Lawton, MI Divorce Law Firms & Lawyers

The unused balance of your retainer should be returned. If the retainer was over $1000 the attorney is required to sign a retainer agreement with you. Ask him to sign a substitution of attorney form and return your case file. He has to sign it. However her attorney represents her and may not tell you what your rights are so be careful. I work with both sides a lot and answer questions from both sides but others may not.

You will need to file a petition for dissolution along with all the required paperwork. In that petition, you will spell out the agreements you have reached with your wife as well as your position on custody (which is now called legal decision-making and parenting time). Your wife will have the opportunity to file a response to that petition and either agree or disagree. I would suggest consulting an attorney if you need assistance.

My real question here is why, if you both have counsel, you are asking this question in this forum. Generally speaking your dissolution will not be final until a decree of dissolution is entered. The usual procedure when parties agree is the preparation of a consent decree, which both parties and their respective attorneys sign. With a consent decree no one has to go to a court hearing. I will leave the balance of the information about consent decrees to your attorney, whom you are presumably paying to give you this kind of advice.