Can I draft my own custody agreement?

Can I draft my own custody agreement?

If you don’t want to have a trial in your court case, you have to settle your case first.  In a divorce or custody context, settlement is achieved when there is a signed agreement negotiated between the parties.  In a divorce case, you would sign and negotiate a separation agreement – a legal contract that...

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Custody cases are interesting because they can come up in a number of ways, unlike divorce.  In a divorce, you have essentially two options: (1) negotiate a signed separation agreement, or (2) litigate in court. Divorce Cases Where Custody is an Issue Divorce is filed in the circuit court. Custody, though, can present differently.  Custody...

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Once you have an appointment – like an initial consultation – with a lawyer, that lawyer cannot meet with, give advice to, or represent the opposing party.  In a divorce or custody case, if a wife meets with five of the top local divorce attorneys, none of those five will be able to represent her...

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  Emotionally, going through a divorce or custody case (or, worse, a divorce AND custody case) is easily one of the most difficult things that you will face in your adult life.  Many therapists even liken the experience of going through divorce to a death – it’s just that traumatic. Even a good divorce –...

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I need a bulldog of a custody lawyer!

Eeks – the word bulldog!  I hate it.  I really do.  But still, time and time again, that’s what people ask for.  A shark.  A bulldog.  A pitbull.  A no-nonsense, take-no-names, kick-ass lawyer. I get it.  The stakes are high.  They’re high in any legal case, but they may be especially high in family law. ...

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Few things in the world are scarier than facing a custody and visitation case.  Few things, too, are more difficult to gather up-to-date, state-specific information about – at least, if the information you’re looking for is also credible. There are a lot of non-attorneys out there offering advice and opinions, much of which – though...

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New Year, New Divorce Filing

Divorce is, historically speaking, one of the busiest months of the year for divorce.  For the most part, November and December are generally the slowest; after all, who wants to get divorced during the holidays? It’s not so much that I think divorce is somehow tied to a new year’s resolution – though it certainly...

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Mediation v. Settlement Conference

Even when it’s only for a relatively short period, the time that exists in the space between when you and your soon-to-be ex decide to separate and when you reach a signed separation agreement is a particularly painful, anxiety-filled one. All the while that you’re hoping, desperately hoping, that you’ll be able to resolve things...

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