Avoiding Legal Trouble

Why Should You Hire A Child Custody Lawyer?

When dealing with the question of child custody, especially when it involves a relatively amicable end to a relationship, it might seem like a reach to hire an attorney. Many people even elect to handle their situations without any sort of court order in place at all. The cost of retaining the services of a child custody lawyer is an understandable concern, but there are at least three why a client should put up the money and do things the right way.

Protecting Your Rights

In the absence of a court order, the status quo is about the only thing that guides the court if a legal problem does eventually come up. Suppose a couple starts out with a fairly amicable end to their relationship and elects to share custody. Everything is cruising along fine for a couple of years until one of them wants to move out of state and take the child with them. Rather than having a framework in place, they're now stuck with a major legal dispute. Instead of avoiding paying for child custody lawyer services, they've ended up in a situation that might cost them more in both money and headache.

Anticipating the Future

While it's uncomfortable to think about all these bad things that might happen to you as a parent, you have a responsibility to consider what happens to your child if you die or are incapacitated. This is especially worrisome if one parent has limited custody resulting from previous problems, such as child abuse. Should they go live with that parent?

There are even more radical scenarios where both parents are unavailable. Does the kid go to live with the maternal or paternal grandparents? What if an adult sibling wants to take them in? It's wise to create a structure to ensure a child's life isn't disrupted if something terrible befalls you.

Custody for Non-Parents

The American legal system places a strong emphasis on providing custody to biological parents if at all possible. For a non-parent, such as an aunt who has serious concerns about leaving a niece or nephew with their parents, this means asking the court to make a leap it's not inclined to take. You're definitely going to want a child custody lawyer at your side if you're asking for legal and physical custody as a non-parent because the court is going to want to hear a serious rationale and to see damning evidence of why a traditional home isn't right for the kid.

For more information, contact a child custody lawyer service like Cragun Law Firm


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