How to start simple custody?

[Louisiana985]

Hello, any information is appreciated.

I reside in Louisiana, me and my ex(never married) have a 3yr old together. We separated when she was about 2. I pay all daycare/school and insurance (with records of it), share custody 50/50 each week. We have nothing written by judge or court order, just a verbal agreement. But recently I have felt that to be safe there should be something written "in stone" to say about our agreement.

Every forum, website, or information all deals with cases of divorce and disputes between the parents, which isnt the case for us. How can we go about this without spending tons of money in legal representation

[ocean]

Type up exactly what you want and see if mother would agree to sign it with the courts. Remember what you sign will be very very hard to change. What happens when child is school age? Are you close enough to each other where child can go to school from both houses? If yes, you can keep same schedule if possible. What happens on holidays? your birthday? father's day? Halloween? Summer vacations? If it is not on paper, you do not have it. It is great it is working out now but you should try to protect yourself in the future.

Since you were never married you would file in the family court that is near child. You would fill out Joint legal AND physical custody and visitation plan paperwork, and child support (to write down the money part of it). Make the visitation plan very detailed with times, days of the week to switch, where is pick ups and drops offs? (what if there is no school, what if child is in regular school with different hours?). Also, money, what happens when child wants to join soccer? dance? how will you split activities? Copays for medical? Medicine? Even if it is covered now in full, it may not always be.

You can fill out the paperwork yourself from family court, you will get a court date, you both go and tell judge you agree to this plan that you came up with. Judge will make sure it is fair and you both signed without influence of the other. Then it will be an order. You can also get a lawyer to draw up papers and you both sign, lawyer will file same way, and you will go before a judge to make it legal.

Good luck! (some states have their paperwork online for you to print out).