Divorce is a painful experience. It gets worse when there are kids involved. As a parent, you want what is best for your kid and are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain custody.
Fighting for child custody is not always a smooth ride, especially if you are not on the same page with your ex-partner. Both of you are still bitter, and you may end up letting pride and anger complicate things.
In such cases, hiring a child custody lawyer is the best decision as the expert will help you reach an agreement that ensures that the kids’ best interests are met. If you are unsure if you should seek legal help for your child custody issue, here are signs that it is the best idea.
1. Your Ex-Partner Has a Custody Lawyer
While having a lawyer does not guarantee that you will obtain custody, you should not risk going solo if your ex has a legal representative.
Keep in mind that the attorney understands the law better than you. Therefore, your ex will have higher chances of winning the battle if you decide to represent yourself. Your research cannot compare to the attorney’s education and experience.
Hiring an attorney puts you on the same level as your ex. You will have someone to prepare the documents, gather evidence, and present your arguments in a professional way that matches your ex’s attorney.
Obtaining legal help increases the chances of a fair judgment. You won’t leave feeling like things would have turned out differently had you sought expert assistance.
2. Your Case Is Getting More Complex With Time
Maybe your case started on a pretty good note. But a lot has changed ever since, and the case is getting hard to crack. The other parent wants to relocate with the kids or is remarrying.
It could be that the other parent has become violent or does not want to abide by the custody agreements. Maybe the other party has changed their mind and does not want to pay child support.
It is time to consult an attorney to help you get things back on track again for a fast process. You should also seek the help of a child support attorney to ensure that the other party plays their role. It is your responsibility to ensure your children get everything they need for a comfortable living.
3. Your Case Is Special
Family law litigation can become complicated, especially where children are involved.
You probably have a child who requires special care and does better with one parent than the other. In this case, an attorney will help you come into sound agreement with the other parent to make them understand that the child should be where they feel safe and comfortable.
For instance, your child may be going through emotional issues and requires counseling or someone to be with them throughout. The child will be better off with the parent they feel more comfortable with. But the other parent might try to contest because they think that they are more capable.
Hire an attorney and let the expert help you develop the best solution to accommodate the kid.
4. Your Kid Is in Danger
If you feel that their needs are not being met or they are in danger, it is time to hire an attorney to help you save the kid.
Perhaps the other parent is trying to hurt you through the child. They may threaten to physically harm the child to get back at you. Or you feel that the child is neglected, and the parent who is currently living with the kid does not want you to help them out.
The attorney will intervene to ensure that the child is safe until custody is granted. The parent will feel intimated when there is a lawyer involved and is more likely to cooperate.
5. Your Ex-Partner Is Denying You Visitation
Until the court makes final judgments on matters regarding custody, none of the parents have the power to deny the other one custody or visitation. As loving parents who want the best for their kids, you should come up with arrangements on when each of you should have custody of the children.
For example, they can spend the school days with the parent who lives near the school and spend weekends and holidays with the other one.
Your divorce attorney should help you make such arrangements. If the other parent tries to block you from seeing your kids, you should seek an attorney’s intervention. The lawyer understands the law better and knows when your rights are being violated.
6. You Have a Drugs or Drinking History
If you use drugs or drink alcohol, you should expect your ex to bring this up in court. They are likely to use this weakness to show how incapable you are and cannot be trusted with children.
Things can get messy if your opponent has substantial evidence against you. The best party part, however, is that you have a chance to prove them wrong. You ought to present proof that you are a responsible person and your past will not hinder you from being a great parent.
You can use treatment programs’ certificates and have a blood test to show that you are clean. If these plans fail, an attorney will advise you on the best strategy to follow to show the court what steps you have taken to improve yourself.
7. The Court Expects You to Enroll in a Class or Treatment Program
The judge may ask you to join a treatment program. You could also be asked to join parenting or anger management classes. Such issues may lower your chances of obtaining custody as the judge will deem the other party to be a fit parent than you.
An expert attorney can turn things around, especially if the programs are a standard requirement for all parents battling for child custody.
Increase Your Chances of Obtaining Child Custody With a Lawyer
Hiring a divorce lawyer will ease and speed up the divorce process. But you will still have to deal with the burden of a child custody battle. Things get better with the best custody lawyer by your side to ensure cooperation from both sides.
Do not attempt to go through a custody lawsuit alone, as that gives your ex-partner an advantage over you. Check out any of the highlighted signs that you need a custody lawyer and do what is best for you and your kids.
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Overall, it is clear that the importance of family lawyers cannot be overstated. They help family members to rationally resolve family disputes that would otherwise be overwhelmed with emotion. Lawyer Ottawa helped me a lot in my case, and I am very grateful to them. Thank you for sharing interesting material.