Divorce Advice for Men | Fathers Rights Divorce | Child Custody

By Jennifer M. Paine

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell, P.C., Detroit office

Note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series on common divorce dilemmas. Click here to read Part 2 and click here to read Part 3.

Are you fighting over the house? Or your kids? Or even who gets to keep the pets?

You may not have a cat custody battle in your divorce, but settlement-stalling dilemmas occur frequently.

• Who gets the pet?
• What do we do with the timeshare or the vacation week?
• What if we cannot sell the house?
• How will I know my kids are safe?
• What if my spouse will nit-pick every parenting time problem?

In this series of dealing with common divorce problems, we'll look at some creative solutions. How creative can you be?

Divorcing while facing death has made headlines recently (see Dennis Hopper; John and Elizabeth Edwards) and is now the subject of a Time magazine article that quotes Joseph Cordell, Principal Partner of Cordell & Cordell, P.C.

The article says deathbed divorce is not as uncommon as one may think, and asks the question, “Why would anyone go through (divorcing while dying), considering the irreconcilable differences they already have with their mortality?”

Hopper, the legendary actor, is terminally ill with prostate cancer and is believed to be seeking a divorce from his fifth wife from his deathbed to protect his assets. (Read DadsDivorce.com’s article “Divorcing from your deathbed”) 

Cordell, whose firm is the premier law firm in the country focusing on men and divorce, said in a case like Hopper’s, the adult children of a multiple marrier who develops an illness may try to pre-empt an estate battle by taking care of business before the funeral. 

Why?

“They distrust the new spouse,” Cordell said.

Cordell also recounted the experience of a man dying of ALS whose wife tried to divorce him because she was concerned about the cost of his treatments. 

Click here to read the full Time magazine article.

Among the Ask a Divorce Lawyer questions answered today by Cordell & Cordell attorneys:

• If we come to our own agreement on child support, do we have to adhere to the state's guidelines?
• Does going to a few GED classes mean I have to keep paying my daughter's child support? And if she moves out, do I pay support to her or her mom?
• If my lawyer submits a direct appeal to a child custody ruling, do the orders prior to the ruling still stand?

By Jennifer M. Paine

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell, P.C., Detroit office

Note: This is Part 4 of a four-part series on the top 10 mistakes made after a divorce and how to avoid them. Click here to read Part 1, click here to read Part 2, and click here to read Part 3.

In most states, once parties have negotiated and entered into a settlement agreement that the divorce court then incorporates into a decree, the court cannot modify the agreement absent fraud, duress or mutual mistake. So, what can you do to avoid 10 common mistakes made post-divorce? Here are some suggestions.

By Jennifer M. Paine

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell, P.C., Detroit office

Note: This is Part 3 of a four-part series on the top 10 mistakes made after a divorce and how to avoid them. Click here to read Part 1, click here to read Part 2 and click here to read Part 4.

In most states, once parties have negotiated and entered into a settlement agreement that the divorce court then incorporates into a decree, the court cannot modify the agreement absent fraud, duress or mutual mistake. So, what can you do to avoid 10 common mistakes made post-divorce? Here are some suggestions.