Handling Child Custody Cases in Raleigh
Raleigh Child Custody Cases & Lawsuits
North Carolina Divorce Laws handle child custody claims according to North Carolina General Statute 50-13.1 through 50-13.9. In the event you are unable to come to an agreement on child custody, you will have to file a child custody lawsuit in the North Carolina court system. Our Raleigh Divorce Lawyers have handled hundreds of child custody cases in North Carolina and can easily explain the process to you.
Complaint For Custody
This is the typical "next step," along with many other legal forms, in the event that the parties through their respective attorneys have been unable to agree and a dispute over custody still exists.
Once that is filed, each party goes through a process that differs slightly depending on local rules and jurisdiction. However, all that remains in dispute will ultimately end up before a Judge. Jury's do not determine the custody of children.
The Judge in North Carolina will evaluate the evidence according to the standard of "best interest of the children" and, in theory, the Judge, after hearing all of the evidence will craft a custody arrangement that is most beneficial for the child. In practice, all any Judge can do is make decisions based upon what they heard and saw in Court. You have one chance, one trial, to show the Judge everything about you as a parent and the future you have in mind with the children.
This is where it is absolutely essential to have an attorney skilled in the art of presenting your side of the case in a fashion that will convince the Judge that YOU are the most responsible parent and that YOU are in that child's best interest. We work with each client before trial to determine exactly what we want the Judge to do, and then we develop a strategy to convince the Court to do it.
3 Essential Steps in Preparing For a Custody Case
1. Planning
We plan our case in detail and prepare our Clients for what is coming, in and out of Court.
2. Preparation
We work hard to build the case we planned using:
- Witnesses
- Affidavits
- Discovery tools
- Photo's
- Videos where necessary
- School reports
- Psychological evidence
- Testimony
3. Trial Execution
No plan, no matter how good, will work if you have an attorney unable to execute it. If you have an attorney who cannot effectively articulate your positions and stand up for you, then Court will be a difficult experience.You, as the Client, have the central role to play, however you need an attorney with the ability and know-how to frame the picture and put an effective plan into action.
