Child Support and Custody Attorneys
Child support
Child support is intended to provide financial support, medical costs, and child care costs to the primary care giver. There are a number of issues that may arise in child support disputes including obtaining an order, challenging a child support order, enforcement of an order, or modification of an existing order. When you are concerned about your financial well being or obtaining child support for your children, our attorneys can assist you in asserting your rights.
- Calculating child support: The amount of child support you are owed or will be obligated to pay depends upon the courts' analysis of a number of guidelines set by the state. Though the guidelines are presumptive, our attorneys can help you prepare the facts and evidence to demonstrate your needs rebut the presumption, or that your case is outside the guidelines.
- Payment for college: If you are divorcing or are already divorced, you may be forced to contribute to college expenses for your child. Whether you are seeking assistance with college expenses or you cannot afford to supplement your child's college education, our attorneys can help you assert and protect your rights.
- Child Support & Custody: Custody arrangements will affect your child tremendously, as well as influencing the amount of support to be paid. Whether you are concerned about protecting your rights to receive or pay child support, our attorneys can assist you in assessing your needs and taking the legal action to enforce your rights.
- Enforcement: It is not uncommon for custodial parents to be forced into bringing a court action to accomplish the enforcement of a child support order. Our attorneys will strive to ensure that your child support order is complied with by filing contempt charges when necessary.
- Modifications: We can help any party obtain a modification to an initial order based on a change in circumstances. If you have lost a job, need compensation for a medical emergency, are disabled, or find yourself unable to pay, we can assist you in lowering an existing child support order. If your income has declined, or the non-custodial parent's income has increased we can assist you in raising the child support amount.
- Paternity: We can assist you in establishing paternity and obtaining an order for child support, custody and visitation.
- Interstate issues: People in our mobile world are constantly transitioning. We understand the complexities of interstate child support and can address the issues that arise with out of state parties. Whether you are facing an issue of removal, enforcement, or modification, we know how to accomplish your interstate family law needs.
- Social Security Disability benefits: Our attorneys can assist you in modifying an order of child support to ensure that your child receives the maximum benefits under the law while you are not penalized due to the disability suffered. Further, the SSDI benefit for the child may offset or eliminate the child support obligation of the payor altogether.
Child Custody and Visitation
In a divorce or paternity action, questions and issues of child custody and visitation or what is now more commonly called “parenting time" may arise. Child custody addresses a child's primary residence and who will make decision for a child. Determinations of child custody, parenting time and visitation are based on a court determination of the best interest of the child, and the development of a parenting plan. Physical custody refers to where the child lives. Legal custody deals with larger decisions including education, religion, and medical services. Joint custody splits the responsibilities of physical and legal custody between the parents. Our attorneys at Perrault & Associates can help you communicate your wishes and establish your legal rights and in all circumstances create a custody and parenting plan that protects the best interests of your children.
- Paternity: If you are seeking custody or visitation after paternity has been established, we can assist you in asserting your rights. We are also experienced in assisting parents with custody or visitation issues regarding paternity.
- Post-divorce issues: After a divorce you may need a modification to a visitation order or a parenting plan or a change in circumstances may occur that will affect custody. We can assist you in addressing post-divorce issues.
- Child custody and support: If you feel that custody is a threat to an increase or decrease in a child support order, we can help you protect your rights and those of your children.
- Parenting plan: A parenting plan will address the visitation schedule. We can assist you in protecting your rights and those of your children in creating a schedule that works best for you and the children as well as in the enforcement or modification of a parenting plan.
- Interstate issues with custody: We have experience with the interference with parental rights and custody and other interstate issues including removal. Our attorneys can help you prevent a parent from moving out of state or allowing for a relocation that supports the child's best interests.
- Grandparent rights: As the grandparent, both you and your grandchildren are entitled to a relationship. We can help you preserve that relationship despite the divorce of that child’s parents by asking for visitation rights for you.
Contact our lawyers in Methuen, Massachusetts for a free consultation or case evaluation. We are happy to provide you with necessary information regarding your legal issue.
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