After going through the turmoil of divorce, the last thing you want is to go back to the family law court for another case. Unfortunately, if you had children with your ex-spouse and are the custodial parent, you have to sort out the child support payments, and if your ex isn’t supportive, you may have to go the court route.
Although, the court doesn’t require you to hire an attorney for your case, it’s sometimes better to have one by your side, so if you are asking, is it better to get a lawyer for child support? Yes, it’s much better to hire child support lawyers than go through the process alone.
How will a child lawyer help?
Right off the bat, the attorney will ensure that your case is correctly constructed and has all the necessary information you need to get the desired results.
The attorney will also help you calculate the amount of child support you need to raise your child comfortably. When you present an exact figure in court, the judge will see that you know what you are talking about, which increases your chances of getting what you want.
The lawyer will also help with the modification of the child support. To make changes in the child support agreement, there needs to be a valid reason. For example, if you, the custodial parent, have lost a job, it means that you can’t continue providing as well as you used to.
Due to this, you can opt to go to court and ask the court to make adjustments to the child support agreement so that you start receiving a higher amount. Your attorney will help make the right adjustments, represent you in court, and ensure that you get what you deserve.
Finally, the child support lawyer will help you fight child custody cases. Child custody and child support cases are often tackled together, so if you have been in disagreement with your partner on who gets to have the custody of the children, the lawyer will help you win the case without affecting your relationship with the child.
When should you definitely hire a lawyer?
As mentioned above, the court doesn’t make it mandatory to have an attorney when you have a child custody case, but you must have a lawyer in some cases. Some of these situations include:
The child is older than 19 years
Most states will require the parent to pay child support until the kid is 19 years. If you are the custodial parent and your child is 19 and hasn’t completed high school, you need a lawyer to represent you in court so that the court can enforce the 21 years payment plan.
You also need to hire an attorney to represent you if your child is mentally or physically disabled.
You need extra money.
No, this isn’t money that you will waste—it’s valuable money. For example, if you want the non-custodial parent to shoulder the tuition costs for an elite high school that you want to take your child, you need a lawyer who will make your case and show the court that your child deserves the expensive education.
Hire the best attorney
While a child support case might seem straightforward, it can sometimes get complicated, especially when requesting a lot of money. To have an easy time and increase the chances of getting what you want, hire the best family lawyers Fairfax VA. This calls for you to take your time to research and find the best professionals to work with.