David C. Sarnacki recently was named a “Leading Lawyer” in Michigan Family Law. His past designations include selection as one of “The Best Lawyers in America,” designation as a “Michigan Super Lawyer,” and acceptance as a fellow in the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Mr. Sarnacki concentrates his practice in the areas of family [...]

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FoxNews.com highlights ways that parents can remain emotionally stable during separation and divorce and make things liveable for their children.
Tina Paone and Thomas Petrelli listed these 4 tips (excerpt):
1. Don’t Play the Blame Game
2. Custody Is Not a Battle to Be Won
3. Acknowledge Change
4. Keep an Open Mind

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The Huffington Post offers us a Top 10 tips list for traversing the intersection of technology and divorce.
Deborah S. Chames writes her top ten list (excerpt):
10. Beware of the iCloud. . . .
9. What’s in your browser history? . . . .
8. The iPad you left at home may still be connected to your iPhone. [...]

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David Sarnacki has been selected by attorneys and judges for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, 19th Edition. His peer-review selection includes three areas: Family Law; Family Law Mediation; and Collaborative Law–Family Law.

Posted in Collaborative Divorce, Divorce Grand Rapids, General, Mediation/ADR, Something Different, The Practice No Comments »

Love and Logic recently sent out an email newsletter asking: Parenting Through Divorce: Are You a Rock … or Are You a Leaf? Being a rock means setting expectations in your children of limits, accountability and love at your home.
Dr. Charles Fay writes (excerpt):
When limits and accountability are provided within the context of love, kids [...]

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The States of Our Unions report, by the National Marriage Project, delves into the health of marriage in America. The Executive Summary includes remarks on being a parent and navigating the marital relationship (excerpt):
In this report, we find that married parents are more likely than their childless peers to feel their lives have a [...]

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The National Post highlights Ontario’s move toward mandatory information sessions promoting divorce mediation. Kathryn Blaze Carlson writes (excerpt):
Had Scott McLarty and his then-wife been forced to consider divorce mediation as an alternative to litigation, he might have been spared $15,000 in legal fees and a two-year court battle over spousal support.
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“I think it would [...]

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USA Today highlights the problems displaced workers are encountering when their COBRA subsidy ends or they do not qualify.
Note: At the time of a divorce, an employee’s former spouse is eligible for COBRA coverage for 36 months, but someone needs to pay the full premium plus the 2% administrative fee. In contrast, [...]

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The New York Timesdiscusses a study about involving fathers, as well as the benefits of co-parenting or parallel parenting.
Laurie Tarkan writes (excerpt):
. . . [T]he critical difference was not greater involvement by the fathers in child-rearing but greater emotional support between couples.
“The study emphasizes the importance of couples’ figuring parenting out together and accepting [...]

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Single Parent Gossip shares the method for using collaborative law to resolve your divorce out of court.
Talibah Mbonisi writes (excerpt):
. . . In this cooperative framework, both parties also agree to:
- Act in their children’s best interests to minimize any negative impact that the situation could have on them.
- Be respectful to one another, stay [...]

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The New York Times focuses on a different topic (Money Talks to Have Before Marriage), but includes an interesting discussion of statistical analysis and the risk of divorce.
Ron Lieber writes (excerpt):
The risk that any marriage will end in divorce is about 45 percent, according to David Popenoe, a professor of sociology emeritus at Rutgers University. [...]

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Stu Webb is being honored for finding a better way to divorce at the 10th International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Educational Forum.

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The Fort Worth Business Press how to work through complicated divorce issues with collaborative divorce attorneys.
Leslie Wimmer writes (excerpt):
In traditional cases “you have mom and dad either going to court or preparing to go to court and more or less preparing to say every bad thing the other parent did, every flaw in their character, [...]

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guelphmercury.com shows that fighting in divorce court rarely produces a real winner.
Joanne Shuttleworth writes (excerpt):
“It’s not for everyone, but for most people, it allows more dignity and control over the matter,” Rinnie said. “With this process, we can sit down and talk about what a good solution looks like. We can get a result that [...]

Posted in Collaborative Divorce, Divorce Grand Rapids, Families/Children 1 Comment »

myOptumHealth.com and KOTV show how divorcing couples use mediation to process a civilized divorce.
Lila Havens writes (excerpt):
In mediation, the couple works to reach an agreement both people think is fair. The mediator acts as a go-between to help them communicate. The couple makes the decisions, so they are more likely to stick with them. Having [...]

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DailyCamera.com shows how Working together to separate and divorce leads to better outcomes.
Aimee Heckel writes (excerpt):
But the collaborative process seems to be more effective than a judge throwing down the gavel. A 2005 Canadian study showed more clients were satisfied after a collaborative divorce, and that it led to quantifiable improvements in the relationships between [...]

Posted in Collaborative Divorce, Divorce Grand Rapids, Relationships 1 Comment »

The Sarnacki Law Firm is respected for its honest advice, creative solutions and effective advocacy. The two key components for the firm’s success are:
* Legal Ability: our expertise, the nature of our practice and our specialized qualifications.
* Standards of Conduct: our adherence to ethics, reliability, diligence and [...]

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