A divorce or legal separation frequently involves dividing one or both spouse’s pensions or other retirement plans such as 401Ks, profit sharing plans, and others. This is generally accomplished by submitting to the plan administrator a special court order, called a QDRO, EDRO, or Qualified Court Order, depending on the type of employer.
Not all divorce attorneys feel comfortable preparing these orders, or simply prefer that this task be undertaken by a QDRO specialist. This law office prepares and submits QDROs for both other attorneys and the parties to a divorce directly.
Attorney Mark Cherniak will handle every step of the task personally. I have been a licensed attorney in the State of Michigan for over 20 years, with my practice of course including handling all aspects of domestic relations matters. I am a member of the State Bar’s Family Law Section, and in fact my QDRO ad appears in every issue of its regular publication. I am BV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the nation’s leading and most respected attorney information source. Pre-law background is a finance degree from the Business School at Wayne State University in Detroit. My practice is insured.
Most QDROs* can be completed without a personal meeting among those involved, not to suggest we are anti-social here. The required information can be provided by mail, facsimile, or e-mail, and this humble Hamtramck office has prepared QDROs for attorneys as distant as Grand Rapids and Sault Sainte Marie. The information needed for the QDRO is available by clicking here, our fees by clicking here.
Once the information is provided the QDRO will be promptly prepared, usually within a week, but this office has provided even same day service if indicated by special circumstances. Unlike other QDRO specialists, we do not consider the job complete when the QDRO is complete. If the order is entered with the court by the parties stipulating to its entry, we will enter the order, retrieve it from the court, forward it to the plan administrator, and monitor it for acceptance. We consider the job done when there is notice from the plan administrator the order was accepted, and its terms accurately implemented. If the order is rejected, it will be promptly corrected at no additional charge, providing the QDRO information originally provided by the parties was accurate.
* By reference to QDRO, EDROs, (federal) Qualified Court Orders, military and railroad orders are included as well, but spared specific reference to limit repetition.