"JayR" wrote in message
om...
You just have to know how, or have a lawyer who knows how and is
willing
to rock the boat.

Yes, I'm less than happy with my attorney. He clearly is not
interested in being agressive or rocking the boat, as you say. I
retained him because my research indicated he'd done a lot of father's
rights work. But I've since spoken to some men at a local father's
group and they confirm that he used to be great, but is now burnt out.
I'm looking for somebody new. Mom's been through 9 attorneys in the
three locations she's moved to, which I find telling.

Then check a father's rights group to find a more sympathetic lawyer
willing to worry more about his client and less about his country club
status. They generally cost more, but in the end are worth it.

The FACT is that you have to look at your situation. If your lawyer
is
an idiot, get out the Vaseline. (That applies to women as well as men.)
The
wisest try to have as little involvement of lawyers as possible. It is
hilarious to me, sitting on the sidelines, watching a woman get a nasty
lawyer to fight over $20,000 equity in a house and wind up with a
$40,000
legal bill. The lawyers get the house and you get bills on top of it. Oh
yeah those fights are good for business. MEDIATE!
Work it out between yourselves.

Mediation is excellent advice in most situations. We've been through
two mediators and mom makes it abundently clear by her actions that
her mediated agreements, filed and stamped into law by the court, mean
nothing her. At the end of the sessions, the mediator asks each
party, "Do you understand this agreement and do you agree to be bound
by it?" Mom says 'yes,' to the mediator and signs her name on the
paper, but she says 'no' to me soon afterward.

Then you need to have a lawyer willing to the mat on it and go after
mom. It helps to have the final agreement made part of the "record" by
having a court reporter there. If she breaks it again, then that is a factor
in child custody. If you lawyer wants to have a date with the judge all your
efforts are wasted, you need one who is going to go after mom's custody and
back the judge into the corner where he has no choice but to spank mom hard!

I tried to make sure my original post said that I've tried every
peaceful avenue before bringing my case back to court and to the
police. It's the 2nd to last thing I want to do (give up being the
last).

Then you need a junkyard dog lawyer who is more than willing to take on
judgeypoo and nail him to the wall along with mom. That costs, but there are
times when you have to say; "No more Mr. Nice guy." Judges can be made to
see the light.