Child Custody
The Levey Law Group is your family’s best choice for Tacoma child custody cases. With over 25 years of experience serving clients with custody issues ranging from child support enforcement to establishing or modifying a parenting plan. Unlike most family law firms, The Levey Law Group has vast expertise in the areas of Child Protective Services’ investigations and dependency actions.
Child Support
Child support is calculated using the Washington State Child Custody Calculator and is dependent on both parents’ income. Many other factors are taken into consideration during this process and it’s imperative to have a Tacoma child support attorney with The Levey Law Group help you navigate and enforce child support cases. Even if income is difficult to prove, hiring an attorney will ensure you’ve taken all the steps necessary to get the best possible outcome.
Additional resources from The Levey Law Group on Parenting Plans, click here.
Parenting Plans
Creating a parenting plan is never easy, but The Levey Law Group is equipped to handle any divorce or separation issues that may arise in regards to custody issues. We have experience creating long-distance parenting plans, modifying existing plans and dealing with intended relocation post-divorce.
Additional resources from The Levey Law Group on Parenting Plans, click here.
Child Protective Services
If you are subject to a CPS investigation (and the state has not yet removed your children), we can represent you to minimize or altogether eliminate the possibility of the state removing your children from you.
If the state already has removed your children from you but has not yet filed a dependency action, we can represent you to minimize or altogether eliminate the possibility of the state filing a dependency action, and work towards reuniting you with your children as quickly as possible.
Third Party or Non-Parental Custody
Third Party or Non-Parental Custody
Unfortunately, occasions exist where the child’s biological parents are unfit to raise them and a non-parent (such as a relative) wants to step in and obtain custody. This is called “third party” (or non-parental) custody. The Levey Law Group also represents relatives who want to care for the children when the state removes them from their biological parents. It is possible to be a parent to a child who is not your own, and in such cases you have rights.
Emergency Custody Issues
Emergency Custody Issues
If there are exigent circumstances where a child is in imminent danger of some sort, we can help you seek out a temporary emergency custody order to quickly gain sole custody of a child for their own protection. In order to gain emergency custody of a minor, you must petition the court and demonstrate that there is some sort of emergency where the child faces a situation involving threats like abuse, sexual assault, neglect, or abandonment.
While the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) requires that parents can only file for custody in the state where the child has lived for the past six months, it makes provisions for emergency custody situations. This means, if your custody issue spans across state borders, such as a situation where you fled an abuser in another state with your child, you may still be able to achieve emergency custody over your child despite the jurisdictional issues.
For more information on the UCCJEA, please click here.