Child custody is, without a doubt, one of the most emotionally draining things anybody can go through. Fighting for the right to spend time with your own child is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. Therefore, it is critical that if you find yourself in that situation that you give yourself the best chance of winning this battle. In this article, I'm going to share a few tips that should help.
First off, this is an ugly process. I am not going to say it's not. But your goal is to win...not come off as a saint. So the first thing you need to do is to show as much documentation as you can of abuse by the other parent, either towards you or towards the child. If this can be verified by visits to the emergency room for bruises or other injuries, do so. If you can show photos of this abuse, even better. Like I said...this is an ugly process.
Conversely, you want to paint yourself in the best possible light. That means many things such as dressing properly for the hearings. Also, you want to get as many character witnesses as you can to testify to your parenting of the child. Anything that you can show to prove that you have always had the child's best interests in the foremost of your mind is going to help your case.
On the other side of that coin, you want to be able to discredit any witnesses that your ex calls against you. If they drink, if they're irresponsible towards their own children, are unemployed or whatever...bring out all the dirt that you can to lessen the impact of their testimony.
Make sure you get yourself a lawyer who not only specializes in child custody but one who has a killer won/loss record. You want to be as blunt with your attorney as possible. Ask how many cases he's had and how many he's won. Remember, this is YOUR kid you're fighting for and you don't want to settle for second best.
In my signature you'll find a review of a great resource that will give you the absolute best chance of winning custody of your child. You owe it to yourself to at least read it.
First off, this is an ugly process. I am not going to say it's not. But your goal is to win...not come off as a saint. So the first thing you need to do is to show as much documentation as you can of abuse by the other parent, either towards you or towards the child. If this can be verified by visits to the emergency room for bruises or other injuries, do so. If you can show photos of this abuse, even better. Like I said...this is an ugly process.
Conversely, you want to paint yourself in the best possible light. That means many things such as dressing properly for the hearings. Also, you want to get as many character witnesses as you can to testify to your parenting of the child. Anything that you can show to prove that you have always had the child's best interests in the foremost of your mind is going to help your case.
On the other side of that coin, you want to be able to discredit any witnesses that your ex calls against you. If they drink, if they're irresponsible towards their own children, are unemployed or whatever...bring out all the dirt that you can to lessen the impact of their testimony.
Make sure you get yourself a lawyer who not only specializes in child custody but one who has a killer won/loss record. You want to be as blunt with your attorney as possible. Ask how many cases he's had and how many he's won. Remember, this is YOUR kid you're fighting for and you don't want to settle for second best.
In my signature you'll find a review of a great resource that will give you the absolute best chance of winning custody of your child. You owe it to yourself to at least read it.