Michael T Bringhurst

You only know how good your divorce papers are after you are divorced and the papers are directing parents to work together. I hired Mike and we drew up papers and went to mediaton. My divorce decree has been back to court three times in 2 years, all the while my X has moved from Vegas to Californi...a and then back to Utah. While my X has broken our decree many times it costs thousands to accuse and prove it. Once proven nothing changes because the kids are not in danger or being harmed. Mean while items that Mike consulted me to agree to put me at a huge disadvantaged position as a parent. While I have 50/50 physical and legal custody specific words that her more experienced attorney used makes it more like 90/10. Just a few of the major issues that specific words put us at a huge disadvantage are; 1: I’ve been responsible for all transportation of he children. (Be careful, at one place in my decree it says all travel should be shared other places in the decree says I am responsible. Ultimately I have been the one responsible) 2. I can never take the kids out of school early or keep them home on any circumstances, while my X takes them out when ever she wants. 3. First right of refusal to get your kids instead of daycare has requirements that are excessive, costly and inconvenient. 4. The custodial parent clause is a very small sentence that gets in the way of everything being equal. “When the parties cannot agree the custodial parent will have the final say” Guess what that means, the custodial parent makes the decisions on everything with out consulting you ever. This little sentence invalidates 23 pages of the decree that we spent thousands to come up with. I liked Mike as a person but severely regret hiring him as my attorney. Be careful, the legal system around divorce in Utah is twisted. The only people who win are lawyers, mediators, commissioners and judges that keep their jobs. If your lawyer is not great and leaves holes in your divorce decree plan on going back to court. Getting a decree inforced or changed is as hard and costly as the decree itself.