I provide guidance on not only what forms to use or how to draft pleadings but also what stressors to expect in the courtroom and coping skills to apply. I also have a substantial collection of cases that clients may read to gain insight into how court's apply the law and what is and is not successful. I do this for clients whether they are represented by attorneys.
In short, I am a consultant that specializes in maximizing the effectiveness of your time, the court and your attorney if you are represented. For those who are represented, my fees are easily paid for by the savings in attorney fees. Of course you cannot put a price on the cost of losing a custody issue because you were not properly training in the procedure.
What has prompted me to write about this issue today is the matter of financial compensation. I don't accept one new client per day. This is not because there are not enough legitimate cases out there, there are plenty. The interesting thing is that the vast majority of people who want to use my service simply refuse to pay for it.
In examining this issue let's first consider what money is. Money is a store of labour. That is it is a medium of exchange for the work done by a person which can be exchanged for the goods or services provided by another. Essentially when you pay for something you are working.
So why then do so many people refuse to "work" to modify custody or child support issues related to their children? There is one conclusion that stands out as obvious; these people aren't willing to put forth an effort for their children. This leads me to the harsh reality that maybe this is why they don't have custody to begin with.
There are some people who truly cannot afford to pay me for a full blown child custody battle that can run as high as $2000 through me or $25,000 using an attorney. I wonder though why someone who cannot afford $250 for a simple modification thinks he or she is financially fit enough to provide for the children.
Child support modifications pay for themselves. I used an attorney for my first modification. It took 13 weeks for that to pay for itself. I then did another modification myself which reduced my support to less than 1/3 of what the attorney got it down to.
The modifications that I have helped people obtain usually pay for themselves in about a month, sometimes less. Still, I often hear, "I can't afford that." Here is an actual quote that I recently received: "I can not cover any fees....Thanks for your time though"
I am left to wonder why allowing child support arrears to build and facing contempt hearings and potential jail time is what people can afford. It would seem that those people who really care about their children would not want to be in that situation and could afford (work) to see that it doesn't happen.
When it comes to child support or custody how can someone not afford to be prepared. Having my child support payments set $6000 per year too high was something I could not afford. As an unemployed stay-at-home parent I couldn't afford not to have it reduced. A year ago I wrote about why now may be the time to seek a child support payment modification. It still applies.
If you don't mind paying less than the value you will receive please contact me. But if you want something for nothing just stand on a street corner with a tin cup. I don't charge based upon supply and demand. I simply charge the least I can afford to live on and then only take the cases that I strongly support. That is why I have an application process for my services.
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Make a suggestion for me to write about.
Parents who would like to achieve the best outcome for their children in a contested child custody case should visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me. Attorneys may request a free consultation to learn how I can maximize their advocacy for their clients.
Connect with me for the latest Indiana child custody related policy considerations, findings, court rulings and discussions. 
©2008, 2009 Stuart Showalter, LLC. Permission is granted to all non-commercial entities to reproduce this article in it's entirety with credit given.
1 comment:
I just ran acroos your web site as i was looking into this new bill about gambling wins. I have a long story and history with child support some good some bad. You are 100% right if people would just understand that they can save money by using you or other options by modifing there support they can actually save money. Anyway i will be arugular on your site for now on, its nice to know there are people like your self that actually care about the paying parent. I took the matter of modifing my support after being put in jail and in the long run it will save me. So people out there that need help to do so should really think about guys like stuart that are here to help.
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