Monday, November 5, 2007

You decide

I am off to court to argue that my client should have custody of the kids while the divorce is pending. Not really sure what there is to fight over in the divorce - no assets, no debts, oh well. But fight we will.

One person has a job and a full blown drug/alcohol problem.
The other is unemployed and 5 weeks removed from rehab and living with parents.

Who do you pick?

Those are pretty much the facts the judge has to work with.

4 comments:

Redgoddessupreme said...

I would pick the one with the job, esp. if it is the mom.

Kristen said...

I think I'd actually go with the one out of rehab. Plus, if he/she is living with parents, that's three people looking out for the little one(s). An addict living alone, job or not, sounds far from ideal. Shit, neither is ideal, but I grew up with an alcoholic dad (one nightmare after another), and jobless one could actually raise the kid(s), no daycare needed. Money? That's what child support is for.

Redgoddessupreme said...

Ok, now that my fever and deliurm is over and more thought is allowed in my non lawyer brain. Neither choice is good. In MS child support is a joke. You don't actually get enough to support a small dog much less a child. I believe it's only 14% for the first born. I grew up with an alcoholic dad too. On this current quandry, the one living with the parents and out of rehab could move out to a crack house as soon as court is over. And look at the parents now...I don't know that their parents are fit either based on how their kids (the adults now) turned out. I'd like to know the job history and exactly what are the drugs of choice for the employeed parent. If it's just pot or zanax, these are not a biggie and the parent can still somewhat function.

Of course my natural bias is for the mother, cause I'm a single mom.

Cigar smoking, beer drinking lawyer said...

The mom (my client) got custody.
Family supprt was a big issue - one I hammered on.

keep in mind custody is not about unfit parent, but better parent.