What is a Guardian ad Litem?
What is a guardian ad litem? A guardian ad litem, or GAL as they are commonly called, are attorneys for the children. Whenever abuse or neglect of a child is alleged in a divorce case, a Judge has no choice but to appoint a GAL. The cost of the GAL is most often paid for equally by each party. The GAL is there to make sure the best interests of the children are represented in the divorce. They are also appointed in very highly contested divorce cases. The GAL has the authority to make recommendations to the Court about the custody and care of the children, but their opinion is not binding on the Court.
Divorce Testimonial for today
At the conclusion of each case, we send a survey to our client to find out their satisfaction with our firm. Today, we received a glowing report from Jess whose divorce we just concluded:
“I would like to say thank you. You made it a lot easier than I thought it would be. I will definitely refer you to other people I know. You are a very great attorney. Thank you for all of your help!”
Can child support be paid directly to a child?
QUESTION: My daughter is 19 and going to college out of state. Do I have to keep paying child support to her mother or can I pay it directly to my daughter?
ANSWER: It is possible to pay child support directly to a child under limited circumstances. The circumstances you describe would likely qualify. In order to pay child support directly to the child, the Court who issued the original divorce decree must consent to the arrangement. As a practical matter, if your spouse agrees the support can be paid directly to the college student, then the parties can enter a stipulation with the Court. If your spouse will not agree to such an arrangement, then the party paying child support must file a Motion with the Court
October 22, 2010-Representing Yourself- Buyer Beware
You may have seen on television ads for companies that purport to offer divorce forms for $39.99. Please be aware of the maxim: Let the buyer beware. We have had numerous calls from clients who purchased forms such as this only to receive them and be bewildered. These companies often offer a “one size fits all” approach to divorce. They send you the forms with blanks and expect you to be able to complete them correctly. The problem is, one size does not fit all in the legal world. Different states and different counties have specific rules. Your divorce may not be the same as another person’s across town or across the state. MissouriDivorceSource takes a personalized approach to your divorce. We learn about your situation and prepare all of the divorce documents to your specifications. A real lawyer will call you after submission of the online form. You will not “fill in a blank.” In fact, if your divorce is rejected because of a defect in our forms, we will fix it for free. Check with the “$39.99″ company and see if they will offer that kind of guarantee.
