Thursday, September 23, 2010

Child Support Enforcement

When it comes to child support enforcement, many parents don't know where to turn. All states have child support services that may assist with collecting back child support. However, this bureaucratic process can often take several months or years, and often with no success.

Another option available to the custodial parent who receives child support is to go through the courts. Rather than waiting for the child support agency to take action, a parent can be proactive by petitioning the court to enforce the order and hold the obligor parent (the one who has been ordered to pay child support) in contempt for violation of the child support order. This process is generally much faster and more effective.

Often, the parent who is not receiving the child support may be having financial difficulties limiting his or her ability to get legal help from an attorney, which can cost thousands of dollars. Fortunately, there are alternatives. One can do-it-yourself, however this may be difficult for many.

Another affordable alternative is to use a legal document preparation company. Fair warning: only use a company that is owned and operated by attorneys. If the company is not owned and operated by attorneys, they may be committing the unauthorized practice of law. In addition, you will not be getting the quality of service for which you think you are paying for your child support help.