Oakland County Divorce: At Findling Law, we have the great privilege of appearing before divorce courts throughout the state of Michigan. One of these courts is the Oakland County Circuit Court. The Oakland County Circuit Court – Family Division is simply known as a Michigan Divorce Court.
The Oakland County Circuit Court Family Division has a stated goal to make decisions concerning families and provide quality services to families in a fair, timely, and dignified manner and it works hard to meet the goal.
The laws in the State of Michigan regarding divorce, custody and family law are the same throughout the State, however Oakland County Court does some things differently. For example, in Divorce cases with minor children, Oakland County divorce court schedules an Early Intervention Conference, (EIC). At the EIC, the parties obtain a scheduling order for future court dates and introduces the parties to the Friend of the Court services and resources.
In addition, Oakland County requires divorcing parties to attend SMILE which stands for Start Making It Livable for Everyone). The SMILE program is mandatory for parents with a pending divorce case. It is a one session program held at the Friend of the Court, typically after the EIC and lasts approximately one hour. The stated goals of the program is to help parents understand how conflict can affect their children, how to communicate on positive level and how to compromise with regard to the children.
Our Michigan divorce attorney’s have extensive experience handling Oakland County divorce cases. In fact, our main office is located in Oakland County and members of our firm have been practicing here since 1957.
ABOUT THE COURT:
The Oakland County Circuit Court is located at 1200 N. Telegraph Rd. in Pontiac, Michigan and is staffed by seven experienced and knowledgeable judges that understand divorce law.
- The Honorable Mary Ellen Brennan
- Telephone: 248-858-0355
- Courtroom 2G Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge Brennan’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge Brennan is the presiding judge of the Oakland County Family-Focused Juvenile Drug Court. Judge Brennan was elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court on November 4, 2008 and is a graduate of James Madison College of Michigan State University and Wayne State University Law School. Judge Brennan is a former Assistant prosecutor for the County of Oakland.
- The Honorable Lisa Gorcyca
- Telephone: 248-858-0360
- Courtroom 4B Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge Gorcyca’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge Gorcyca was elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court in November of 2008. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and Detroit College of law.
- The Honorable Linda S. Hallmark
- Telephone: 248-858-0289
- Courtroom W1 Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge Hallmark’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge Hallmark is the Chief Probate Judge and former presiding Judge of the Circuit Court Family Division. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and Wayne State University School of law.
- The Honorable Cheryl A. Matthews
- Telephone: 248-858-0332
- Courtroom 2C Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge Matthews’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge Matthews was elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court in November of 2004 and a former Oakland County Circuit Court prosecutor. Judge Matthews is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Fordham University school of law.
- The Honorable Karen D. McDonald
- Telephone: 248-858-0340
- Courtroom 3B Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge McDonald’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge McDonald was elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court in November of 2012. She is a graduate of Wayne State University School of law.
- The Honorable Elizabeth Pezzetti
- Telephone: 248-858-0240
- Courtroom W2 Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge Pezetti’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge Pezzetti was appointed to the Oakland County Probate Court in 2001 and a graduate of Wayne State University School of Law.
- The Honorable Joan E. Young
- Telephone: 248-858-5282
- Second floor Oakland County Courthouse
- Judge Young’s guidelines and protocols.
- Judge Young was appointed to the Oakland County Circuit Court in March of 1997 and is the presiding Judge the Adult Treatment Court.
The Oakland County Friend of the Court provides services to parties with minor children involving divorce, family support, interstate and paternity cases. The Friend of the court is located at 230 Elizabeth Lake Rd., Pontiac, Michigan a few miles from the Court House. The Oakland County Friend of the Court is staffed by referees, counselors, support specialists and support staff that assist the Oakland County Circuit Court Judges resolve disputes and perform other administrative functions.
An important consideration before entering the Oakland County Circuit Court and the Oakland County Friend of the Court are the security requirements. You will be subject to building security before you enter the court and must pass through a medical detector. The specific items being banned changes however, cellphones with a camera and weapons are always banned.
For many divorce, custody and family law related issues, there is no need to travel all of the way to the courthouse. You can access many resources online.
OAKLAND COUNTY DIVORCE COURT ONLINE RESOURCES
The Oakland County Friend of the Court also has many online resources including:
- Forms: http://www.oakgov.com/libraries/pages/topics/courtforms.aspx
- Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.oakgov.com/courts/circuit/Pages/faq/default.aspx
- Michigan Child Support Formula Manual: http://courts.mi.gov/Administration/SCAO/OfficesPrograms/FOC/Pages/Child-Support-Formula.aspx
- Court Explorer – Case lookup: http://www.oakgov.com/clerkrod/pages/courtexplorer.aspx
- Michigan Court Rules: http://courts.mi.gov/Courts/MichiganSupremeCourt/rules/Pages/current-court-rules.aspx
- Payments due on domestic cases: https://www.govpaynow.com/gps/user/plc/1442;jsessionid=feb98f0673e1c5a48fcb3022a786
Findling Law is grateful to be able to practice law in Oakland County Circuit Court – Family Division and throughout Michigan.
We are here to help you navigate this journey by focusing on your goals. If you have any questions concerning any aspect of the law, let me know. My direct line is 248-399-3300 or toll free: 877-968-7347.
Let our exceptional legal team help you . . . ,
Let it be our privilege to help.
By: Daniel Findling
The Divorce Guy, Michigan Divorce Attorneys and Specialists
877-YOUR FIRM