Thursday, June 4, 2009

Child Custody Advice About Legal Counsel

By Dianna Nelsun

As a divorced parent you have a lot on your plate. You are in the middle of making crucial decisions about your custody situation plus you have everything else you normally have to deal with. You want to make sure that you are getting the legal information and advice you need to settle your custody case well.

The phrase legal advice often conjures up an image of an attorney presenting a case in court. Many divorced parents don't know if they need to hire legal help or not. They certainly don't want to jeopardize their case by not getting the legal advice they need. To help you decide, here are three ideas to think about when considering if you want to hire an attorney.

1. Do you really need a lawyer? Take a good look at your custody case to decide if you need an attorney. If you and the child's other parent have strong disagreements or if there are have substantial problems in the past then you do want a lawyer to represent you. If you and the child's other parent can make decisions about your child together you may not need to hire an attorney.

Take some time to discuss your case with a lawyer. You can usually schedule an initial appointment to talk for a low cost. If they seem to think it is a pretty simple case then you may be able to do it alone.

2. Find an attorney who is on your side. Do your homework before hiring a lawyer. Meet with the person and discuss how he/she would represent your case. Make sure they understand your wants and needs in the situation and that they don't just brush you aside. This is one of the most important things going on in your life and they should recognize that.

3. Can you do some work on your own to take down the cost of legal fees? You may want the help of a lawyer but there may be some things you can do to lower the cost. Perhaps you can invest some time into making a custody schedule instead of your lawyer. Or, maybe you can decide on some provisions for your agreement.

You need the top legal advice out there for your custody case. If you are thinking about hiring an attorney make sure you think through all the issues. Then you can have confidence in your decision.

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