5 Reasons You Should Hire a Child Custody Lawyer During Your Divorce
Child advocate attorneys work to protect the rights of minors in cases involving divorce, child custody, neglect or abuse, and juvenile court proceedings. Courts will appoint a child advocate attorney in the following circumstances: Neglect or abuse of the minor. Contested child custody proceedings.
Child custody can refer to where your children will live after divorce (physical custody), or who has the legal right to make decisions about their upbringing (legal custody). In each scenario, parents may jointly share the responsibility or the courts may award one parent solely.
If your divorce is contested then there's really no way to expect a good outcome without hiring an attorney. If, however, your divorce is uncontested, then you may be able to perform several parts of it on your own (or pro se which is a Latin term that means "for yourself").
Generally in most states, both parents continue to have joint legal custody after divorce, meaning both parents have equal rights to make child-rearing decisions. However, courts may award sole legal custody to one parent under some rare circumstances.