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For the last 3 months I have been going through a custody battle with my former live in girlfriend.  From the baby's birth she would frequently not come home for days and when she did she was intoxicated.  The last time she did this I took our baby to my mother's house. The former girlfriend called the police to report a kidnapping but they told her nothing could be done since I was the father, unless she filed for a temporary order of protection. She did just that. Her lawyer and her then repetedly postponed that hearing out for over 3 months. The lawyer I had up until today never filed any paperwork requesting visitation or the returning of my belongings. He also stated that there was nothing he could do to speed up the process, and that I needed to agree to whatever my child's mother offered.  When we finally went to court today she got on the stand and began crying and lied about me beating her for over a year, my lawyer said nothing, and the judge granted the full order of protection.  My child's mother will not allow me to see my daughter or return my belongings unless I agree to pay $800 a month in child support (which I can not currently afford due to a severe leg injury) and only see my child every other weekend.  My lawyer bill total for what has been done in the last 3 months (which is nothing) is $5000. I have gotten no where and have run out of money.  I contacted my local Child Services Office and they stated that any paperwork concerning custody must be filed by an attorney. I really need advice or options that I may have.