Welcome back and thanks for joining us again for this discussion on what to do when you’re served divorce papers. As we mentioned in the previous article, here in Oakland County you have a lot of options, but what you need to do is choose the option that will have the best possible outcome for your future. So we’re looking at what you should do next, and why.
3. You need to respond by the due date after you’re served.
This is very important! Once divorce papers have been served in Michigan, you have a set amount of time in which to respond to the petition. Here in Oakland, Livingston and Macomb Counties, you have 28 days to respond if you were served by mail, and 21 days if your were served in person. That means you have to respond within that period of time, or you could miss out on decisions made by the court that affect your children, or your assets.
So don’t put this off – your future is hanging in the balance here! And by the way, it’s not simply responding – it’s responding properly that counts. Ever heard of that saying, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right”? Well, never has an adage been more applicable than to the subject of divorce. Because you really want to do this right!
4. Don’t try to talk to your spouse until you’ve had time to process.
We understand – right now you’re probably reeling! But whether it’s self-righteous anger, desperate sorrow, or a burning urge to start over, we recommend you avoid talking to your spouse about it until you’ve had time to process your feelings. Calling up your spouse to beg them to reconsider, or to scream threatening insults at them isn’t a good idea.
Take some time, talk it over with a good friend or loved one, and then when you’re ready to have a calm and reasonable discussion, you may want to reach out. If “calm and reasonable” aren’t viable options, we recommend that you keep your interactions with your spouse to a minimum and go through your attorneys whenever possible. Our experience handling hundreds of divorce cases over the decades has taught us that at some point, the emotions on both sides of the case will begin to moderate.
Get a good divorce attorney and go from there…
Here at The Kronzek Firm, we’ve helped countless Oakland County residents through their divorces over the past quarter-century. Everything from filing the paperwork (or responding to the divorce complaint) to the signing of that final judgment of divorce. We know how challenging the process can be, and how much ground needs to be systematically covered in order to achieve the outcome you desire. So if you in Troy, Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham or Novi and you’ve been served divorce papers, call 248 479-6200 today and get help from one of Michigan’s premier family law attorneys. We’re available 24/7 to help.