Single mom Of 4 month old boy. Im taking the "donor" to court for paternity, child support/ custody, & medical... Only problem is I have no-one to represent me in court. The dad will not return any calls or e-mails & I have not spoken to him since Jan. Since Im staying under my moms roof, they combined her income (less then 20,000 a year) with my 401 K (approx. 10,000) & said " I " make to much for free legal representation. (3 adults & 1 infant) Her income is not mine! & to take my 401K out would mean me geeting penalized 30%... I've looked into NJ Bar, family planning groups, free legal advise sites, etc. - but I can't seem to find REPRESENTATION (To stand up infront of the court & speak on my behalf) for an actual court date coming up the begging of Oct. Any Organizations??? ANY HELP AT ALL WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you soooooo much... : (
2006-09-17 17:04:43 · 4 answers · asked by nocrapps 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Contact the Office of public Attorneys in your locality.
2006-09-17 17:09:27 · answer #1 · answered by Sam X9 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure you need an attorney? It sounds like an open and shut case. Try to familiarize yourself with your rights (how much child support are you entitled to etc) and responsibilities--it sounds like he may not even show up. I'd recommend you do this on your own--most judges frown pretty heavily on dead beat dads. You may have to pay for a paternity test if he is denying, though....there really isn't any way around that.
I'm in Florida, and here you can go to the Clerk of Court website for your county and find out about child support--what's included, how much he has to pay based on both incomes, etc. You might be able to do the same thing in Jersey. Just search on clerk court and whatever your county is.
Good luck.
2006-09-17 17:14:14 · answer #2 · answered by Jensenfan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have indicated that you are in New Jersey.
In most states, the department of social services will provide services to obtain child support under Title IV-D. This means that you can contact your social services department, and they will assign an attorney to assist you.
You need to contact the New Jersey department of social services (or its equivalent) and ask about services under Title IV-D. They can assist you with a contact in your local area. If you have already filed, make this clear to them as well. I presume by already filed that you filed some sort of paperwork yourself. You are now finding out why its a bad idea to represent yourself.
If they cannot help, ask the New Jersey Bar association for a referral to an attorney who does paternity and/or family law. You may have to pay for his/her services.. however, your child is worth the money, don't you think?
2006-09-17 17:19:44 · answer #3 · answered by Phil R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can you get a mediator in Family Court. They usually have provisions for people in your situation.
2006-09-17 17:10:37 · answer #4 · answered by Reba K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋