Child Support Lawyer Ogden, UT
Having children with someone who is not your partner can be challenging. Not only do you likely have different parenting styles, but you also need to figure out an arrangement on how to pay for their necessities, who gets them when, amongst other big decisions. You should always have a lawyer to represent you so that the best interests of your children are protected.
What a Child Support Lawyer Will Do for You
Even if you feel that you and your ex-partner get along well and can figure things out on your own, it is still wise to have an experienced child support lawyer in Ogden, Utah, like one from Felt Family Law, on your side. A lawyer will know the laws of your state and be able to explain to you how everything typically works. Your lawyer will also know what is reasonable to ask for in a case and how much the supporting parent should pay to make things fair on both parties.
Your lawyer will make sure the amount you are paying in child support is fair and that you are not being overcharged. He or she will also be able to give advice on how to get the right amount of support or seek an increase in payments if the other parent is the one who is paying child support. Either way, both parents just want what is best for their child or children. A judge will always put the best interest of the children first.
Updating Child Support
Having a lawyer on your side also ensures you are protected if either party believes the support amount needs to be changed. This sometimes comes up because of life changes — such as a job loss, purchase of a new property, new medical expenses, or other alterations in personal finances — or can be brought up if one parent believes he or she is contributing too much. No matter what the circumstances, you should never share the same lawyer with the other parent of your child.
An Ogden, UT, child support lawyer will act on your behalf to issue a court order, which then must be approved by a judge from the same court that approved the initial court order. Felt Family Law & Mediation offers experienced legal counsel that may help to provide you with opportunities to further strengthen your parent-child relationships. We understand that familial relationships are valuable, so we strive to do our part in fighting for your parental rights.
Payments
If you feel that you were dealt an unfair hand, or that you can no longer make the child support payments prescribed to you in the initial court order, you have the option to file a petition to modify your payments. In the state of Utah, child support payments are based on a variety of factors:
- Amount of alimony or child support being paid to another ex-partner
- Comparative income of each respective parent
- Costs of daycare or other such services
- Number of children being supported
- Costs of health insurance
- Standard of living
- Income potential
- Available time
- Ages
When addressing payments, it is important to remember the purpose behind them: to supply your child with the resources required for proper nutrition, clothing, housing, education, daycare, healthcare, and other necessities. Oftentimes, emotions can cloud parents’ perspectives and cause them to lose sight of the importance of child support. However, for both the parents’ sake, the financial responsibilities allocated to each parent should be reasonable. This is why we recommend hiring a child support lawyer Ogden, UT.
Plan Adherence
If your ex-partner has not been adhering to his or her planned child-support instructions, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer to help you enforce the court-approved plan. If you feel you have been wrongfully accused of not holding up to your end of the deal, being represented by lawyers experienced in both child support and mediation can prove to be very beneficial.
Motions may be filed to request an enforcement order. The court may also become involved during disputes on how the child is being raised. If a partner signs his or her kid up for extracurricular activities without discussing it with the other partner, the uninformed partner can experience an unexpected increase in child support payment responsibilities or, even worse, lost visitation time opportunities due to scheduling conflicts because of the extracurricular activities.
Applying for Child Support
Application forms can be submitted online or in person. To apply, you should look to have the following on hand:
- Copy of support orders
- Copy of support order modifications
- Copy of birth certificates of the child/children
- Copy of document establishing your paternity to the child/children
- Copy of partner’s death certification should it be applicable
- Copy of divorce decree, if applicable
- Social security cards
- Evidence of assets
- Proof of income
Whether you are just now beginning this process or are readdressing it for the twentieth time, our lawyers at Felt Family Law & Mediation are willing and capable to help. Schedule a consultation with us to start receiving legal advice from a child support lawyer in Ogden, UT.
Contact a Child Support Lawyer Today
Do not hesitate to reach out to an experienced child support lawyer in Ogden, UT from Felt Family Law today. We can set up a consultation to go over all of the details surrounding your child support and determine if anything else needs to be done. We will file all of the paperwork necessary and keep you up-to-date on any changes that we believe we should make or if there is anything that the other parent wants to alter. By having a skilled lawyer on your side, if you ever have a new emergency come up, we will already know about your situation and be able to work from there, rather than trying to learn about your family dynamics quickly. We can also speak about the cost of our services and answer any important questions you may have during an initial consultation. Do not hesitate to reach out. We look forward to speaking with you!
