Q: I send money to the mother of my kids. we do not have anything set up with courts. Is it possible to get joint custody?
I send money every two weeks
A:
You need to file a court case so you have your rights in black and white.
The court will enter a parenting plan spelling out your and her rights in decision making and who the child is with and when.
A: To follow up on Mr. Choudhry's answer, among the rights that need to be put in black and white for your protection is the amount of support you are to pay and the timing of the payments. I've been practicing for longer than I want to admit and have yet to see a case where parents who settled upon an informal basis for the payment of support agreed as to how much had been paid or when. It is a recipe for disaster -- and typically the disaster happens to the person who has been paying the money.
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