Five Crucial Mistakes Made In Georgia Child Custody Battles
While the divorce process can be very difficult to go through and overcome, it can be extremely stressful and challenging when it comes to fighting for child custody and child support in a Georgia courtroom.
With years of experience and dozens of Georgia child custody and support cases under our belt, our team of attorneys have put together a list of the top five crucial mistakes parents should avoid making during legal proceedings.
Avoid These Common Custody Battle Mistakes
- Alienating your children.This is often the number one mistake many disgruntled parents can make. Kids are very fragile and vulnerable during a divorce and if an upset parent wants to seek revenge, they’ll take it upon themselves to tell their children to despise and stop caring for the other parent. In a situation where your ex is influencing your children negatively, seek legal counsel immediately and take action.
- Letting your emotions get the best of you. While this can happen in any legal case, where parents are battling for their kids, emotions are extremely high and tempers can easily flare up. Set your emotions aside and focus on the legal aspects and what you have to offer as the custodial parent. Many child custody battles are lost due to irrational behavior and emotional outbursts. The last thing you’d want to do is lose your kids due to being an emotional ticking time bomb.
- Your actions and behavior. From the moment you and your spouse decide to separate, divorce, and file for child custody and support, keep an eye on what you say and do. Believe that your actions and sayings will be recorded and can be used against you as evidence in the courtroom. Be particularly careful what you say online, especially on social media. Everyone is capable of taking a screenshot of a post on social networks and this can be used as evidence and influence the judge’s ruling. In addition, be careful what you tell your kids, and even friends and family members, about your case. Remember the infamous phrase, “what goes around comes around.”
- Assuming anything. Whether it involves moving out of the jurisdiction or out of state with your children or assuming you don’t have to pay any child support, don’t assume you can do it and get away with it without talking about it with your ex. Communicate any decisions or feelings you have to the other party (and your attorney if applicable) and come to an agreement. Always put the best interest of your children first and follow court orders to avoid further negative consequences.
- Failing to hire an attorney. You may think you can handle your case on your own, but that’s just not realistic. Protect yourself and your interests and discuss your case with an experienced family law attorney. They will serve as your advocate and give you the best advice possible.
Contact Our Caring and Experienced Georgia Family Law Attorneys Today
Stearns-Montgomery & Proctor’s founder Mary Stearns-Montgomery has extensive experience representing the best interests of children in family law matters. Mary, along with our divorce and family law attorneys, serves as an advocate for families throughout the Atlanta Metro Area. We will help review your case and understand your options. To schedule a consultation today, contact us at 678-971-3413 or complete a contact form.
