Undergoing a custodial dispute can be a harrowing and debilitating experience. Unless you are vigilant in protecting your parenting time from the onset of your separation from your spouse, you can lose vital parenting time and even the right to see your child, especially if you are a father. It is therefore crucial for you to know all of your rights before you embark on a custodial dispute.

From my years of experience as an expert witness in custodial disputes, parental alienation, sexual abuse and other family therapy issues, these 10 steps are crucial to protecting your rights,

  1. The outcomes of temporary or preliminary hearings become permanent in most instances so do not stipulate to your adversary obtaining temporary custody.
  2. If you are a father it is better to go pro se because many attorneys will bankrupt you before you even go into court and try to foist a settlement on you where you don’t have joint parenting time or shared custody.
  3. Do not let any forensic or psychological reports in as evidence without the opportunity to cross examine the author of said reports because they are hearsay and unscientific. Most forensic reports are done by court – appointed psychologists who are stooges of the court.
  4. There are teams such as the Delta Team organized and run by Dr. Monty N. Weinstein who will take your case up to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary, without bankrupting you.
  5. Put in motions for recusal of any law guardian that co-counsels the case with the adversarial party. Challenge any evaluation of your children by law guardians who are known to be biased against fathers.
  6. Challenge any judge that does not accept the theory of parental alienation. Parental Alienation does in fact exist and I have successfully rendered expert testimony in this area throughout the United States.
  7. Most attorneys do not want to challenge the system and therefore will inform you, especially if you are a father, that you will not prevail in obtaining full custody, much less joint custody. Do not listen to them!
  8. Remember, most judges do not have the childrens’ best interest at heart but rather want to maintain the status quo.
  9. Before retaining an attorney, examine his record on winning custody, especially if you are a father, although mothers can get hurt, especially if the father has political connections.
  10. Understand that shared parenting and joint custody is the best way to go and don’t let your attorney misinform you on those issues.

By: Doctor Monty N. Weinstein
Director of the Family Therapy Center of New York and Georgia
Director of Mental Health for the National Association for Fathers
Founder of Fathers Rights Metro
Recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award for Aiding Families and Children
Founder of the Delta Team