Family Law Advisory Board
Matthew Jacob Bailey
Varnum LLP, Grand Rapids
Matthew Jacob Bailey's practice focuses primarily on family law, especially all matters pertaining to divorce, including custody, visitation, property settlement, and alimony. Mr. Bailey also practices in the Michigan Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Ingham County Bar Association and the Young Lawyers Society....View Full Bio
Jade J. Edwards
Steslicki & Ghannam, Plymouth
Jade J. Edwards focuses almost exclusively on family law. She specializes in child custody, divorce, and child welfare law, regularly representing mothers accused of some form of child neglect. She has also worked as a mediator in divorce and child custody matters, as well as a Guardian ad Litem in child welfare, divorce, and custody cases. Prior to entering private...View Full Bio
Ruth Goldner
Goldner Deeg PLLC, Royal Oak
Ruth Goldner is the managing partner of the firm and focuses her practice on family law, including divorce, child custody and parenting time, and child support. She provides representation in both collaborative law cases and traditional family law litigation and also works as a neutral family law mediator. Ms. Goldner actively participates in a number of legal and professional organizations,...View Full Bio
Christopher J. Harrington
Oakland County Friend of the Court, Pontiac
Christopher J. Harrington began working as a family division referee for the court in June 2017. He previously worked in private practice for 11 years at Harrington Law PLC in Novi. As a private practitioner, Mr. Harrington dedicated his practice to a full range of family law matters, including divorce, custody, adoption, paternity, support, and separate maintenance cases. He also...View Full Bio
Blair Monroe Johnson
Peter J Johnson Law Office PLLC, Saint Joseph
Blair Monroe Johnson is an associate attorney at the firm specializing in family law, probate law, estate planning, driver's license restoration, expungement, and restorative justice. Mr. Johnson's interest in law began with his work as a nonattorney representative handling Social Security disability claims. He has worked in family law litigation at the firm since 2013 and became a collaborative divorce...View Full Bio
Peter M. Kulas-Dominguez
Kent County Friend of the Court, Grand Rapids
Peter Kulas-Dominguez is an attorney-referee for the 17th Circuit Court Family Division. Before accepting this position, Mr. Kulas-Dominguez practiced family law litigation with an emphasis on divorce and nonmarital domestic relationships. He counseled individuals through LGBTQ family issues, domestic relations mediation and collaborative law, spousal support, child custody and support, complex business valuations, and pre- and postnuptial agreements. In addition,...View Full Bio
Veronica R. Leonard
Veronica R. Leonard PLLC, Southfield
Veronica R. Leonard began her private practice in 2004, handling issues in all areas of family law, including divorce, child support, custody, postjudgment modifications, and enforcement proceedings. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Oakland County Friend of the Court. While attending Wayne State University Law School, Ms. Leonard was a judicial law clerk for...View Full Bio
Eric Lore
Alane Family Law PLC, Lansing
Eric Lore joined the firm in January 2017. His practice is dedicated exclusively to all areas of family law, advocating for clients in divorce, custody, parenting time, and support matters throughout the state. Mr. Lore is a trained mediator and member of the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section and Ingham County Bar Association. He is a graduate...View Full Bio
Keri Middleditch
Middleditch Law Firm PLLC, Birmingham
Keri Middleditch has more than 10 years of experience handling issues of divorce, custody, parenting time, paternity, child support, property settlement, juvenile guardianships, adoptions, termination of parental rights, same-sex parenting time agreements, personal protection orders, and grandparents' rights. She also serves as a Guardian ad Litem to minor children, often in the middle of their parents' custody battle. Prior to...View Full Bio
Lisa J. Schmidt
Speaker Law Firm, Lansing
Lisa J. Schmidt is a family law and appeals attorney. She is of counsel for the Speaker Law Firm in Lansing, Michigan, and maintains her own firm, Your Law Geek, where she provides legal research, writing, appellate briefing, and blogging support for other Michigan law firms. She is a member of the Family Law, LGBTQA, and Solo & Small Firm...View Full Bio
Todd S. Selin
Mallory Lapka Scott & Selin PLLC, Lansing
Todd S. Selin, a partner with the firm, has focused his practice on domestic relations law for the past 20 years. He was an elected member of the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Council from 2000 to 2009, and served as chair of the Ingham County Bar Association Family Law Section from 2006 to 2012. Mr. Selin has lectured...View Full Bio
Katherine M. Sharkey
Kitchen Sharkey PLLC, Ann Arbor
Katherine M. Sharkey practiced law in Chicago from 2006-2010 at Cabrini Green Legal Aid as a family law staff attorney, where she represented hundreds of low-income clients in divorce, child custody, guardianship, and parenting time cases. She moved back to her home state of Michigan and worked at Legal Services of South Central Michigan-Family Law Project from 2011-2013, representing survivors...View Full Bio
Courtney Sierra
Thacker Sleight, Grand Rapids
Courtney Sierra is the senior associate at the firm. She dedicates her practice to family law matters, focusing on complex divorce, custody, parenting time, and support cases. Ms. Sierra’s experience as a former psychiatric rehabilitative therapist provides a unique skill set well-suited for high-conflict cases. She has been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2021, 2022, and...View Full Bio
Jacob N. Simon
Law Office of Jacob N. Simon, Birmingham
Jacob N. Simon focuses his practice on family law, including divorce, custody, support, property division, and the related financial analyses. Before entering private practice, Mr. Simon clerked for Hon. Daniel V. Zemaitis of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan, Family Division. Mr. Simon has completed civil and domestic relations mediation training. Mr. Simon is an adjunct professor at...View Full Bio
Ivonne M. Soler
Butzel Long, Detroit
Ivonne M. Soler practices in the areas of family law and business and commercial litigation. She represents clients with family and domestic relations issues, including divorce, property division, spousal and child support, child custody and parenting time, change of domicile, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, postjudgment enforcement, adoption, and assisted reproduction (family building). Ms. Soler also represents clients in general matters...View Full Bio
Lindsey A. DiCesare
ICLE Advisory Board Liaison
Lindsey A. DiCesare works with ICLE contributors to update and edit ICLE publications and online resources in the areas of family law and probate and estate planning. Before joining ICLE in September 2021, Ms. DiCesare practiced education law and juvenile law as an attorney and guardian ad litem with the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio. Ms. DiCesare is a...View Full Bio