Your Attorney
Jordan Dizik
Super Lawyers honoree every year since 2015 and a 3× DBusiness Top Lawyer in family law. Jordan handles Oakland County divorce and custody matters at every level of complexity, including high-asset estates.
Novi sits at the western edge of Oakland County, close to Wayne and Livingston counties. When spouses separate and one moves across a county line, where to file and which schedule works become the first strategic questions.
Free Consultation: (248) 712-1462Novi families often live close to county lines. After a separation, one spouse may stay in Novi while the other moves to Northville, Livonia, or Livingston County. That raises practical questions immediately: which county the divorce can be filed in, which Friend of the Court will administer support and parenting time, and how far the children will travel between homes.
Michigan allows a divorce to be filed in the county where either spouse has lived for at least 10 days, provided one spouse has lived in Michigan for at least 180 days. When there is a choice, the decision deserves thought rather than habit.
When spouses live in different counties, either county where a spouse meets the residency requirement may be a proper place to file. Once a case is filed, it generally stays there. Filing first in Oakland County keeps the case before the Oakland County Circuit Court and its Friend of the Court, which is often the most convenient forum for a parent who remains in Novi with the children.
A schedule that works when parents live five minutes apart can fail at twenty-five. Exchange locations, school-day transportation, and midweek time all depend on the distance between homes. Novi addresses also fall into several school districts, including Novi Community Schools and parts of neighboring districts, so a post-separation move can change which school the children attend.
Michigan's 100-mile rule restricts moving a child's legal residence more than 100 miles from where the child lived when the custody case began, but moves well inside that limit still affect schedules. We build the order around the real logistics.
Read more: Child Custody in Oakland CountyIn many Novi households both spouses have built retirement savings through employer plans. Dividing 401(k)s and pensions requires qualified domestic relations orders, and the division should account for loans against the plans, investment changes after the valuation date, and any premarital balances. Small drafting errors in these orders are expensive to fix later.
Read more: How Property Is Divided in a Michigan DivorceFiled in the Oakland County Circuit Court, Family Division, 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac. Personal protection orders are handled there as well.
The Oakland County Friend of the Court, 230 Elizabeth Lake Rd., Pontiac, investigates and enforces custody, parenting time, and support orders.
Criminal, OWI, and traffic matters arising in Novi are heard at the 52nd District Court, 1st Division, in Novi. Felony cases begin there with arraignment and the preliminary examination before moving to the Oakland County Circuit Court.
Jordan Dizik handles family law matters for Novi residents. When a family case overlaps with a criminal charge, such as a domestic violence arrest during a divorce or a PPO alongside a custody dispute, Josh Kaplan, a former city prosecutor, handles the criminal side, so both cases are planned together.
Divorce · Uncontested Divorce · High-Asset Divorce · Child Custody · Fathers' Rights · Personal Protection Orders
Yes, if you have lived in Oakland County for at least 10 days and either of you has lived in Michigan for at least 180 days before filing. Either spouse's county of residence can be a proper venue.
Generally the Friend of the Court for the county where the divorce is filed. For an Oakland County case, that is the Oakland County Friend of the Court in Pontiac.
If you share joint legal custody, the choice of school is a major decision both parents make together. A unilateral school change can be challenged, and disputes about it are decided by the court based on the children's best interests.
Super Lawyers honoree every year since 2015 and a 3× DBusiness Top Lawyer in family law. Jordan handles Oakland County divorce and custody matters at every level of complexity, including high-asset estates.
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The first conversation is free and confidential. You will leave it knowing where you stand, what the process looks like in Oakland County, and what to do next.
Call (248) 712-1462Consultations are confidential. Evening and weekend appointments available.