Legal Question in Family Law in Nebraska

Re: custody filing

Your son needs to get an attorney. All the relatives can pool their money, take out loans, sell that car they�ve been going to fix up for the last five years, whatever it takes. If your son were to screw up a division of marital property, he could buy more property. If he screws up parenting issues, he might not be able to ask the court to re-open the issues. The legal services office is correct about its conflict of interest. Your son can call your state bar lawyer referral service (look in the yellow pages in the attorney section).

In my state, one party cannot stall a dissolution (divorce) by �not signing the papers.� If the

matter goes to a hearing or a trial, the judge will issue an order saying what will happen whether mom likes it or not.

A parent who leaves for two months without telling the other parent where she�s going, when

she plans to resume taking care of the child, without sending any support, etc., might fit under

your state�s definition of abandonment. Her parents� statements make wonderfully supporting

testimony (if they�re willing to say it in court). Even if your son is named the custodial parent, don�t let him forget that children need a relationship with the other parent. Even if she�s not suitable for long visits, try to work out a way that the child can see the mother

(supervised, probably). Also, counseling is often vital for a child who�s dealing with �mom

doesn�t love me enough to stick around, what�s wrong with me?�