Family Law

When a family matter starts

Most clients reach the firm for one of two reasons: their marriage is ending, or there is a dispute about children, money, or both. The next 6 to 18 months will shape what life looks like for years afterward. The decisions made early on, around temporary orders, parenting time, and disclosure of assets, set the foundation for everything that follows.

Hassan I. Hamade leads the family practice. His caseload is weighted toward high-asset divorces and contested custody, the matters where the stakes justify the cost of litigation. The firm also handles straightforward and uncontested divorces, where the goal is to resolve the matter cleanly without spending more than necessary.

What we handle

• Divorce. Contested, uncontested, high-asset, and complex divorces, including any litigation the case requires.
• Child custody. Legal and physical custody, original orders and modifications. Michigan applies the twelve “best interests of the child” factors under MCL 722.23.
• Child support. Establishing, calculating, enforcing, and modifying support orders when income changes.
• Spousal support. Negotiating the amount and duration based on Michigan’s case-specific factors.
• Property division. Equitable distribution of marital assets and debts. Includes closely held business interests and retirement accounts.
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Drafting and review.
• Paternity. Establishing parental rights, including for unmarried parents.
• Modifications and post-judgment matters. Changing custody, support, or parenting time after a substantial change in circumstances, plus the enforcement actions that come up after the original judgment is entered.
• Personal protection orders. Filing for or defending against.
• Guardianship. Adult and minor guardianships, including contested matters and successor guardianship issues.
• Mediation and dispute resolution. Representing clients in mediated negotiations when both sides are willing to work toward a resolution outside of court.

How family cases are approached

Family law carries more emotional weight than most areas of practice. The temptation is to fight every fight. The firm pushes back on that:

• Fight when fighting matters. Custody, asset division in a high-asset case, and protective orders, yes. The kind of dispute that costs $1,500 in attorney fees to recover $200 in property, no.
• Mediate when mediation works. If the other side is reasonable, mediation costs less, finishes sooner, and leaves the children with parents who still speak to each other.
• Plain language. You will see a stack of court forms. We explain what each one does before you sign it.
• Discretion. What you tell the firm stays with the firm, including the things you would not want in a court filing.

About custody specifically

Michigan custody decisions go through the twelve “best interests of the child” factors codified in MCL 722.23. The factors weigh emotional bonds, capacity to provide care, mental and physical health, the home environment, school records, and, when the child is old enough, the child’s preference. In a contested custody case, the job is to build the strongest factual record on those factors.