting time decisions rest on the best-interests-of-the-child standard, a list of factors judges weigh under Michigan law, including each parent’s stability, the child’s relationships, and any history of domestic violence. Child support is calculated using the Michigan Child Support Formula, an income-based model that accounts for both parents’ earnings and parenting time. None of these processes move quickly, and Macomb County’s Circuit Court, Family Division, along with the Friend of the Court office, plays a role in almost every case that involves children.

In Chesterfield Township specifically, many of these matters ultimately route through the Macomb County Circuit Court’s Family Division in Mount Clemens, no matter which side of the county you live on. That centralization means the paperwork, filing fees, and procedural rules are consistent whether you’re closer to the lake or further inland, but it also means scheduling can depend on the court’s overall caseload rather than anything specific to your neighborhood. Knowing this ahead of time helps set realistic expectations about how quickly your case will move once it’s filed.

How the Firm Helps

Attorney Michael Kavanaugh and our family law team start every case by understanding what you actually want out of it, not just what the law technically allows. We regularly appear before the Macomb County Circuit Court’s Family Division and work directly with the Friend of the Court office on scheduling, mediation, and enforcement questions. Whether your case will likely settle through negotiation or needs to go in front of a judge, we prepare it the same thorough way, and we tell you honestly what to expect at each stage rather than making promises we can’t keep.

Mihelich & Kavanaugh, PLC was founded in 1951 by Joseph E. Mihelich with the goal of offering the resources of a larger firm while staying as accessible and responsive as a small one, and that philosophy still shapes how we handle family law matters today. You’ll work directly with attorneys who know your case, not a rotating cast of unfamiliar staff, and you can expect a call back within a reasonable time whenever you have a question.

What Sets Our Firm Apart

What sets our approach apart isn’t a gimmick or a slogan, it’s consistency. You’ll deal with the same attorney from your first phone call through the final order, rather than being handed off to whoever happens to be available. We return calls promptly, explain things in plain language rather than legal jargon, and tell you honestly when something in your case is likely to be difficult rather than promising it will be easy. For a lot of clients, that combination of steadiness and straight talk matters just as much as legal skill, especially during a period of their life that already feels uncertain.

Family Law Matters We Handle

We help Chesterfield Township families with every stage of a family law matter, including:

Divorce- Whether contested or uncontested, guiding you step by step through Michigan’s equitable distribution rules and the required waiting periods.
Child Custody- Built around the best-interests-of-the-child standard that Michigan courts apply to both legal and physical custody decisions.
Child Support- Calculated using the Michigan Child Support Formula, which weighs both parents’ income and the parenting time schedule.
Parenting Time- Scheduling arrangements that work for your family’s real life and hold up when the Friend of the Court reviews them.
Spousal Support- Based on factors like the length of your marriage, each spouse’s earning capacity, and standard of living during the marriage.
Property Division- Separating marital property from separate property and dividing it fairly, which under Michigan law does not always mean an even split.
Change in Parenting Time or Custody- For when circumstances change enough after your original order to justify asking the court to revisit it.

No matter which of these issues brings you to us, we start by understanding your specific goals before recommending a path forward, since the right strategy for one family rarely fits another exactly.

What the Process Looks Like

Most family law cases start with filing a complaint, followed by a period of temporary orders that cover things like parenting time and support while the case is pending. Discovery, negotiation, and sometimes mediation follow, and if the parties can’t reach an agreement, the case proceeds to a hearing before a judge in the Family Division. Michigan requires a 60-day waiting period before an uncontested divorce can be finalized, and contested cases typically take longer depending on the court’s schedule and how much the parties disagree. We’ll walk you through where your case is likely to fall on that timeline once we know more about your situation.

It’s worth remembering that these timelines are general guidance, not guarantees. A straightforward, uncontested case can move through in a few months, while a contested case involving disputes over custody, property, or support can stretch on for a year or more depending on the court’s docket and how much the two sides are willing to compromise. We’ll keep you updated as your case moves through each stage so you’re never left wondering what’s happening or what comes next.

Common Questions & Concerns

Many clients come to us worried about the same handful of things:

Whether they’ll still get to see their kids regularly, whether they can afford to keep the house, and how long this is all going to take. There’s rarely a one-size-fits-all answer, since so much depends on your specific finances, your children’s ages, and how willing the other side is to negotiate. What we can tell you is that Michigan courts generally favor arrangements that keep both parents meaningfully involved when it’s safe to do so, and that most cases settle before ever reaching a trial.

Another concern we hear often is what happens if the other parent doesn’t follow the terms of an existing order, whether that’s missed support payments or parenting time that isn’t being honored. The Friend of the Court office has enforcement tools available for exactly this situation, including wage withholding for support and, in more serious cases, referring violations back to the court. We can help you understand which enforcement option makes sense for what you’re dealing with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my job or my professional license if I go through a divorce?

A divorce itself doesn’t typically affect your employment or professional licensing. The concerns that sometimes arise involve unrelated issues, like criminal charges, that could separately affect a license, but the divorce process itself is a civil matter that stays out of most employment records.

Can custody or parenting time orders be changed later if my situation changes?

Yes, under Michigan law a parent can ask the court to modify custody or parenting time if there’s been a change in circumstances or proper cause since the original order. The court still applies the best-interests-of-the-child standard when deciding whether to make a change.

Do I have to go to court, or can this be resolved without a trial?

Most family law cases in Michigan settle through negotiation or mediation rather than going all the way to trial. We’ll always prepare your case as though it might go before a judge, but we also work to reach a fair resolution outside the courtroom whenever that’s realistic.

What if my ex and I actually agree on most things already?

That’s more common than people expect, and it can make the process considerably faster and less expensive. Even when both sides largely agree, it’s still worth having an attorney review the terms, since informal agreements sometimes miss details, like how a change in income later would be handled, that a formal order should address.

Local Context

Families in Chesterfield Township and the surrounding the 23 Mile Road corridor near I-94 area trust us to know the local process, from filing in the Macomb County Circuit Court’s Family Division to working with the Friend of the Court on scheduling and enforcement. We also represent Chesterfield Township clients facing criminal charges through our Criminal Law page, since family and criminal matters sometimes overlap in the same household. Beyond Chesterfield Township itself, we regularly work with families throughout the surrounding communities in Macomb County, and our attorneys are familiar with how the Family Division and the Friend of the Court office tend to operate day to day, from typical scheduling windows to how enforcement requests are usually handled.

Talk to a Family Law Attorney

If you’re facing a divorce, custody dispute or support disagreement in Chesterfield Township, reach out to our Shelby Township office at (586) 884-6562 or visit our Contact page to set up a time to talk. We’ll listen to what’s going on in your family and walk you through what your options realistically look like, so you can make decisions with more confidence and less guesswork. There’s no obligation to hire us just because you called, and many people find it helpful just to understand where they stand before deciding on next steps. There’s no cost or obligation just for having that first conversation, and many people find it useful simply to understand where they stand before deciding what to do next.