Divorce in YOUR Hands, Outside of Court
Collaborative Divorce
Gray Divorce
Our Mission, Your Future
Founded in 2013, Transitions Legal is a family law firm that specializes in supporting clients through out-of-court approaches to divorce such as Collaborative Divorce and insightful Mediation. Led by award-winning family law attorney Alisa Peskin-Shepherd, who brings more than three decades of legal expertise to inform every case, Transitions Legal supports families and couples from a variety of backgrounds, situations and systems with an unparalleled level of sensitivity and compassion.
Transitions Legal is guided by a mission and vision that embrace a holistic perspective on divorce. With specialties in Collaborative Divorce, Mediation, and Gray Divorce, we follow an integrity-based process that ultimately benefits all participants.
Transitions Legal Guiding Principles
Listen to clients' journeys with empathy and compassion.
Create thoughtful recommendations and strong strategies to guide healthy life transitions.
Counsel clients through divorce with dignity, outside of the court system, via legal processes such as Insight Mediation and Collaborative Divorce.
Support clients toward the best possible outcome for their specific situation.
Help clients maintain focus on their priorities and value throughout the divorce process.
Help clients reduce stress and provide post-divorce resources to move forward with confidence and clarity.
Offer realistic perspectives about potential outcomes and the truths of client cases through honest, thoughtful communication.
Give clients space and time to process the powerful emotions elicited by divorce.
Serve as a resource for people seeking relationships and connections to move forward with success.
Divorce
Child Support & Spousal Support
Custody & Parenting Time
Mediation
FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions people wonder about as they prepare to divorce. Let us know if you have any other questions we can answer!
What does a divorce cost?
That depends! Divorces can run smoothly or be challenging, depending on the issues, opposing counsel and if both spouses are in agreement (or not). Pre-existing acrimony impacts the amount of time it takes to work out details and find resolution. Many factors play into how much your divorce will cost. Remember: vendettas cost a lot of money.
How long does a divorce take?
People are usually anxious to get the divorce over with, which is why this is a frequently asked question. Just know that it will take time, and it will be over before you know it.
Can my child decide where to live?
Not true. While a child’s desires may be taken into account, it is only one of 11 “best interest factors” the court considers when determining the division of parenting time.
The judge considers all 11 factors to develop a full picture of the family when making a custody determination or considering a request to change custody. The child’s age and maturity may impact the judge’s likelihood of giving weight to the child’s stated preference.
Alisa Peskin-Shepherd does not believe in putting a child on the stand because it inevitably makes them feel pulled between parents. However, judges will talk with a child privately, if a party requests it.
Am I entitled to spousal support?
What should I expect when hiring a divorce lawyer?
Once you choose a lawyer, you will sign a retainer agreement, outlining the obligations of both client and attorney. It’s common to pay a certain amount up front, toward your retainer, and provide a method of payment for future billings.
Lawyers send detailed monthly invoices. Retainers are based on estimates of costs; actual costs incurred are detailed on every invoice.
If you do not use the full amount you put forward at the start, you will receive the remainder back. If you reconcile, any remaining retainer will be fully refunded to you. Alisa Peskin-Shepherd provides FREE first consultations!
This Is Transitions Legal
After decades of practicing in other firms, Alisa sought to create a one-of-a-kind firm focused on family law, divorce, and mediation as a path to help people through life transitions, rather than setting them up for acrimony, difficulty, hurt, and sadness.
“Divorce does not have to be agonizing,” she says. “It can simply be a way to compassionately end a relationship that has fulfilled its purpose, without judgment and with healing.”
It was important to carve out a specific identity based on Alisas’s unique approach to divorce law.
“I want people to see that divorce is not an end but the next phase in their life’s journey,” she says. “And even if it’s not something that you initially want, most people come to their own conclusion that they are in a better place once they get through it.”
“Establishing my own law firm allows me to be more than a divorce lawyer. I educate and support people, reaching them through social media, collaborative relationships, and in the community-at-large. No matter what path a relationship takes, we can be respectful and kind and have good outcomes.”
Transitions Legal helps people live better. Whether that’s through financial wisdom and independence from a formerly controlling spouse, freedom from domestic abuse, or a peaceful parting for spouses seeking a collaborative end to their marriage, Transitions Legal focuses around each client’s needs and goals.
From Collaborative Divorce and Litigation, custody and parenting time, child support, and spousal support cases, through full representation or Limited Scope Representation, Transitions Legal serves clients in Southeast Michigan who seek optimal outcomes for their families. The firm’s “mediative” approach is a realistic perspective of outcomes based on client goals, working together to reach a place where reality and goals align.
Testimonials
“I was thinking that we would not be ready for Monday but I’m very glad you’re doing what you’re doing. I would have given away the store by myself and been wondering where it all went. Thanks to you and your wonderful team. I now feel there will, in fact, be life after divorce.”
Do our mission, vision and services fit the approach you’d like to pursue?
Schedule an introductory consultation to determine if now is the time to hire Transitions Legal for divorce or mediation services in Southeast Michigan, to guide you through the process.
