LEGAL RESOURCES
Friend of the Court (child Support, FOC Pundit, forms), Legal Support (legal search), Michigan Courts (manuals, complaints, the law, court procedure), Parenting Plans
FRIEND
OF THE COURT
Child
Support Guideline
www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/services/focb/mcsf.htm#notice
The
Child Support Guideline Manual & and the FOC Child
Support Calculator software are available on the SCAO
Webpage at the following web address
Michigan State Court Administrative
Office Approved Court Forms
Court forms are organized by type of proceeding.
To open a specific form, go to Forms <> (PDF files)
and follow the instructions, or enter either the form
number or key words in the "Search" window
above. www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/courtforms/domesticrelations/drindex.htm
www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/courtforms/
MiSDU - Michigan State Disbursement Unit
www.misdu.com/Secure/Default.aspx?tabid=1
MiSDU has initiated
a program to accept electronic child support payments
which are processed in 24 hours. DADS of Michigan PAC
has lobbied for this for 4 years. Future improvements
expected are web access to child support history. This
site provides information about MiSDU and how it will
affect you. Read the "Frequently
Asked Questions" (FAQs). The MiSDU is part
of the total Child Support System for the State of Michigan.
Numbers to call for further information and key DHS
contact persons can be found under General Information.
Pundit
- Friend of the Court Bureau Newsletter
www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/focbnewsletters/focbnews.htm
The following will contain the quarterly newsletters
of the Friend of the Court Bureau communicating the
recent developments of the Bureau as well as information
about friend of the court activities and information
about domestic relations and family law in general.
2002 and 2003 Grievance Reports
www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/reports/index.htm#focbrpts
MCL
552.519(d) Annually issue a report containing a detailed
summary of the types of grievances received by each
office, and whether the grievances are resolved or outstanding.
The report shall be transmitted to the legislature and
to each office and shall be made available to the public.
The annual report required by this subdivision shall
include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(i) An evaluative summary, supplemented by applicable
quantitative data, of the activities and functioning
of each citizen advisory committee during the preceding
year.
(ii) An evaluative summary, supplemented by applicable
quantitative data, of the activities and functioning
of the aggregate of all citizen advisory committees
in the state during the preceding year.
(iii) An identification of problems that impede the
efficiency of the activities and functioning of the
citizen advisory committees and the satisfaction of
the users of the committees' services.
State Court Administrative Office
http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/
The State Court Administrative Office publishes a wide variety of brochures, pamphlets, court forms, manuals, and other similar publications for use by the courts and the general public. These materials are created by the Friend of the Court Bureau, Foster Care Review Board, Michigan Judicial Institute, Office of Dispute Resolution, and other divisions of the State Court Administrative Office as required by Michigan law and court rules or as it deems advisable. Content covers general and specific information about the judiciary, the courts, court procedures, and legal issues.
Friend of the Court Bureau
Find great information on Custody and Parenting Time
http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/focbnewsletters/august2006pundit.pdf
Michigan is unique among the states because the same office that provides child support
services also provides services related to custody and parenting time. Anecdotal evidence
suggests that there is a strong link between custody and parenting time and the payment of
support. The State Court Administrative Office website offers a variety of custody and
parenting time publications to assist parties and attorneys. Here are brief descriptions of
those publications found at the web site http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/services/focb/focb.htm
Find out more about Parenting Time and Custody.
Friend
of the Court Bureau
State Court Administrative Office
Michigan Hall of Justice
PO Box 30048
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-5975
FAX: (517) 373-8740
E-Mail: focb@courts.mi.gov
LEGAL
SUPPORT
All Law – Child Support
Calculators
www.alllaw.com/calculators/Childsupport
Child support calculators for various states and a variety
of legal resources.
American Academy of Matrimonial
Lawyers
www.aaml-mich.org
The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers is an organization
of the nation's top matrimonial attorneys from 47 states
who specialize in all issues related to marriage, divorce,
annulment, custody, child visitation, property valuation,
property distribution, alimony, and child support.
American Bar Association
www.abanet.org/family/familylaw
CLASP the Center for Law and Policy
www.clasp.org
CLASP is a nonprofit public policy and advocacy organization.
We conduct research, policy analysis, technical assistance,
and advocacy on issues related to economic security
and family stability for low-income parents, children,
and youth. We analyze proposed federal and state legislation,
laws, and regulations. Upon request, CLASP also testifies
before Congress and state legislatures. Our analyses,
in-depth reports, policy briefs, fact sheets, and testimony
are posted on this site, organized by topic area.
Institute of Legal Education
www.icle.org/ScriptContent/ICLE_Index.cfm
ICLE's mission is to provide Michigan
lawyers with accessible, high-quality, continuing legal
education and resource materials that enable them to
practice law more effectively.
Law Guru
www.lawguru.com
The LawGuru.com Web Site is owned and operated by WebSiteBroker,
Inc. a California Corporation. LawGuru.com was originally
started in 1996 by a Los Angeles law firm and has evolved
into one of the most popular legal web sites on the
Internet. It is offered as a free service to the entire
Internet Community. Please note that WebSiteBroker,
Inc. is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
Legal Information Institute -
Family educational and privacy rights
assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode20/usc_sec_20_00001232---g000-.html
§ 1232g. Family educational and privacy rights
a) Conditions for availability of funds to educational
agencies or institutions; inspection and review of education
records; specific information to be made available;
procedure for access to education records; reasonableness
of time for such access; hearings; written explanations
by parents; definitions
Martindale Law and Lawyer Locator
www.martindale.com/xp/Martindale/home.xml
Generations of lawyers have relied on Martindale-Hubbell
as the authoritative resource for information on the
worldwide legal profession. With a history spanning
more than 133 years, the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Network
is currently powered by a database of over one million
lawyers and law firms in 160 countries.
Michigan Bar Association
www.michbar.org
PRE PAID Legal
Legal
Service Plans – Pre-Paid Legal offers Legal
Service Plans to provide equal access to all individuals
and families. Our service is designed to give immediate
access to a quality provider law firm for relatively
simple legal problems; or substantial discounts from
referral attorneys for more involved legal problems.
Having affordable legal assistance a phone
call away to discuss any matter from traffic violations,
credit matters, divorce, family court issues, preparation
of wills, and much more, is no longer a luxury, but
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problem is their priority.
To see how a Pre-Paid Legal Plan can benefit
you, click here!
Contact Pat McElligott for more information
at (734) 240-0225.
State Bar of Michigan Family Law
Section
www.michbar.org/family
MICHIGAN
COURTS
Contact Contacts
This section will provide information on contacting your court.
Oakland County http://www.oakgov.com/circuit/judges/family.html
Contact Directory judges-staff-phone-list.pdf
Custody and Parenting Time Investigation Manual
courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/manuals/focb/cpinvmnl.htm
(hard copies of manual distributed to each friend of
the court office)
Handbooks and Manuals
courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/manuals
The following is a list of many of the manuals and handbooks
produced and distributed by the SCAO. Most of these
manuals and handbooks are designed for a specific audience
or for a specific purpose and are distributed to those
appropriate court staff or people. They are not generally
maintained as "stock items" for public distribution
nor are they always available to any court staff or
individual who request them. Some
of these manuals are also available below as a PDF file,
which requires Acrobat Reader 4.0 in order to view.
It is anticipated that more manuals may be made available
in the future.
Judicial
Complaints
courts.michigan.gov/scao/complaints/index.htm
According
to Michigan law, there is a procedure a person must
follow when making comments or a complaint about the
conduct of a judge or attorney, the friend of the court
operation or employee, or other court employee.
Michigan Circuit Court Benchbook
http://courts.michigan.gov/mji/resources/circuit-court/circuit-court-bb.htm
The Michigan Circuit Court Benchbook, by Hon. J. Richardson Johnson, is a quick reference resource for the Circuit Court judge.
Michigan Compiled Law Michigan (MCL)
www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=chapterindex
Search this web site to find Michigan law on family and children issues. Simply enter your keywords to search the entire MCL.
Michigan
Court Rules
courtofappeals.mijud.net/rules/public/default.asp
Published by the Michigan Supreme Court, this document
is the primary procedure document for the various Michigan
courts. Refer to this document to find in depth policy
on court procedures.
Find specific court rules for Judges in Oakland county at the following http://www.oakgov.com/circuit/judges/family.html (find your Judge and select Protocol)
Michigan Court Approved Forms
courts.michigan.gov/scao/courtforms/#indexes
This link provides the home page of (almost) all court
forms.
Michigan
Court Administration Reference Guide - Volumes 1 and
2
courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/manuals/carg.htm
This is essential reading for the Pro-Se litigant to
understand roles and responsibilities within the court
system. Keep in mind that frequently there are local
procedures that you should be familiar with. Consult
with the local court clerk to insure you are following
local procedures.
Michigan Courts:
courts.michigan.gov
This is the data warehouse for the Michigan Courts and
provides a wealth of information on the operation of
the courts.
Michigan
Government
www.michigan.gov
Home page of the Michigan government.
Michigan Trial Court Benchbooks and Publications
http://courts.michigan.gov/mji/resources/publications.htm
The MJI publications team produces and revises trial court benchbooks as part of the MJI's mission to keep judges and court employees informed of the very latest developments in Michigan law and procedure. Trial court benchbooks are procedural manuals that serve as reference tools for trial court judges, court staff and trial attorneys.
National Center
For State Courts (and courts of other countries)
www.ncsconline.org/D_KIS/info_court_web_sites.html
A wealth of information on state and international courts.
This page provides judicial branch links for each state,
focusing on the administrative office of the courts,
the court of last resort, any intermediate appellate
courts, and each trial court level.
Sentencing Guidelines
What is your fine or penalty? Here you will find an electronic manual of sentencing guidelines for Michigan.
http://courts.michigan.gov/mji/resources/sentencing-guidelines/sg.htm
PARENTING
PLANS
A Parenting Agreement is a legal binding contract that
has been prepared to inform you of certain rights you
may have, and certain procedures that may be involved
in a child custody and parenting situation.
The
foundation of a strong parenting relationship is developed
from a well-structured "Parenting Agreement",
or sometimes called a "Parenting Plan". This
type of agreement is so useful and effective, that most
states have made them mandatory!
A
parenting plan is an agreement, in writing, that you
can make with the other parent on any aspect of your
child's upbringing. The plan can cover where your children
will live, who they can see, their schooling, holidays,
religious and medical matters. A parenting plan can
help you and the other parent be clear about arrangements
for your children.
A
Few Reasons to Have a Parenting Agreement!
1.
Eliminate any surprises. What is put in writing is understood!
2.
If the other parent continuously breaks the agreement,
you will have proof that he or she agreed to in writing
not do such actions. This will help you if you need
to petition the court to have the custody, visitation,
or support arrangements modified.
3.
As a reference tool to make sure you and your spouse
are sticking to the original parenting plan. You will
be surprised how quick one or both parents may deviate
from the original plan. Sometimes this happens intentionally
and not intentionally.
4.
Incorporate it as part of your Marital Separation or
Settlement Agreement. This way the court will also have
a record and a copy of the "Parenting Agreement"
as well. This tend to make both parents live up to his
or her parenting responsibilities.
The sample parenting plans have been adopted in a variety
of states. These may be modified and attached to your
divorce decree or introduced to the Friend of the Court
to enforce visitation and parenting time. Additional
modifications may be made to provide penalties for non-compliance.
The following form many be used
to request a modification to parenting time.
foc65
Motion Regarding Parenting Time.pdf
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