Q: How do I get 50/50 custody of my 4 month old son?
The mother has already contacted the court for paternity, child support, and custody. I am unsure what steps I need to take to be ready to defend myself and get half custody of my son. DES has contacted me for my new address but thats all that has came of this so far with the courts being closed. Just affraid shes got enough on me to get full custody and me have to pay a crap ton of child support.
A: The first practical step is to take advantage of a free consultation with a family lawyer. This isn't a sales pitch, it's just important for you to evaluate the whether she has "enough on you" to restrict your custody rights. It is unclear what you mean by contacted the court, but if she's filed a petition to establish you have pretty immediate deadlines to file a response. If you fail to timely respond, her petition may be granted by default. So please check the court docket to see if she's officially filed.
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.
