Being involved in a child custody case can be one of the most stressful times in your life. You know you have the right to see and take care of your children, but sometimes you must fight in court for the judge to award you those rights. Fighting in court is very difficult to do on your own, so you need a father’s rights attorney who knows how to fight for you and for the best interests of your children. If you are in the Houston, Texas area, we can help you get the most out of your child custody case.
7 Ways a Father’s Rights Attorney Can Prepare You for Court
1. Child Custody
The most common reason that fathers go to family court is that they want to spend time with their children. If your ex-partner is not allowing you to see your kids on a regular basis, you will need the court to help you determine a schedule that allows you adequate parenting time with your kids. You will also need an experienced attorney to help you to either determine a schedule with your ex or to represent your interests and needs in front of the judge.
There are typically formulas for determining where children live and how much time they spend with each parent. This involves factors such as where the kids go to school and the work schedules of the parents. If you and your ex can agree on a child custody arrangement, then the court will usually honor that agreement. However, the court will decide the custody arrangement and the visitation schedule if the parents cannot come to an agreement.
2. Child Support
Most custody cases also involve child support. This is money that one ex-partner pays to the other to help with daily expenses that occur in raising children, like food and shelter. The courts will usually use a predetermined formula for awarding child support. The amount paid is usually based on the amount of time the child spends at each home as well as the amount of money each parent makes. Other factors may be considered too.
These may include health care expenses and child care expenses. While the court will use a formula to determine child support, the parties may also negotiate their own arrangement for this matter. If you are attempting to negotiate child support payments with your ex-partner, you will want an attorney helping you understand how much is an appropriate payment. Your attorney can also advise you on the best way to negotiate and come to an agreement that works for both parties.
3. Holiday Visitation
Sometimes certain details are forgotten when negotiating a child custody arrangement. One of these details is holiday visitation. If your family celebrates certain holidays, it will be important to you to spend at least some of those days with your children. This must be written into your child custody arrangement or your ex could refuse to give you that time.
There are other similar details that you may not remember when you are coming up with a child custody agreement. An example might be the child’s birthday or another day that is special to your family. An experienced attorney will remember to ask you about these important details to make sure that the custody agreement includes everything.
4. Negotiation
Negotiation is a huge part of any court case, and it is especially important when it comes to creating a child custody agreement. You and your ex-partner will need to negotiate in many ways. If you cannot come up with an agreement on your own, the court will come up with one for you. It is usually better to be able to get custody arrangements and other things worked out between yourselves because neither of you may like the arrangement that is decided by the court.
If your ex-partner has hired a lawyer, then you will be negotiating with that person most of the time. The other lawyer is likely to be an experienced negotiation and may be tough when it comes to getting the most for your ex. That is why you need a tough negotiator on your side as well. Experienced attorneys know how to negotiate an agreement. They know when it’s the right time to be flexible and the right time to be strong.
5. Trial Skills
Having trial skills and experience arguing a case before a judge is another important quality in a father’s rights attorney. Remember that if you and your ex are not able to come up with agreements in all areas, the case will go to court. This means that you will have to present your case to a judge who will decide what is going to happen and when you will see your children.
Your attorney will know what it is like to speak in front of a judge and will have an understanding of what the court wants to hear in order to make a ruling in your favor. You do not want to have to rely on yourself for representation in a courtroom, so it’s important that you have a competent attorney who can influence the court to make decisions that are in your children’s best interests and that allow you to see and spend time with your kids.
6. Advice
The world of child custody cases can be a confusing one. The laws can be complicated, and sometimes they change. This is not something you will want to tackle on your own. Your attorney will be there with you from the beginning giving you important advice when it comes to making decisions that could influence the outcome of your case. There will many choices to make along the way, and your attorney will be able to talk you through them so that you know you’ve made the right decisions.
Your attorney will also be able to prepare you for what is coming next in the case, so you have a heads-up when it comes to understanding what will be expected of you next. It’s always better to know what is happening in advance so you can be adequately prepared.
7. Objective Viewpoint
Any case that involves divorce and the custody of children is going to be emotional. You need a lawyer who has compassion for what you are going through and understands the emotional implications but can also look at the situation from an objective point of view. You and your ex-partner will probably agree that the most important outcome in your case is that decisions are made that are in the best interests of your children, and your attorney will be invested in making sure that is what happens for them.
Having an experienced attorney on your side is the most important thing you can do for yourself when you are fighting a child custody case in family court. In order to fight for your rights, you need someone representing you who knows the law and how to work within the confines of the court system. If you are involved in a child custody case, contact us at the Skillern Firm in Houston, TX so we can help you plan your strategy for getting the outcome that you and your children deserve.