Last month, the FDA expanded its emergency use approval of the Covid vaccine to reach children aged 12-15. This month, I am filing a motion for a court to require a 14-year-old to receive the vaccine, against one parent’s wishes.
Continue readingChild Custody
Are you shared parenting material?
Most of the questions I get from parents are about shared parenting: what it means; do I still get (pay) child support; will my child like it; and so on. Shared Parenting is the Varsity team of parenting in Ohio. Here are three questions to ask yourself before you consider a shared parenting arrangement in Ohio.
Continue readingCovid, Vaccinations and Ohio Custody Law
Last month, the FDA expanded its emergency use approval of the Covid vaccine to reach children aged 12-15. This month, I am filing a motion for a court to require a 14-year-old to receive the vaccine, against one parent’s wishes.
Continue readingNow What: My Ex Has Stopped Paying Child Support
Few parents can afford children; parents who are divorced are worse off than the few; and parents who never married are usually the least able of all to provide financially for their children. This reality can quickly become a disaster if child support abruptly stops. What to do immediately. Starting Steps To Take For Collection
Continue readingThe Top Five Questions About Shared Parenting
1. What is the difference between shared parenting and custody? Ohio originally called shared parenting “joint custody.” Now, shared parenting is a specific type of custody arrangement where both parents have equal authority to make major decisions about their children. The parent with whom the children are with at any given moment has the power
Continue readingGrandparents seeking child custody in Ohio
Grandparents Series #1 The First Obstacle: Unfit to raise your own child. Parents have powerful rights under the U.S. Constitution and the Courts are charged with protecting those rights. In Ohio, unless a Court finds that a parent is “unsuitable,” or “unfit,” a parent will keep custody unless he or she voluntarily gives custody to
Continue readingWhat Does a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Do? – Ohio Child Custody
For a parent involved in a child custody case, GAL may become the three most important letters in the world. Who is a Guardian ad Litem? A Guardian ad Litem (GAL for short) is a person appointed to represent the interests of a child. The GAL does not represent either parent, or any other party
Continue readingLegal Rights of Unmarried Fathers in Ohio
Under Ohio law, unmarried fathers are treated very differently than married fathers. Married fathers are protected by the law. Ohio Revised Code (ORC) §3109.03 provides that after a divorce the husband and wife “shall stand upon an equality as to the parental rights and responsibilities for the care of their children and the place of
Continue readingThe Divorce Reform Act replaced the The Tender Years Doctrine in Ohio
In theory/according to Ohio statute, mothers and fathers have equal standing before a juvenile court or domestic relations court when seeking custody of their children (assuming that the father can prove paternity and has provided financial support for the child prior to the custody case). In reality, the presumptions that determine child custody decisions have
Continue readingMemorandum Re Voluntary Terimination of Parental Rights Ohio
Co-parenting after a split is often very frustrating and time consuming. A very common question from my clients is whether the other parent can simply “sign away” their parental rights. This is usually in response to a parent who is not especially concerned with the child but uses parenting time as a weapon. Oftentimes, these
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