By Roberta M. Gubbins
Legal News
The introductory meeting of the Tri-County Family Law Association was held on March 27th at the State Bar Building in Lansing. The Ingham County Bar Association (ICBA) Family Law Section hosted the meeting.
"Tonight we are here to introduce Carrie Huff who will tell us about the new Tri-county Family Law Association," said Natalie Alane, the Co-chair of the ICBA Family Law Section, opening the meeting.
The Association, explained Huff, consists of all interested legal practitioners in Clinton, Ingham and Eaton Counties. This includes judges, referees, conciliators, investigators, mediators and Friend of the Court directors. It is the first tri-county legal association in the State of Michigan.
"The purpose of the Association is to promote, facilitate, organize and unify the practice and procedure of family law in Clinton, Ingham and Eaton Counties," said Huff. "Our goals are to:
* Create a strong bond and unity between practitioners, mediators, Friends of the Court and other professionals in Clinton, Ingham, and Eaton Counties.
* Provide a forum for education, discussion, ideology, and social interaction between the professionals from the three counties.
* Promote uniformity between practitioners, practices, and procedures.
* Promote and organize a presence in the local communities.
Huff hopes to have a website that will have "cheat" sheets explaining the various procedures for each of the counties.
"While it would be great to have everybody do everything the same," she said, " realistically, that will not happen."
However, she noted, "the better we can understand how to present ourselves to the judges and referees in each county and offer our ideas," the more smoothly things will go for the clients and practitioners involved.
Topics for future meetings, Huff said, "include the new child support guidelines, the new income withholding legislation, the disestablishment of paternity and a discussion by three Judges on how to petition and argue an attorney's fees motion."
It is planned that the meetings will be once a month and rotate between the counties.
Shauna Dunnings, Ingham County Friend of the Court (FOC), spoke on the "newest, most happening thing in Ingham County is the "Arrears Management Plan."
The State of Michigan, she explained, "has authorized FOCs to waive state-owed arrears if certain criteria are met." Dunnings office has been working hard to provide the service to the appropriate payers, which includes, for example, those who are homeless, legally incapacitated, or in prison for life.
Bob Hotchkiss, also from Ingham County, encouraged practitioners to call him if they have questions. Most of the questions he has of practitioners are forms that are not completed and need more information.
"It is my practice," Hotchkiss said, "is to contact the attorneys by phone first to let them know the issue."
"Our biggest change in Eaton County," said Judge Thomas Byerley, "is our turn-over in our judges. We have a three judge family court" and with the changes, Judge Byerley is the senior judge with three years on the bench. There is a vacancy that needs to be filled by the Governor.
"The bad news," he said, "is that we have lost a lot of experience on the bench but the good news is we have new people coming up with a fresh look at things."
"While we are waiting for the new judge," said Judge Janice Cunningham, we will take a "look at the reasonable rights of parenting time used in Eaton County. I envision that we will be changing that to accommodate for holiday and summer parenting time."
She reminded the practitioners "there is the Hague Convention language that has to be in every parenting time order."
"The reason I'm intrigued by this Association," said Schlossberg, "is that is a good venue to communicate ways we can do things better. We are always open to that."
The Executive Board of the Association is composed of: Carrie E. Huff, Hon. Thomas Byerley, Hon. Janice Cunningham, FOC director Shauna Dunnings, FOC Bob Hotchkiss, FOC Allen Schlossberg, who were at the meeting, and Chief Judge Janelle Lawless, Hon. Michelle M. Rick and Gary Haffey from Clinton County.
For more information about the Association and the next meeting, please contact Carrie Huff at Phone: (517) 482-2000 or e-mail: carrie@ alanechartier.com
Published: Mon, Apr 8, 2013
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