I went to court yesterday and they judge asked me if I wanted an attorney or would waive my right to one. I said no I didn't want an attorney for the case because I was the one filing against the other party. It turned out to be a big mistake as I got my numbers wrong, did not give certain information and was accused of withholding certain information. When filing against someone in a child support case should I hire a good accountant to work on my earnings, a lawyer or both?
retain an attorney. an accountant is helpful in organizing and arranging data effectively, but an accountant can not come to court or represent you in court, nor assist you with the required filings. many attorneys conduct consultations for a reduced fee, and the attorney finder is helpful if you need to locate an experience Family Court attorney who can assist you.
An accusation of withholding income/financial information is a serious legal trigger. It allows a court to 'impute' income figures out of thin air. Article 4, §413 of the Family Court Act allows the under-judge to craft any order of support she wants given a finding that you are hiding income. This is akin to working on your automobile's wheels and failing to tighten the lug nuts. Your wheels fell off and who knows what you'll hit next.
Just as I cannot rebuild an automatic transmission, so you too cannot represent yourself in one of these courts. These courts are really not courts but rather imposers of social policy. They are the puppeteer that pulls your strings to get you to act under threat of contempt. A moron in Congress decided you have to act in some way according to law and here is an under judge ordering you to comply.
Appearing without legal counsel allows the under judge to pull your string ever harder. She can maneuver you into any order she wants. You'll fail to pay and you will end up locked up in debtor's jail. Legal counsel who knows this sh*t will assist you in crafting your financial disclosure so that all the figures line up. An accountant is crucial if you are self employed and have two levels of taxation, corporate and personal.
No soviet communist could have come up with a more ridiculous and more damaging system than American child support (the heart of this is the 'enforcement' component that makes use of the courts). Middle class people in a failed economy have to retain specialists so that a middle class mother can get her $100 per week. Days of litigation and piles of papers craft an order for a few dollars for the mother -- a lover's tax of sorts. If you appear unrepresented thinking lady justice will be fair to you, your order will be whopping and changing it will take years and years. There, you'll be supporting junior and the mom for years until you flip custody, then mom will be paying you.
Lawyers will get rich in the long run off of your failure to prepare in the short run. Who knows what will happen to junior. He'll learn about the American legal system and then deploy it against his loved ones in the future unless Trump shuts all this down by stopping federal funding for it and returns freedom to the middle class to decide how to raise and support their children.
I would hire an attorney to help you with your child support matter. An accountant cannot represent you in court, while an attorney would be able to do so and will understand the law regarding child support in your state.
