Saint Joseph Family Lawyers

Ivan is a dedicated Divorce and Family Law attorney that works diligently to fight for fairness for Men and Fathers. He is proud of his affiliation with the American Divorce Association for Men (ADAM).

Shon Cook possesses a deep-seated passion for the legal field, dedicating nearly three decades to advocating for individuals across a diverse spectrum of legal matters. Her extensive experience spans various areas of law, and she has honed her focus on addressing family law issues, such as divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, spousal support, guardianships, adoption, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, and mediations. With a straightforward philosophy, Shon leverages the power of the law to achieve positive outcomes for her clients. Her expertise and commitment have not only made her a sought-after advocate among clients but have also established her as a...

- Act as general counsel/legal adviser to a variety of service and manufacturing businesses, including M&A, supply agreements, real estate leases and purchase agreements, employment policies/handbooks, contracts, financing documentation, terms and conditions, privacy notices, and compliance/governance documents.
- Represent businesses in complex commercial litigation, such as inter business disputes, contract disputes, shareholder/member conflicts, and employment matters.
- Aggressively assist individuals in contract disputes, real estate transactions/disputes, high conflict divorce matters and sales representative litigation.
- Very experienced in all forms of ADR, including Collaborative Divorce.
- Handle all matters with honesty, integrity and discretion.

Renee founded WN Law in 2011 in order to provide individuals with quality, affordable legal representation. Renee focuses her practice on both criminal law and family law. In her years of practice, Renee has gained extensive knowledge on how to most effectively represent her clients in order to provide the best possible outcome.

Renee has successfully represented individuals all over the State of Michigan. In her criminal practice, Renee has represented defendants facing everything from a civil infraction to a felony charge. Renee's experience includes crimes in the arena of drug crimes, theft and property crimes, juvenile crimes, violent crimes, sex...

I am a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a Michigan State Bar and U.S. Western District Court licensed attorney specializing in family law.

Since establishing my own practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I have represented clients with their family law-related cases including divorce, collaborative divorce, child custody, visitation, paternity, change of domicile, child support, spousal support, and post-judgment issues.

I focused my practice on family law after spending over two decades immersed in the court system as a paralegal. I assisted attorneys and their clients in navigating the difficult, and often painful process that...

I know that each family dynamic is unique, so I work side-by- side with clients to navigate challenging family law matters or the confusion of probate or trust settlement following the death of a loved one. As for my qualifications, I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University where I double majored in both Public Law and Journalism. I went on to get a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School where I was a Dean's List student with an academic scholarship award, a member of the school's Access to Justice Clinic, and a founding board member...

Harold Leo Emelander was raised in Newaygo, Michigan. After graduating from Newaygo High School, he attended Grand Valley State University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. He then went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2006. To further his education he then moved to Florida where he attended The University of Florida College of Law and received his LLM in Taxation in 2007. Mr. Emelander began his legal career in Miami, Florida at an accounting firm. He utilized his degree in taxation law by advising clients on individual,...

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Beth A. Striegle grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from West Catholic High School, she attended Ferris State University where she obtained an Associate’s Degree in Commercial Art. Prior to attending law school, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Calvin College where she graduated with honors. While attending Thomas Cooley Law School she raised two young boys. Beth completed her law school internship at the Sixty-Plus Elder Law Clinic. She considers the experience she gained while working for the clinic to be very valuable because it gave her a better understanding of the various issues...

I live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. I value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, I have high standards in these regards, which I continuously strive to fulfill. I can objectively see the reality of a situation, and I’m adaptable enough to change things which aren’t working well. I am a strategist – always scanning available ideas and concepts and weighing them against my current strategy, to plan for every credible contingency. I am ready to work for you.

I have been practicing law for 25 years. My practice focuses on family law including divorce, custody, parenting time, asset division and support.

Almost anyone who has been through it will tell you that divorce is one of the most painful and stressful experiences a family will ever go through, fraught with uncertainty and negative emotions that can (and usually do) spill over into other areas of life. As a Family Law attorney, I dedicate myself to guiding clients through this difficult process and help them move forward in a positive, healthy and supportive manner. When it seems difficult to make decisions in this time of crisis, my job is to present creative solutions and help clients make the right decisions. During...

Joe has been practicing law for over 20 years. He serves the greater Grand Rapids area and has worked with the majority of the courts in Kent and the surrounding counties. He is well known to other attorneys in the area and has a positive working relationship with court officers and law enforcement agencies.

Ray's practice is mainly involved with divorce, custody, alimony and collections. Raymond Pater was born in the Netherlands and is one of eight children. After his family immigrated to the United States, and although of modest means, six of his siblings attended college and two went on to obtain PhDs, later becoming college professors. An older sister never attended high school, but was admitted to college because of a nearly illegible transcript and ironically went on to become a high school teacher. While attending grade school and high school, Ray worked in the family business selling eggs and chickens...

Brandon Gardner founded Brandon Gardner & Associates, PLC on the principle that every client deserves zealous, high-quality legal representation, especially those facing the most serious crimes and complex family disputes. Brandon has over twenty years' experience in multiple aspects of the court system from small claims dispute resolution to appeals to the Michigan Supreme Court and utilizes this breadth of knowledge to develop custom solutions to every case at the firm, no matter the complexity. Mr. Gardner’s practice areas include serious felonies and federal crimes, complex domestic litigation, and personal injury litigation. Additionally, he is an approved domestic relations mediator on...

Sean Patrick Cox has represented hundreds of clients since 1994 when he was admitted to practice. In addition, he was admitted to the State Bar of Florida in 1995. Sean practices in two main areas, family law and elder law. When Sean was a teen, his parents divorced, giving him personal knowledge of how devastating the divorce process can be to all family members involved. Sean has represented clients in complex divorce cases since 1994, he is considered to be one of the top divorce attorneys in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has taken hundreds of cases to trial and he...

I am passionate about helping people with their family law problems. I help my clients with issues of divorce, child custody, parenting time, child support, and family abuse protection orders. As a parent myself, I understand how important these issues are to my clients. I view my job as a compassionate guide through a complex legal system that can be difficult for non-lawyers to navigate on their own. I try to resolve these issues as amicably as possible, although I have taken many cases to trial when it is necessary and appropriate to do so. I...

Balgooyen Law Offices has been a general practice firm in Muskegon County for over 40 years, having represented three municipal governments, several area businesses, and multiple generations of Muskegon families. Fredric F. Balgooyen, sole practitioner, has experience as both a prosecuting and public defense attorney, is a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Criminal Law Section, Probate and Estate Planning Section and Master Lawyer Section. Practice areas include estate planning, Wills & Trusts, Probate and decedent estates, real estate, business law, business planning, commercial and civil litigation, Landlord-Tenant, family law, domestic issues, divorce, child support...

I represent clients in divorce, child custody, paternity and guardianship issues. My passion is assisting individuals during one of the toughest periods in their lives, when their marriage is coming to an end or child custody is at stake. I am an avid listener and I pride myself on my high standards of detail and client care. My first goal is always to utilize mediation or alternative dispute resolution to avoid the cost and stresses of litigation for clients. However, if a case proceeds to litigation, I will zealously defend my client's position. I am originally from Scotland where I obtained...

How does someone choose the "right attorney"? I believe that the client must feel comfortable with the attorney, along with having confidence in the attorney's abilities in dealing with the issues at hand.

I specialize in criminal and bankruptcy law. I also handle divorce, license restoration, and debt settlement. I offer personal service and have been very successful in keeping my clients out of jail. In practicing bankruptcy law, in addition to guiding my client through the bankruptcy process, I offer advice to my clients on how to avoid various debt traps and how to live within a budget ,...

My practice is varied and litigation oriented and includes almost four decades of experience. I am admitted to practice in all Michigan state courts; the Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the Northern District of Indiana, and the Federeal Bankruptcy Court in Northern Kentucky; and the Supreme Court of the United States. My real estate practice has included considerable work in the area of Condominium Law besides work in title issues, transfers, and development matters.