Your Path Family Law, Move-Away (Domicile) Attorney, Kalamazoo, Michigan

There’s a lot to think about when you need to relocate your family out of state. Whether the court needs to approve your move away probably isn’t your first concern, but it should be. If you have an existing custody order or need to negotiate a long-distance parenting time plan, an experienced family relocation attorney can help you change your domicile and start the next step on your path.

Honest Advice When You Need to Move Away with Your Child

If you get a new job, need to support family, or are escaping an abusive situation, moving away with your children may be best for you and your children. Before you start packing, you need to have a conversation with our skilled team to learn about the legal process to relocate. You may need to file a motion or even start a paternity or child custody case before you move away, if you:

• Are the biological father of the children, but have never gone to court to establish custody
• Have joint legal custody and are moving more than 100 miles away or across state lines
• Have a parenting time plan that assumes you and your child’s other parent live close together
• Have a custody order that dictates where your children will go to school, daycare, or religious instruction

Compassionate Guidance to Negotiating Long-Distance Parenting Time Schedules

One main reason why parents with joint legal custody  need court approval before they move away is because their parenting time schedules  won’t work over long distances. If you need to move away with your children, you and your former spouse or partner will need to work out when the children will spend time with each parent going forward.

At Your Path Family Law, we can help reduce the chance that your ex-spouse fights against your move in court by helping you create a plan to keep everyone in your family connected. This includes:

• Extended summer parenting time
• School break trips and long weekends
• Holiday parenting time schedules
• On-going virtual parenting time or telephone calls to maintain the parent-child bond

We can help you create a reasonable plan, and negotiate the details of a long-distance parenting time schedule with your co-parent, even before filing a change of domicile motion with the courts, to minimize conflict and improve the chances that your judge approves your request to change domicile.

Predictable Fees for Change of Domicile Motions in Kalamazoo, MI

Sometimes it can be hard to know whether your change of domicile motion will be granted easily, or if there will be several hearings as the Michigan Friend of the Court staff and judges decide whether your move is in the best interests of your children. At other law firms, that kind of uncertainty puts you at risk for an unexpectedly high attorney bill. At Your Path Family Law, we offer limited scope representation and flat-fee billing options, so you control how much you pay to get your motion heard.

Skilled Advocacy for Family Relocation Matters Serving Your Family’s Best Interests

Getting the court’s permission to move out of state with your children takes more than a job offer. Michigan judges’ decisions are based on several factors related to everything from the opportunities available to you and your children in your new home to any history of domestic violence. Winning your motion often means laying out what life will look like for your children in the new town, including:

• Higher income resulting in a more comfortable lifestyle
• Improved school options
• Additional extended family support
• Safer communities
• Improved access to extracurricular activities
• An alternative parenting time plan that protects your child’s relationship with their other parent

At Your Path Family Law, we can help you gather the proof you need and advocate on your behalf to show the judge that relocation is best for you and your family.

Choose Your Path to Move Away with Your Family

At Your Path Family Law, we understand that sometimes the need to move comes up suddenly. We can help you on your path to relocation, filing a change of domicile motion and often appearing in court on your behalf. While you may still need to attend the hearing, we will make it as easy for you as possible, advocate on your behalf in Kalamazoo County and across Southwest Michigan.