Child custody lawyers are legal specialists who are trained in helping people deal with family law disputes concerning the future care of any offspring they have. Often times when a marriage breaks down there is a dispute between former husband and wife about who will take the kids and who will only get to visit them on the weekends.
Of course, there is a lot of misinformation and myth out there when it comes to family law disputes out there and this is even worse when kids are involved. It’s not uncommon to hear people muse that the family law system is biased against fathers and seeks to punish men for failed relationships and award women with custodial rights to their kids because of a sexist assumption they will be better carers.
There are also assumptions that it is easy for women to lie about their ex-husband abusing them and/or the children either verbally, physically, sexually, or all 3 at once. Obviously, these accusations (some of them being criminal in their severity) have the potential to make disputes involving child custody lawyers incredibly acrimonious and filled with the most sincere and passionate form of hatred imaginable. A husband who is denied access to his kids and faces police scrutiny because his ex-wife made an arbitrary claim of abuse (that is automatically believed because of a supposedly biased system that enjoys vindictively punishing men) is naturally going to be extremely traumatized by the whole situation and this can often lead to depression and eventually suicide.
Traits that child custody lawyers should have
When you’re hiring a child custody lawyer, it’s helpful to look for the following traits so that you end up with the best possible practitioner to assist you with your parenting dispute.
Compassion for the welfare of the kids
Of course, the principle for ‘best interests of the child’ is what guides the resolution of parenting matters in the Australian family court system. This is the end goal of all measures, whether it be courtroom litigation or mediated settlement, and it needs to be adhered to by whatever solicitor you choose to engage.
This means that, when negotiation takes place, both you and your ex should be working with negotiators and child custody lawyers to find the best arrangement for the kids. This means whatever is going to give them easy access to education, access to clean clothing, adequate food, bedding, and general quality of life. They are also entitled to a meaningful relationship with both parents, even if those parents absolutely despise one another.
Organisational skills
Child custody lawyers should, like any other solicitor, be highly organized and punctual in all matters. You’re paying them to be the organized expert so you don’t have to be – if they run late for appointments they set or misplace important paperwork then it’s a sign you could be working with someone far superior.
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These organization skills are essential in family court disputes as failing to produce documents on time, meet deadlines and make appropriate declarations will look bad for your case. If a judge is deciding between you and your ex over who will get primary care, they may take your lack of organization into account when thinking about your ability to care for the kids.
There you have it, some helpful information for working with child custody lawyers.
