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10 Things We Wish Our Clients Knew About Child Custody & Support Cases
10. Joint custody does NOT automatically mean nobody pays child support.
9. Children cannot decide who should have custody of them at age 10, or 12, or 14, or ANY age.
8. Just because the child you are paying support on reaches age 18 does NOT mean he is emancipated and you can stop paying child support.
7. Just because you and your ex agree to a change of custody or change in child support does not make it legal – you must justify it in writing to the court and the court must agree to the change to make it legal.
6. You and your ex cannot agree to a lesser amount of child support unless you justify it in writing to the court and the court agrees.
5. Your credit card companies, utility companies, loan companies and other creditors cannot have you put in jail for failing to pay them. Your ex CAN have you put in jail for failing to pay child support.
4. You cannot withhold support in retaliation for denial of visitation.
3. You cannot deny visitation in retaliation for withholding support.
2. Your ex is not going to vanish off the face of the earth – deal with it.
AND THE NUMBER ONE THING WE WISH OUR CLIENTS KNEW:
1. Your children will see how you treat your ex and how you talk about him or her to others. As they get older, they will come to admire you for acting like an adult under difficult circumstances. They will not come to admire you for acting like a child under those circumstances.
9. Children cannot decide who should have custody of them at age 10, or 12, or 14, or ANY age.
8. Just because the child you are paying support on reaches age 18 does NOT mean he is emancipated and you can stop paying child support.
7. Just because you and your ex agree to a change of custody or change in child support does not make it legal – you must justify it in writing to the court and the court must agree to the change to make it legal.
6. You and your ex cannot agree to a lesser amount of child support unless you justify it in writing to the court and the court agrees.
5. Your credit card companies, utility companies, loan companies and other creditors cannot have you put in jail for failing to pay them. Your ex CAN have you put in jail for failing to pay child support.
4. You cannot withhold support in retaliation for denial of visitation.
3. You cannot deny visitation in retaliation for withholding support.
2. Your ex is not going to vanish off the face of the earth – deal with it.
AND THE NUMBER ONE THING WE WISH OUR CLIENTS KNEW:
1. Your children will see how you treat your ex and how you talk about him or her to others. As they get older, they will come to admire you for acting like an adult under difficult circumstances. They will not come to admire you for acting like a child under those circumstances.