If we are being honest, we can probably agree that any child custody case which makes its way to a courtroom for litigation is likely going to be ugly. The claws come out, the skeletons fall out of all closets, and the stress levels are high.
Child custody disputes are expensive. An attorney and staff can spend months collecting evidence and performing discovery to prove that their client is the fit and proper person for a child to live with, and that the other parent is not. Due to this, it is in a party’s best interest to hire an experienced child custody attorney from the start. Otherwise, there can be thousands spent on attorney’s fees with no favorable result. Most parents do not have this kind of money at their disposal. An experienced attorney can prepare your case and collect the evidence needed in a timely manner, while building an air-tight argument for you. Though their rates may be more expensive by the hour, they can save a litigation party hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by the end of a case.
Custody disputes a highly stressful situation for everyone involved, children included. When parents cannot agree on a custodial or parenting schedule for a child, it is usually the child who suffers the most. Between hearing and/or seeing arguments, to being shuttled back and forth, or even withheld from one parent, the child will likely deal with the most stress and trauma of all.
We here at Ordway Law are highly experienced in these types of matters and can handle them with minimal damage and stress to all involved.
Source: Huffington Post, “What Not To Do in a Custody Battle,” Ashley Tate Cooper, Jan. 29, 2016