Free Legal Aid Assistance
Free legal aid, free legal assistance or free legal help services are generally offered for low-income families and individuals, the elderly, those who are disabled or disadvantaged that cannot afford the legal fees and costs of attorneys in private practice.
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Disability and Child Custody
There are many states that remain silent on this issue or do not have adequate laws to protect disabled parents in child custody proceedings. However, there has been much progress on disabled parents and child custody laws.
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What Age Can a Child Decide Which Parent to Live With?
When can a child choose which parent he/she wants to live with? There is typically no specific age when a minor child can decide which parent he/she wants to live with. It is generally up to the court or a judge to decide if parents do not agree on child custody and visitation.
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Child Custody Cases
Two important types of child custody cases parents should be familiar with are initial custody determination cases and modification cases. It is important for parents not only to be aware of these two types of cases but also have an understanding of the issues surrounding them.
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50 50 Child Custody
There are many different 50/50 parenting schedules where the child spends an equal amount of time with each parent. The type of parenting plan chosen and how the child spends time with each parent should reflect what’s best for the children and may vary from family to family depending on many factors
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Child Custody Law Information Legal Advice
If you're involve a child custody situation you'll want to know where to get child custody law information and legal advice. There are many resources available for obtaining child custody law information legal advice but you need to know where to look.
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Child Custody Rights
Knowing what your child custody rights are can help you make more informed choices when you are involved in a child custody battle. Choosing the right course of action for your child custody situation is critical at every step in the process.
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Child Custody Battles
Child Custody battles for fathers and mothers are often the most challenging part of a divorce when children are involved. But not all child custody battles have to wind up in court.
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Grandparents Rights
Are you looking for grandparents visitation rights information? Grandparent visitation laws are often provided on the state legislature or goverment website under state laws, codes and statutes. This page provides grandparents rights information by state.
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Child Custody Laws
Did you know child custody laws can vary from state to state? The following link provides state child custody laws and child custody rights information to help mothers, fathers and grandparents seeking information on child custody rights.
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Unmarried Child Custody
Who gets custody of child if never married? Unmarried child custody cases present some different child custody issues for unwed moms and dads than a divorce child custody case where the mother and father were married.
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Free California Child Support Calculator
A child support payment calculator can help you better determine the amount of child support you may need to pay. There are many factors that the free calculator takes into consideration.
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Unmarried Fathers Rights of Access to Children
Questions often come up related to unmarried fathers rights of access to children. Unwed fathers seeking visitation rights and/or child custody rights face challenges in the family court that fathers who are married simply do not. Read article...
Pet Custody Laws - Who Gets Custody of the Pet?
Comes now a new issue for the family courts to sort out, namely, pet custody disputes and pet custody laws. There is an increasing number of divorcing couples or separating partners fighting over who gets custody of their pet. Read article...
Family Law Facilitator
What is a Family Law Facilitator? Many family courts have a family law attorney or family law facilitator office (also called the family court clinic) which can provide you with free assistnace on your family law issues. Read article...
Win Child Custody
What does it mean to "win child custody?" For some, to win child custody would mean the other parent has little or no contact with the children. For other parents, to win child custody means the parents came to a child custody arrangement out-of-court on their own or with the help of an alternative dispute resolution model that reflects the overall best interest of the children. Read article...
Filing for Child Custody
Divorcing parents with children are often seeking information about filing for child custody. While many courts provide free online custody forms and information packets on filing for child custody or how to file a child custody form, there are some important things you should consider before you file the custody papers.
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Free Public Court Records
Are you looking for free public court records? Many states provide access to free public court records information and divorce records. Public court records and divorce records information can often be found online.
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Character Reference Letter Court
A character reference letter for court can be important whether it is for a criminal, child custody, or family law related matter. A court character reference letter can help one’s case and ultimately have an influence on a judge or custody evaluator’s decision.
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Sample Custody Agreements and Young Children
Are you looking for examples and information related to sample custody agreements and young children? While there’s no standard cookie-cutter child custody agreement for young children and divorced parents there are some factors and guidelines to consider in coming up with the best possible child custody agreement.
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Parent Rights Unmarried
Parent rights unmarried can present some unique challenges when children are involved especially for unwed fathers. While unmarried father's rights to visitation and child custody and paternity laws can vary from state to state there are some very important factors to consider.
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Joint Child Custody
Joint child custody typically refers to an agreement or stipulation regarding child custody made between the parents or orderd by the court that allows the minor child to spend a significant amount of time or an equal amount of time (i.e. joint physical custody) with each parent.
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Free Online Custody Forms
Are you looking for free online custody forms? Many states provide free online custody forms. A child custody form can often be found by going to your local family courthouse website. This page provides a list of state child custody forms.
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Child Custody Statistics
Finding accurate child custody statistics and divorce statistics is difficult and the data provided is often unclear. However, there are some general divorce statistics and child custody statistics that will give you a general idea as to what is taking place today in the family courts.
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Child Custody Agreements
There are numerous types, and there is no one-size-fits-all child custody agreement that works for all families and children. The basic child custody agreements that can be reached following a divorce involve physical and legal custody.
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Child Custody Form
Many divorcing parents with children want to know where to obtain a child custody form and where to file it. Child custody forms (or child custody papers) are often provided by the local family courthouse.
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Temporary Child Custody
Temporary child custody agreements and temporary child custody orders are common at the beginning of a divorce. Divorcing parents would do well to come to an agreement on child custody and avoid the high court costs associated with attorney fees and protracted litigation.
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Child Custody for Fathers
Child custody for fathers cases are more common today than it was in the past. Prior to the 1970's, custody was often vested with the mothers as the courts were guided by the tender years doctrine. But in the 20th century the courts began shifting away from the tender years doctrine to the best interests of the child standard.
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Child Custody Grandparents
After the decision taken by the US Supreme Court in Troxel case, visitation and child custody grandparents rights are being determined based on the best interests of the grandchildren. Today, all states have statues authorizing a court to award visitation to a grandparent under certain circumstances.
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Child Custody Papers
There are many factors to consider in filing child custody papers. You can file child custody papers yourself (in pro per) or you may choose to retain a family law attorney to represent you and file the child custody paperwork on your behalf. If you choose to represent yourself you will be taking on the responsibility of knowing the procedures and timelines related to your child custody papers and court appearances.
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Flight Attendants Child Custody
Flight attendants child custody and visitation schedules will need to be well thought out due to the unorthodox and unstructured work schedules flight attendants often have. For new hire flight attendants on reserve status involved in or possibly facing future child custody battles, you may want to investigate the pros and cons of this occupation and the impact it may have on your child custody and visitation schedule.
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Deposition During Custody Battle
Taking a witness's deposition during a custody battle can be an important form of discovery and investigation tactic. In fact, taking a witness's deposition (oral statements of a witness under oath) during a custody battle is one of the most common forms of discovery. While taking a witness’s deposition during a custody battle can prove to be very helpful to your child custody case, it can be very costly, and not every custody case requires it.
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Grandparent Visitations after Troxel v. Granville
The United States Supreme Court, while passing the judgement over Troxel v Granville trial, made a landmark decision concerned with the visitation rights of grandparents. According to the decision taken by the Supreme Court in this case, it is the fundamental right of the parent to care for the children and have control of their children.
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History of Christian Doctrine on Divorce
In the Bible, there are different passages regarding the issue of divorce. The doctrines in the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament are present in Genesis, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The doctrines in the Christian Scriptures or New Testament are present in Matthew, Mark and 1 Corinthians.
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Divorce Doctrines in Christian Denominations
All the major Christian groups such as Baptists, Catholics, Protestants and Lutherans have a similar ideology regarding marriage. But issues such as divorce have always conflicted with the doctrinal beliefs of these groups and are always considered inappropriate.
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Child Support and What It Can Be Used On
The child support funds can be used for a variety of purposes. Primarily with this money the parent can provide stable and safe living conditions to the child. If the parent is wealthy, the child is entitled to share opulent living standards.
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Divorce Group Activities
Divorce support groups consist of a network of people who can provide a helping hand to each other and comprise of people who have been through or are going through a divorce. There are separate divorce groups for children and adults. Even in children, depending on the age, the support groups vary.
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Divorce from Internet Use
One of the many reasons for an increased rate of divorce among married couples has been the addiction to internet use. Millions of people around the world are dependant on the internet for their daily tasks. But when it becomes an addiction for certain people, the internet can be a harmful tool.
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Los Angeles Superior Court Civil Case Summary
Baywatch star David Hasselhoff’s divorce trial has been one of the most incredible and dramatic one in the recent times. 58 year old Hasselhoff and his 42 year old actress wife Pamela Bach were happily married for 16 years. This couple had filed a petition for divorce in the Los Angeles Superior Court in January, 2006. The summary of the petition is available on the court’s website.
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Divorce Effects and Children
With the increasing rate of number of divorces, around 50 percent of children are living with one of their parents. The proper development of the physical, mental, and emotional characteristics of a child is often thought to be best served when both of the parents are living together in an amicable environment. Parents getting separated through divorce can be a stressful experience for many children.
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Custody Rights of Mothers
Inspite of all the legal complications during a child custody trial, all 50 states within the US have statutes that clearly determine the custody rights of a mother. Mothers are often viewed as the primary caretaker and the natural custodian of the child in cases involving paternity trials.
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Legal Visitation Rights of Grandparents
Often, minor children share a special bond with their grandparents. But during the times of divorce or death of a parent, the grandparents suddenly lose the legal right to visit or take care of their grandchildren. Such complex problem involving sentiments and deep emotions are quite common in the United States.
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Child Support Calculate California
Money paid by parents in a periodical manner in order to support the living and medical expenses of their child is referred to as child support. Calculations involving child support are very complex in California. These calculations generally involve intricate algebraic formulas where several factors are taken into consideration.
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Samples of Prenuptial Agreements
The practice of making a prenuptial agreement is centuries old and dates back to ancient Egyptians and many Anglo-Americans. During early times, parents of the bride and groom completed the negotiations on behalf of the couple. But, with changing times, couples are often doing their own negotiations.
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Cases When Child Custody Judgment is Reversed
In some cases, court judgments at the lower court level can be reversed. Even though the lower courts have awarded the right to child custody to a parent, the upper court can change the decision and grant the right to child custody to the other parent. There are several cases where upper courts have nullified the order given by the lower courts and changed the order.
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Child Support Interest California
According to a study conducted in California, the child support arrears have steadily increased in this region. During the federal fiscal year 2001, these arrears were estimated to be around $17 billion, which is 20 percent of the entire nation’s child support arrears.
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Help to Win Child Custody Case
One of the most important factors in determining child custody is the parent's availability and how involved each parent is in their child's activities. Courts usually favor the parent who spends the most time with the child. Therefore, documentation of records is an important strategy. This includes documenting important events in the child's life, birth details, health records and the participation of the parent in the child's activities.
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Status Only Divorce Refinancing Real Property California
Status only divorce is granted by the court in situations where one of the parents wants to remarry. In this situation only the issue of marital status of the parents would be resolved, but all the other matters such as child custody and visitation may continue.
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Anna Nicole Smith Paternity Trial
After analyzing the results of DNA tests, Larry Birkhead has finally been judged as the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s five month old daughter Dannielynn. Earlier, Dr Michael Baird, a DNA expert from Ohio, had presented his findings before the Bahamas court, authenticating the paternity of Birkhead.
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More Fathers are Getting Custody
With the rise in the number of marriages culminating in divorce, there has been a significant increase in the number of single fathers. Today, more and more fathers are ready to take up the responsibility of their child at the time of divorce and many of these fathers are getting custody of their children.
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Criminal Record Child Custody
Many children will be raised by parents with criminal backgrounds. Parents who have a criminal record can face major challenges pertaining to family life, which includes reuniting with their family or obtaining child custody or visitation rights with a criminal record following a divorce or legal separation.
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Child Custody Character Reference Letters
You may wonder how to write a good character letter for child custody and what impact may well-written child custody character reference letters have on child custody and visitation. These child custody character reference letters can have some subtle differences from the employment reference letter.
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Failure to Appear at Custody Hearing
Failure to appear at a child custody hearing would generally imply the inability of the defendant to appear before the court of justice within the stipulated time. Failure to appear before the court at the time of a child custody hearing inspite of repeated summons is a serious offense.
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Child Support Arrears Fathers' Rights
One of the major issues involved in child custody cases is the child support arrears. In a number of cases, the rights of a father are given much less importance in the current judicial system.
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California Child Custody Law Gay Step Parents
Gay couples and domestic partners may be entitled to have similar rights and obligations as legally married heterosexual couples under the state law. In nine US states, gay / lesbian individuals and couples have legal permission to adopt children, with California being the first.
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Documentation in Child Custody Cases
One of the worst consequences of having a divorce is going through the child custody trial. In situations where parents cannot reach an agreement regarding the custody of their children, Court of Justice has to intervene to settle the dispute. Nowadays, most of the courts have been awarding the child custody rights to that parent under whom the court feels that the best interests of the child can be secured. It is no longer a prerogative of the mother to have the child custody.
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Child Custody Parents vs. Grandparents
In 2000, the United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision regarding the visitation rights of grandparents, according to which, it is the fundamental liberty of the parents to decide about their child’s custody. It includes the freedom to decide when and with whom can minor children spend their time and this is also applicable to grandparents.
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Domestic Violence Plus Child Custody
Becoming a witness of domestic violence and growing up in such a volatile and disturbing family environment can have a dreadful impact on the psychological development of a child. Hence, the issue of child custody in situations involving domestic violence is quite important. According to recent reports from the US Department of Justice, women of American Indian origin are subjected to domestic violence at a far higher rate than the national average.
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Non Custodial Mothers Seeking Custody, Family Law
According to the US census report, there are around 3 million women in the country who do not have eligibility to be the primary custodian of their child. These women have to bear the brunt of the society, apart from paying for the child support, having a minimal relation with their children and having their visitation denied. A large number of these mothers are have the perfect attitude and mental stability to take care of their children in the best possible way.
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Battered Mothers and Child Custody
Abusing women is becoming an epidemic in the current world. Witnessing a physical assault on their mother and growing in such an environment can have a devastating impact on the growing minds of children. According to a research conducted by American Judges Association, 75 percent of child custody cases that go through intense battle between the parents involve history of domestic abuse.
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Can Custodial Parent Take A Child Out of State?
The domicile or residence of the child may not be moved from the state without the prior approval of the judge who awarded custody. If the custodial parent moves the domicile of the minor child out of the state against the wishes of the non-custodial parent and without the permission of the court, then the court may sanction orders of contempt.
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Divorce and Child Custody: What is a 730 Evaluation?
In California, a 730 evaluation can be described as an in-depth study and analysis of a family, their children, and the relationships within the family in the context of a child custody and/or visitation dispute. A 730 evaluation is also known as a child custody evaluation or child custody investigation. 730 evaluations are specific to California in that the number "730" refers to the California Evidence Code Section 730 under which it is ordered.
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Move Away Cases - Move Away Madness in Child Custody Proceedings
When a custodial parent in a child custody proceeding requests a move away order from the court allowing him/her to move away a significant distance such that it would interfere with the noncustodial parent's visitation and his/her contact with the children, this is commonly referred to as a move away case. A move away case is one of the most difficult cases for the family courts to hear because the request by the custodial parent to move away with his/her children often has a negative impact on the amount of time and frequent and continuous contact the children will have with the noncustodial parent. Learn more about a move away case and what you can do to protect your children.
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Child Custody Basics – Rights, Residency, and Relationship
When divorced parents are unable to agree on the rights and responsibilities of the parents and their minor children, the residency or placement of the children, and the relationship and/or amount of contact the children have with each parent, the family courts are often left with the difficult task of determining the best custodial arrangement of the children and parenting plan for the parents. The more parents understand what is involved in child custody determinations the more informed they will be in making decisions regarding their children after a divorce. Learn more about the 3 Rs of child custody, which can help you make more informed decisions regarding your children.
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Divorce Lawyer Costs – 4 Costly Mistakes to Avoid
The overall cost of your divorce can be impacted by several behaviors you may be able to control. When a marriage dissolves there are several important topics that need to be addressed and sorted out such as child custody and visitation, division of property, and support. Recognizing the following 4 behaviors and how to manage them ahead of time may be able to help your divorce lawyer properly gather the information he/she needs to put your case together and can reduce your divorce costs at the same time.
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Attorney Client Agreements – Understanding Your Attorney-Client Retainer Agreement
Attorney-client agreements lay out some important ground rules and financial terms and conditions for the attorney and client relationship and before you enter into any sort of an agreement with the attorney, you will want to make sure you understand the agreement and its terms and conditions before you sign it.
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Divorce Lawyer Communication – How to Enhance Your Communication with Your Attorney
There are several ways in which you can communicate with your divorce lawyer and choosing the right method can significantly enhance your communication with him/her. When a marriage dissolves there are several important topics that need to be discussed and sorted out such as child custody and visitation, division of property, and support. Learn how to communicate effectively with your attorney about such issues to help your lawyer properly gather the information he/she needs to put your case together and can reduce your attorney fees at the same time.
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Divorce Lawyer Characteristics – 5 Traits to Consider
Finding the right divorce attorney with characteristics that are a good fit for your case can be an overwhelming task, but it does not have to be. When a marriage dissolves, there are many complex legal issues that often require specific legal expertise in the field of family law such as child custody and visitation, division of property and assets, spousal support, and child support. Before hiring a divorce lawyer, learn about 5 traits to consider about him/her, which may save you a surprising amount of time, money, and stress during your divorce proceedings.
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Divorce Lawyer Qualifications – You Set the Bar
Finding a divorce attorney that is qualified in the field of family law can be an overwhelming task, but it does not have to be. When a marriage dissolves, there are many complex legal issues that often require specific legal expertise in the field of family law such as child custody and visitation, division of property and assets, spousal support, and child support. Learn about 5 specific areas you can investigate to help you in your search for a qualified divorce lawyer.
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Divorce Lawyer Search – Ready, Set, Go!
Finding the right divorce attorney can be an overwhelming task, but it does not have to be. When a marriage dissolves, there are many complex legal issues that will need to be sorted out such as child custody and visitation, division of property and assets, spousal support, and child support. Learn 3 simple actions that your can take to help you in your search for the right divorce lawyer.
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