How do I fight a custody battle with my ex when I can't afford another attorney and he is well off? We weren't married.

Bankruptcy and Debt 4 views 3 answers
We mediated through most of our issues last year, mainly because I couldn't afford to keep going to court with my attorney. I have primary physical custody.The judge told the attorneys to figure out child support based on our information. My ex threatened that he would fight this until he got exactly what he wanted regardless of cost. He is well aware of my financial situation. He basically told me that I could stop accruing expenses if I gave him what he wanted. We came to an agreement. It has proven to not been in my child's best interest. Recently, we had a dispute during an exchange and now he decided to change the amount of child support he is paying. I don't know whether the amount the attorneys came up with counts as a court order since the judge left that to them. What do I do?

Attorney Answers

3
Nicole B ChafetzChild Custody LawyerKent, WA ·
L.A. is close to a lot of law school. Big cities like Chicago, New York, and L.A. often have the best access to legal clinics. I would suggest: 1) calling around to the local law schools and ask if they are accepting family law clinic cases at this time and 2) I would call the State and County bar associations and ask if there are pro bono programs that you can get referred to. Good luck!
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Pamela KoslynBusiness AttorneyLos Angeles, CA ·
You can get free legal help rgearding support issues from the LA court's family law facilitators at the courthouses. Please see the link below. Disclaimer: Please note that this answer does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied on, since each state has different laws, each situation is fact specific, and it is impossible to evaluate a legal problem without a comprehensive consultation and review of all the facts and documents at issue. This answer does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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Richard Forrest Gould-SaltmanFamily Law AttorneyLos Angeles, CA ·
First, you should contact your last attorney, and ask for your file, including copies of any court orders which were made. You need to find out from your former attorney IF there's a child support order in place, and how to find it. You then need to speak to an attorney with some experience in dealing with these issues, and find out what to do next. Even a PAID consultation (not all attorneys offer free consultations) may cost you less than you stand to lose if there's a change in child support, and you MAY be able to get an order that your ex pay, or at least contribute to, your attorney fees.
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