Divorce and custody cases do all sorts of things to people. Things that, before the case were on the horizon, would have seemed unthinkable—in both good ways and bad. One of the most annoying things that happens is when a formerly deadbeat dad decides that he now wants custody, or at least wants more parenting...
Deadbeat Dad Now Wants Custody
Trials are tough. They’re really intimidating and, at the end of the day, it’s really hard to know how the cookie is going to crumble, so to speak. There’s a lot of risk inherent in leaving everything (especially when “everything” is as important as custody of your children!) up to a judge—the one person in...
I’ll be the first to say that co parenting isn’t easy. I mean, there’s a reason why you and your child’s father called it quits on your relationship, and there’s no doubt that the lingering feelings between the two of you make being parents together and presenting a united front incredibly difficult. Even in the...
Sexual abuse cases are some of the most difficult we see in our practice. Well, really, all custody cases are difficult, as you can probably imagine, because there is so much involved. When it comes to regular divorce cases, there’s a limit to the amount of money, time, and frustration people will expend on a...
If you’re feeling unsafe, it’s only natural to want to run away—particularly if the very person who is making you feel unsafe is your child’s father. In my career, I’ve heard some pretty awful horror stories about the situations that have made my clients feel like they have no choice other than to flee. Usually,...
“I don’t want to send the baby to his father,” mothers often say to me. They can cite a bunch of reasons, from the fact that he hasn’t yet changed a single diaper (a single one!), that he isn’t vigilant about avoiding her allergens, he doesn’t stick to the schedule with respect to her medication,...
Divorce is hard, but when you combine it with the emotional and completely volatile nature of a custody case, it’s exponentially worse. Obviously, custody isn’t always part and parcel of a divorce action; custody cases can take place completely independently of a divorce case. (Because moms and dads don’t have to have ever been married,...
In most states, custody decisions are made in court based on the “best interests of the child.” It’s a pretty general phrase that can mean all sorts of things. In fact, most courts have a different definition of what, exactly, qualifies as being in the best interests of a child. If you’re facing a custody...