visitation/custody

[Greg]

Is it possible to get visitation/custody without hiring an attorney?

Is there a free service available to fathers tring to get visitation and or custody?

I have never been married to my sons mother although I have been involved in his life.  He seems to be having some difficulties at home.  I am constantly given excuses as to why he can't come for the weekend.  If I can't get custody I would at least like to have a written visitation schedule.  Can you give me some advice.

[VeronicaGia]

You can get visitation without an attorney but I would not fight for custody without one.  Do you have an informal visitation schedule with the ex?  Do you track your visitation times/dates?  If not,you should.  SPARC has a parenting time tracker that can help you.

Also, there is no free legal service for family law (unless you count the fact that they will help the CP but don't consider it help).  You can either find the proper forms online, go to your local courthouse and ask for them or buy a book on the subject.  Make sure you understand how to fill out the forms properly, and how to serve them properly.  You will also want to try and sit in family court and observe prior to your court date so you understand the procedure.  What state are you in?

You have the right to get at least visitation.  Do not EVER, EVER agree to "reasonable" visitation.  What is reasonable to you may not be reasonable to her.  Make sure you have specific days, dates, times in your court order!

Keep coming back here and asking questions, and do some research here.  

[Peanutsdad]

If there were any "free" legal services, trust me....thousands of us would have used them.


1. What state are you in?,, It'll help all of us formulate answers that will actually help.


2. As there are no court orders in your case,( Im assuming that from your post), you technically have no rights right now, and mom can and will obviously, not enable you to see your child. You need to file a  Affidavit of paternity, AND file a motion for custody/ or visitation.

3. Yes, it IS possible to file all this yourself without an attorney, BUT you need to be EXTREMELY familiar with your local court rules, and relevant family law of your state.

[Brent]

>Is it possible to get visitation/custody without hiring an
>attorney?

Possible, but it's always better to have competent legal representation. Going pro se can be a minefield, and the stakes are too high to take this sort of thing casually.


>Is there a free service available to fathers tring to get
>visitation and or custody?

Yes, and you found it. :) Otherwise, the answer is basically 'no'. There is no formal assistance for fathers in the family court system.



>
>I have never been married to my sons mother although I have
>been involved in his life.  He seems to be having some
>difficulties at home.  I am constantly given excuses as to why
>he can't come for the weekend.  If I can't get custody I would
>at least like to have a written visitation schedule.  Can you
>give me some advice.

Start reading.....some of these pages will apply more than others, but they all have valuable information:

Tips For Getting Started
http://www.deltabravo.net/news/10-19-2000.htm

How To Hire An Attorney
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/hiring.htm

Hiring An Effective Attorney
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/effective.htm

Success Factors In Obtaining Custody
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/tips.htm


One of the first things you'll hear around here is "Document, document, document!". Having good records is *crucial*. Get yourself either the Parenting Time Tracker (PTT) at: http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/tracker.htm or the OPTIMAL Custody Tracking service at: http://www.parentingtime.net. The PTT is good, but the OPTIMAL service is definitely better.

[Greg]

Thank You for your help.  I will read those pages and look into hiring an attorney.  You are right this is too serious to play around with.

[Greg]

Thank You for your reply and advice.

[Greg]

Thank You for your reply.  I am in Georgia.

[msme]

Remember, it is important that your attorney be a Board Certified Family Law & Custody Specialist. This is not a cheap process.
Attorneys are a lot like tatoos. Good ones aren't cheap & cheap ones often aren't good.
Good luck & God bless