Paine, Jennifer

Jennifer M. Paine
Associate Attorney
Offices: Ann Arbor and Lansing, Michigan

Jennifer M. Paine went to law school to be an advocate, but also a counselor, and family law requires a lot of both.

"It takes a person with care, compassion, diligence and the smarts to know how to navigate between law and emotions, and I developed a real skill and love for that work," she said.

Ms. Paine has a reputation in the Detroit area for being a stickler about the language in divorce documents and for being a stickler for the court rules, but in a good way.

"I just don't want the client caught in a loophole years later. I will take whatever time the client needs, whenever and wherever, to answer every question," Ms. Paine said. "There is no 'lawyering it up' with me. I give my clients the truth, the good and the bad, and all of it."

Licenses

Ms. Paine is licensed to practice in Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She has also been admitted pro hac vice in Illinois, Ohio, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Education

Ms. Paine received her B.A. in English and Mathematics from Albion College and graduated Summa Cum Laude. She received her Juris Doctor from MSU College of Law and graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Experience

Prior to joining Cordell & Cordell, Ms. Paine was the primary domestic attorney and the associate civil litigation attorney for a general practice firm in East Lansing, Michigan. She handled most of the firm’s domestic cases. These included: divorce, child custody, juvenile, probate, and parental rights cases.

Ms. Paine also served as the firm’s associate civil litigation attorney for employment discrimination, civil offenses, and real estate planning and litigation.

While at the firm, Ms. Paine successfully defended motions to modify custody on summary disposition bases against high profile domestic litigation firms, a petition to terminate parental rights on insufficiency of evidence bases, in addition to pre-trial negotiations and domestic mediations in child and non-child divorces.

Awards

While in law school, Ms. Paine received the King Scholars Honor and the Jurisprudence in Child Advocacy. In addition, she received honors in Ethics, No Fault Insurance, Research, Writing and Advocacy, and Domestic Violence.

Other Qualifications

Ms. Paine has been a featured speaker for Cordell College, Cordell & Cordell’s Domestic Litigation Forum and Cordell & Cordell's "Ten Stupidest Mistakes" free divorce seminars.

She also participates in external events, such as the Michigan Civics Institute’s Annual Mock Trial Competition where she serves as a mock judge, the MSU College of Law’s Mock Trial Competition and Appellate Advocacy Competition, also as a mock judge, the Michigan Family Law Certificate Program and Conference, the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section Listserv and the Albion College Detroit Chapter Community Service Program.

Associations

Ms. Paine is a member of the Michigan State Bar Family Law Section, Children's Law Section and the Family Law Certificate Program.

Media

Ms. Paine has contributed Michigan Divorce articles and articles related to Maintenance and Spousal Support in Michigan that can be found on this website.

You can also read Ms. Paine's articles on divorce on the DadsDivorce.com website.

Miscellaneous

A native of Bay City, Michigan, Ms. Paine enjoys musical and dance ensembles, literary clubs and community service groups like the Capitol Area Humane Society. She is also a regular contributor on the Michigan Family Law Listserv.

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Read Ms. Paine's articles on divorce.