Guardianship Attorney in Spokane

Your child support attorney will help you in all aspects of family law, specializing in determining the terms of child support, structuring child support payments, clarifying court orders, and enforcing custody agreements. They can also help organize visitation periods, mediate, and negotiate for their client while offering support throughout the court process.

Child and family support attorneys will charge between $250 and $500 per hour, depending on the case and circumstances. Uncontested cases cost less than contested cases—anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 for uncontested, and as expensive as $25,000 for contested. 

Child support is calculated in Washington State from the combined income of both parents. This amount is divided between the parents based on their contributions, calculated as a percentage, and the courts determine the amount owed by one or both parents. 

You can file a motion with the court in Washington State if you wish to adjust your child support order. Child support orders are not easy to modify, but you can begin by filing these petitions online and scheduling a personal interview. Pending the input of the courts, you can finalize any modification to your child support based on financial, emotional, or personal life changes.

In Washington State, stepparents are legally obligated to help support the stepchildren living in their household. This obligation ends when the parents divorce, when child support payments become the sole responsibility of any biological parents. While there are always exceptions, such as in the case of adopted children, the stepparent must support their stepchildren financially.

Stepparents can continue their relationship with their stepchildren even after divorce, as these emotional familial bonds fostered over the years do not just fade away. It’s normal for a stepparent to want to spend time with their former stepchild, and while there may not be any more legal requirements between them, these ongoing emotions can result in additional support. 

Child support orders in Washington State are legal obligations enforced by the court. Failure to pay child support can result in debt, contempt of court, fines, and jail time. A judge can decide to revoke the non-paying parent’s driver’s license or other professional license, and continuing to miss child support payments might force those payments to enter collections, resulting in even more expensive future payments. 

Either parent can go back to court and seek a child support modification, especially if they are having trouble making payments. While only a judge can agree to a child support modification, the entire process can be made easier by the cooperation of both parents and the assistance of a knowledgeable family law attorney. 

 The easiest way to recover late child support payments is to speak with the other parent. If an amicable solution cannot be reached, DCS may need to step in and provide child support enforcement. There is a grace period for late payments, but missing that grace period can result in wage garnishment, fines, or other methods of debt collection. The DCS can seek restitution via property liens, tax refund interception, revoking licenses, and contempt of court.

Several factors can slow the child support process. While child support payments might come through in a month after the DCS takes action, the process can be extended if the paying parent has no assets or money, or if there is no standing child support order. Sometimes the other parent might try to move out of state to avoid payments. Even after winning a child support case, you might not receive your payments immediately. 

There are legal considerations to make even if a child expresses their desire to live with a particular parent.

Before a child is 18, a judge must decide where a child will live based on factors such as location, education, finances, and more. A child can voice where they wish to live during the custody proceedings, and the judge might consider what the child wants based on their age, but Washington State’s custody laws say that before the age of 18, no child can make a unilateral decision about which parent to live with.

The judge may provide a social worker or guardian to establish the child’s best needs and preferences without the influence of either parent. This also enables the child to be honest without testifying in front of their parents. After gathering this report, which can include housing, financial stability, emotional and mental health, environment, and more, the courts will decide which residence is most appropriate for the minor child. 

When a child turns 18, they are no longer legally a minority and can choose where they wish to live. This is also the case if a child is emancipated before the age of 18, but this is an uncommon scenario. Washington State and the courts don’t believe that minors can make fully informed decisions, and will wait until the age of majority to allow a child to make their own residency choices.