Tools for Detroit Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Detroit families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

If you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator for families in Detroit, you already know the pattern: two parents, one child, and a record of what happened that lives in two different phones. FamilyCourtHelp.com gives the parents you work with one organized place for co-parent messages, schedules, parenting plans, expenses, and records, so the time they spend with you, and in front of the Third Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division, goes to the children instead of the screenshots.

Area covered: Wayne County.

Court for custody cases: Third Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division (Wayne County).

Appointed for the child: Lawyer-guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge (Friend of the Court domestic relations mediation).

Parenting coordinators: Set by state law or court rule (MCL 722.27c).

State family law: Michigan Compiled Laws Chapter 552 - Divorce.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For lawyer-guardians ad litem and guardians ad litem in Detroit

In Michigan, the court can appoint a lawyer-guardian ad litem in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

Nothing here opens a family's account to you on its own. When a parent wants you in, they send a single-use invitation into the co-parent conversation; you join with your own free account, see the full thread and the shared calendar's change requests, and can post. They can also share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on.

For therapists and counselors in Detroit

Court-involved therapists, reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Detroit get no seat in the conversation and no access to accounts. Parents keep their own time-stamped record and decide what to show you, which keeps your role clear. For co-parenting work, the Tone Meter in the free messenger shows a parent how a message will land and offers a calmer version before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Detroit

In Michigan, custody mediation is often ordered by the judge. Parenting coordinators are set by state law or court rule (MCL 722.27c). The details are in the FAQ below.

Parents can bring you in before the first meeting in Detroit: a single-use link adds you to the co-parent conversation, and a shared parenting plan lets you read the draft and comment on it. After the session, what was agreed stays in writing in the thread, and schedule changes run through the shared calendar's request and approval record.

Parenting coordinators can be added to a shared plan as a viewer who reads and comments.

Family court programs in Detroit

Custody cases in Detroit are heard in the Third Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Wayne County Friend of the Court: The Friend of the Court is part of the circuit court's Family Division. It investigates and makes recommendations on custody, parenting time and support, helps parents settle disputes, and enforces existing orders.

If you searched for a lawyer-guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Detroit, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Detroit: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Wayne: 3rd Circuit Court Self-Help Center. Free walk-in help finding court forms and legal information for people representing themselves, no legal advice given.

Wayne legal aid: Lakeshore Legal Aid, (888) 783-8190.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Detroit?

The Family Division of the Third Judicial Circuit Court hears divorce, custody and parenting time cases for Wayne County, including Detroit. Its Friend of the Court office investigates custody disputes and helps enforce custody and support orders.

Where can parents in Detroit get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: 3rd Circuit Court Self-Help Center. Free legal aid: Lakeshore Legal Aid. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Detroit?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does a lawyer-guardian ad litem do in a Detroit custody case?

If the court decides a child's best interests are not being fully represented in a custody case, it may appoint a lawyer-guardian ad litem to represent the child. The lawyer can give the court a written report, and the court may order the parents to pay all or part of the fees. You may also see "LGAL" and "guardian ad litem". The rule is in MCL 722.24. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Michigan?

Each county's Friend of the Court office must offer mediation for custody and parenting time disputes, and that mediation is voluntary. Separately, under the Michigan Court Rules a circuit court may order mediation of contested issues in a family case, on its own or when a parent asks.

Does Michigan use parenting coordinators?

A Michigan court may appoint a parenting coordinator for a set term to help carry out parenting time orders and settle parenting disputes. Both parents and the coordinator must agree to the appointment, and the court must first consider any history of violence or coercion between the parents.