Q: I need a family law attorney, but I make very little. Where do I start on getting help?
My ex has been keeping my daughter from me for a number of years. He tells everyone he has full custody, the last court papers I received, said joint custody. I need some serious help but don't make a lot of money because of going to school and providing for my two other children. Where do I start, what do I do? I haven't seen my "little" girl, soon to be 14, in roughly 7-8 years now. He and his mother have definitely interfered with child custody. What is my next move?
A:
Your best bet is to somehow borrow money from family and hire a lawyer. If you cannot do that, you should seek out Legal Aid or some Pro Bono clinic where you live and see if you can get a lawyer for free based on being indigent.
You theoretically are entitled to represent yourself but I sure do NOT recommend that.
Good luck.
A:
You have to be indigent to get free legal help. Apply for legal aid to see if you qualify. If you don't you should try to borrow money or sell something if you can in order to hire an attorney. Just to give you an idea of what you may be looking at in terms of attorneys fees I am currently representing a client in a similar situation and we were able to get visitation, but it cost over $20k in attorneys fees. There were also other fees such as therapist, travel, process server, copies, and court filing fees. I am not telling you this to discourage you. I just want you to have a realistic assessment of what the real cost is going to be.
(Disclaimer: The Blacknall Firm is accepting cases in these counties: Dallas, Rockwall, Kaufman, and Collin. This information is for educational purposes only. This does not constitute an attorney-client relationship.)
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
