We talked Wednesday about how difficult child custody cases are (and particularly the cases where sexual abuse is an issue). If you’re facing a custody case, there’s no doubt that you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed. There’s a lot at stake in a custody case and, chances are, if you’re willing to go to court, it’s because you have some very serious concerns about your situation.
There’s nothing worse than being scared about the safety and well being of your children, unless it’s being afraid that, on top of the fears you’re already experiencing, you’ll be taken advantage of in court. A lot of times, we see dads that think they’ll be able to out spend their child’s mother, and do everything they can to flatten them in court. They thin nothing of making things as ugly, difficult, time consuming, and expensive as possible, because they think if they can just hold on long enough, their child’s mother will no longer be able to defend herself.
Hiring an attorney is expensive. Some women are able to scrape up enough money to hire one to help represent them in their case (or get loans or gifts from friends or family members), but that’s not possible for everyone. We can all do basic math, right? If it’s already tight to keep the lights on and keep the pantry stocked, it’s going to be difficult (or impossible) to find the money to spare to hire an attorney—particularly in a contested custody case. (Custody cases don’t generally come cheap.)
There’s no sense wasting time and energy worrying about not being able to afford an attorney, if you fall in that camp. Spend your time, instead, focusing on what you can do to make sure that you get the result you need in your upcoming custody case.
That’s why we created Custody Bootcamp for Moms: because, even though we’re pretty awesome custody (and divorce) attorneys, we know that not everyone can afford to hire us. And just because you can’t afford to hire us doesn’t mean that your custody case should be in jeopardy. You’ve got a lot riding on this, and we understand (perhaps that’s a unique thing in this day and age) because we represent women only. We know how much your kids mean to you, and we know that we have lots of crazy valuable information that you’ll need to know if you’re gearing up for a custody case and will have to represent yourself.
Likewise, if you already have an attorney, and you’re feeling a little bit stressed out about what he’s telling you, Custody Bootcamp for Moms could be a great choice for you, too. If you just want to know a little bit more about custody cases in Virginia and how they’re determined, you’re not alone. There’s a lot of information out there, and the more you know, the better prepared you can be.
Custody Bootcamp for Moms is an intense, all day custody seminar designed to teach moms what they need to know to handle a custody case for custody, visitation, and child support at the juvenile court level. Custody Bootcamp (or CBC, like we call it, for short) is taught by two of our two most experienced custody attorneys, Kristen Hofheimer and Caitlin Walters, who will teach you the ins and outs of custody cases in Virginia, including
• How custody cases are determined (including the ten all-important factors you MUST know and the judge MUST listen to);
• When to sit and stand, and how to address the judge;
• How to create killer opening and closing arguments;
• How to question and cross examine witnesses (and survive cross examination yourself);
• How special issues, like breastfeeding, special needs children, and homeschooling, play in the custody equation;
• The types of custody, and how to frame exactly what you’re asking the court to do;
• How to work with judges, guardians ad litem, and custody evaluators (if one has been assigned in your case);
• And more.
As you’re probably already aware, there’s no other similar program designed to help Virginia women learn about and manage their custody cases.
Like I said, it’s pretty intense—the seminar is all day long, and it’s chock full of information that we’ve curated specifically for moms like you.
We provide lunch (and information-packed workbooks that you can take home after the seminar and take notes in during the seminar) because it’s a pretty jam packed day. The best part? It costs less than the price of an hour with a moderately priced local attorney.
For more information about Custody Bootcamp for Moms, or to go ahead and register now, visit our website by clicking here. If you’d like more information about custody cases or would like to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys, give our office a call at (757) 425-5200.