THE FERRICK LAW FIRM
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PRACTICE AREAS
A firm with over 20 years of experience, Ferrick Law is as diverse as we are knowledgeable. Since the firm’s founding in 2000, Ferrick Law has accepted that the best way to help our clients’ unique legal challenges is for us to understand our clients’ business and industry. Read on to learn more about our practice areas, and call us today. Your case is important to us.
Divorce
Let Ferrick Law be the solution for your Legal needs. By combining a fundamental understanding of the big picture with the complexity of daily interactions and experiences, our lawyers provide proactive solutions to a diversity of clients. We are involved in some of the most innovative, sophisticated, and complex Legal cases in Southeast Michigan.
Michigan is a “no-fault” divorce state. “No-fault” means that you are not required to prove your spouse is at fault in order to be divorced. A divorce will be granted if just one spouse says the marriage is permanently broken down. Although you may obtain a divorce without fault, Michigan courts may still consider fault, one of many factors they consider, when deciding the division of property, spousal support, or attorney fee awards, and may also be a factor in custody and parenting time.
In Michigan, however, an overwhelming majority of divorce cases end in negotiated settlements and are not decided by the court. This fact makes it imperative to have legal counsel that is well prepared and skilled in the art of negotiating divorce settlements. These very important talents are a cornerstone of the Bingham Farms, Michigan offices of The Ferrick Law Firm.
In the event settlement is not possible and your case becomes one of the few decided by a judge at trial, your attorney will need litigation expertise. No client wants to be outmatched in a courtroom when such important issues are at stake. The Ferrick Law Firm is prepared to take on your most sophisticated and difficult court room challenges.
To understand how your case might settle, or whether fault will be a factor in your divorce case, consult the Bingham Farms Michigan offices of The Ferrick Law Firm, PLLC.
Changing Domicile
Our increasingly mobile society, a changing economy and diverse job markets often lead to opportunities in distant locations. When a parent with minor children wants to move more than 100 miles from their current residence, or wants to move out of Michigan (a change in domicile), both parties must agree to the move, or the court must decide whether to grant such permission. Mover and more, these cases are coming before the courts for decision and Michigan family law judges are challenged with balancing a child’s need to be close to both parents, with the benefits that relocation can bring. Obtaining or contesting a change domicile can be very difficult and often requires litigation. It should not be faced without the guidance of expert legal counsel.
To find out whether a court may allow a move in your case, consult with the Bingham Farms Michigan offices of The Ferrick Law Firm, PLLC to optimize your outcome.
Complex Or High-Asset Estates
The Ferrick Law Firm is long experienced in stewarding cases involving multifaceted marital estates. Clients with closely held business interests, commercial real estate, family trusts, or other assets of substantial value will be well-served in the Bingham Farms Michigan offices of the Ferrick Law Firm. Strategic planning is the key to a successful divorce where considerable assets are at stake. Whether your goal is to shield assets or divide them, you will need a shrewd advocate by your side.
The Ferrick Law Firm attorneys have effectively represented clients with interests or ownership in multinational corporations, privately held local businesses, generational family trusts, real estate trusts, professional sports teams, and other exceptional concerns.
Custody & Parenting Time
Child custody is generally broken down between “legal custody” and “physical custody”. Legal custody is the decision making authority as to the important issues affecting the welfare of the child, including health care, education and religion. It also includes the right to access information such as medical and school records. Legal custody is generally awarded jointly, but under some circumstances is granted to only one parent. When joint legal custody is awarded, parents must consult each other and make shared decisions. It is not surprising to know that some parents, though granted joint legal custody, do not agree. Disputes over important issues that cannot be decided by parents are then decided by the court after a trial or evidentiary hearing. The Bingham Farms offices of The Ferrick Law Firm are seasoned custody litigators who know how to successfully navigate through this most serious aspect of family law litigation.
Physical custody is granted to the parent with whom a child primarily resides. There is, however, a trend away from using the term “physical custody” altogether. More and more, parents simply share “joint custody”, avoiding the allocation of “physical custody” to either parent, regardless of how they divide-up the time with their children.
Parenting time (formerly referred to as “visitation”) is the schedule of the child’s time apportioned between the parents. Traditionally, a parent who is not the primary caretaker of a child, would have alternating weekend visits. Today, parenting time arrangements are often expanded from two day weekends to three, often with mid-week overnights. When parties share more equal parenting time, they share “joint physical custody”. Joint physical custody does not have to be an even split of time, but is generally seen to be more comparable than a standard alternating weekend schedule.
Consult with the Bingham Farms offices of The Ferrick Law Firm to secure the best custody and parenting time outcome for you, and insure that your child’s best interests are served.
Family Law Appeals
Overturning an unfavorable court ruling in a divorce, custody or other family law matter is a very challenging matter, as family law judges have significant amount of discretion when making decisions. But, when a judge makes a critical error that adversely impacts your case, there may be a basis for an appeal.
Presenting cases at the appellate level requires different knowledge and skill sets than a typical attorney generally possesses, and such experience is essential to a successful appeal.
Allow the Bingham Farms Michigan offices of The Ferrick Law Firm, PLLC to analyze your case to see whether you may have success on appeal.
Child Support
Every parent is obligated to support their children, and except in limited circumstances, each child support order entered by the courts must follow the Michigan Child Support Guidelines Formula. The formula is based upon the incomes of each parent and is also affected by the number of overnights a parent shares with their children during the year.
Applying a formula may seem a simple matter, and sometimes it is. There can be a number of complicating factors, however, that may unfairly reduce or enlarge what should be paid in child support. Determining a party’s income can be a thorny issue, for example, when that income is derived from a closely held or cash business. What the IRS may allow as an income deduction for tax purposes, might not be deductible when calculating income for support. Looking beyond the tax return is a special, yet essential skill that The Ferrick Law Firm brings to each representation to insure that child support is measured accurately.
Paternity
A paternity case is used to determine the biological father of a minor child when the parties were not married at the time of the child’s birth. A child's parentage usually must be established before child support, custody and parenting time orders can be obtained. Parentage can be established through a Declaration of Parentage (a form that can be signed at the time of birth, or after), an agreement between the parents, or by a court order. The court generally has the authority to order genetic testing in cases where paternity is disputed.
Once paternity is established, paternity cases are handled much the same way child support, custody and visitation are handled in a divorce case. Custody and parenting time can be complicated matters and having experienced counsel will help you achieve optimum results.
To understand how a paternity action might affect your rights and the rights of your child, consult the Bingham Farms Michigan offices of The Ferrick Law Firm, PLLC.