Why you need a Lawyer in Support Court
Over my 25 years as a practicing Family Law Attorney I have been asked many times if I have had any interesting cases. Up front I tell everyone that because of lawyer/client privilege, I will not talk about individual cases.
The same goes for this blog. Today I am not writing about a particular case or client, but instead about things I’m often asked about, the number one being support.
If you are paying Child/Spousal Support or are owed Child/Spousal Support, then you know how important it is to have a Family Law attorney standing next to you in that Courtroom. Too many times people appear in Court without an attorney. They try to represent themselves. As I sit there waiting for my client’s case to be called I think to myself, “they are going to end up getting less money for the support of their Children, or paying more than what they should for the support of their Children” simply because they did not have a lawyer there to calculate the support numbers.
When I am asked by prospective clients “why do I need a lawyer” I explain that Child Support and Spousal Support is determined by complicated calculations using complex grids and formulas. Mistakes in final amounts are easily made if the calculations are not done by an attorney who uses these grids and formulas every day. One of the factors that are to be plugged into support formulas is of each party’s “income”. This simple term is far from simple in support court. For example, they can impute income on you even if you are not employed.
Even extremely busy Support Masters and Judges—who may have 50 different cases on their list the day that you are in court—can make mistakes. That’s why you need an experienced Family Law attorney whose only concern is your case. I often tell my clients that if you don’t listen to anything else I say, listen to me when I tell you that when you go to Support Court, you should have an experienced Family Law attorney prepare the support numbers for you beforehand, educate you on how support works, how support is paid, and be by your side in that Courtroom.
Disclaimer:
The information above is provided for general information purposes only. It may not represent the current law in your particular jurisdiction. Nothing in this post is to be viewed as advice from LaMonaca Law or the individual author. It is not to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No one reading this post should act or refrain from acting based on the above information or information accessible through this post without first seeking the appropriate legal counsel on the particular facts and circumstances of one’s particular case from an attorney licensed to practice in one’s own state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction. Any information contained within is not about nor does it include any facts about any particular client of LaMonaca Law or the individual author.
