For a Confidential Consultation Call Denise: (810) 225-7440
Denise Couling (pronounced “cooling”) is a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. Denise has practiced for over 20 years in the area of business, real estate and family law. Denise is trained as both a mediator and in collaborative practice (also known as "collaborative law"). She is a court-approved family law mediator in Livingston, Genesee and Washtenaw counties. In addition to private practice, Denise has served in government and public service roles as a Family Court Referee in Genesee County, as both a member and the Chairperson of the Green Oak Township Zoning Board of Appeals and as an ongoing contributor to numerous innovative community projects.
Family Law
In the area of family law, Denise’s experience as a Family Court Referee combined with her training in alternative dispute resolution techniques inspired her commitment to work toward a more effective, less damaging, approach to traditional, court-based divorce litigation. Denise’s observations from private practice and the courts yielded the firm conviction that the vast majority of family law cases can be better addressed by a legal approach that emphasizes productive problem-solving over often counter-productive court disputes. Denise handles a broad range divorce and family law matters, including cases involving business interests and high asset marital estates, cost-effective Streamline Divorce matters, child support, spousal support (alimony), parenting time, child custody, paternity, same-sex marriage and LGTBQ issues, and division of assets, debts and property, among others.
StreamlineDivorce℠ System
Denise developed StreamlineDivorce℠, an innovative framework to help resolve divorce and family law cases, and introduced this approach in Livingston County in 2010. It has since become a core area of her practice. Emphasizing privacy and cost-effectiveness, Denise assists couples and families address the challenges of divorce with a focus on making the best possible preparation for a positive future, both in terms of sound financial preparation as well as in terms of their ongoing relationships, especially where co-parenting is involved. Denise regularly presents at family law seminars and is actively involved in Mediate First (formally known as LIPA), a Livingston County-based community organization working to transform the traditional divorce litigation process by introducing mediation at the earliest possible stage of cases.
Business & Real Estate
Denise’s undergraduate background in economics and her personal history of entrepreneurship have fueled her long-standing enthusiasm for supporting the success of new businesses. Denise actively represents landlords, residential real estate developments and a variety of small businesses -- with a special love for assisting new entrepreneurs. Denise has served as a business coach for the FastTrac℠ New Venture program (a nationally-recognized entrepreneurship program developed by the Kauffman Foundation and offered through the MI-SBTDC). Denise’s background in the areas of real estate and business law frequently enables her to serve business owners not only in their business matters but also in divorce and mediation cases involving their unique, and often complex, needs. Some of Denise’s most rewarding family law mediation cases have involved creative solutions that not only met the divorcing couples' needs but carefully protected their interwoven business or real estate concerns. Denise is a member of the State Bar of Michigan as well as the Livingston and Genesee County Bar Associations. Denise is certified in Elder Mediation and is also a member of the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan and International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She has contributed to numerous legal periodicals and was a contributing author for Michigan Residential Real Estate Transactions, published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE). Denise has served as a presenter at the ICLE's Advanced Dispute Resolution & Negotiation Institute and speaks frequently at numerous seminars and events.
A mother of two, Denise is a longtime Livingston County resident. Focusing on each client's unique goals and circumstances, Denise’s mission is to deliver the same thoughtful, straightforward and personalized attention that she would seek for herself or her own family. Leadership and respect are the hallmarks of her approach to the practice of law and her service to clients.
Denise practices in Livingston, Genesee, Oakland and Washtenaw counties. Her mediation services and Streamline Divorce matters are available in many other Michigan jurisdictions, by advance agreement.
For More Information on Divorce
Order a Copy of Denise’s Couling’s Book,
Michigan Divorce
Fast-Tracked
While divorce is never ideal, a respectful divorce is superior to a costly and acrimonious one. Michigan Divorce Law changed in 2019 to add two important new options, providing for respectful, mutually-agreed settlements without a traditional divorce lawsuit. While these new processes could impact thousands of Michigan couples considering divorce, they have received very little fanfare and remain largely unknown. Attorney Denise Couling addresses the new “Fast Track” and “Collaborative” divorce processes in her new book: Michigan Divorce: Fast Tracked.