Stuck in the middle...

[prophei]

Hello,

I am in desperate need of a family law attorney, but do not have the money. I have looked all over the place for various types of legal aid, but I am not considered low income enough to qualify.

It is amazing to me that you have to be listed as "poor" to qualify, as the lower part of the middle class has no more opportunity to find the funds for what are usually $300+ / hour legal fees! It feels like I am least qualified to get real justice in this country, as the only legal access seems to be for the top or very bottom... but nothing in-between!

Where does a person like me turn? I have gotten heaps of advice regarding my "situation", and it all amounts to the fact that I will be horribly wronged unless I have representation in my circumstance. (reference: http://www.thelaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16782 )

I am panicked and wondering if there are any options out there.

Thank you so much!

-Michael

 

[irish223]

I understand your frustration. You already know that you need a family law attorney. Unfortunately, there may be no family law attorneys on thelaw.com forums who can provide the advice you need. Have you tried father's rights groups, as suggested earlier? Here is a link to one:
http://fathersrights.meetup.com/cities/us/ca/

You might also want to find out how long the mother was on public assistance. That might give you some idea of how much back support you may owe. Since the complaint was only made a year ago, it's possible that she has only been getting assistance for that year. If she was only getting assistance for one year, then that may (or may not) be all you're liable for paying.

From reading other posts, it seems unlikely that you would have to pay 6 years of child support unless there was a court order for support, or unless she has been getting assistance all that time. Of course, laws in CA may differ from those in other states.

As for custody, you can certainly fight for full or joint custody, but you would need a lawyer for that too. If you still have the old emails that you sent to her, or the returned letter, that may help to prove that you did not abandon the baby.

As you can tell, I am not a lawyer. I'm sorry that I can't offer you any solid advice, but you sound so desperate that I thought any suggestions would be better than none. Also, have you at least met with an attorney regarding all this? I believe most will meet with you one time without charge. If that's the case, then you can get at least get some of your questions answered, and maybe have a little peace of mind until you get the paternity test results.

 

[mafioso]

Just to add to previous suggestions...........Some attorneys do payment plans............Just keep trying..................You might find a good fit.

 

[prophei]

Thank you for the responses!

The letters I sent and emails and other contact got mostly lost in all this time. A few hard drive failures and yahoo deleting all my past emails later, and I am stuck in a "he said, she said" kind of situation. The best evidence of my not running away was my flying her down here at the time, and introducing her to my friends and family as the woman I was having a child with. It was all very open and visible, though they can't prove I didn't change my tone afterwards I suppose. I doubt the word of my own family would mean much in court, as it is easy to claim a bias.

I have not yet met with an attorney, as I am trying to get as much information before using up any free consultations I may be able to find.
One hard thing is that if I get a lawyer that is local to me, I'd likely have to pay for all of their time if they show up in a court near where she lives... this would be massively difficult, as that is about 500 miles away from me! It is amazing to me how much I am already being treated like a criminal, and I don't deserve it. UGH!

This situation just gets scarier and scarier, and I thank you all very much for your well wishes. It is amazing how fast life can turn into chaos.

-Michael

 

[mafioso]

Good luck! Keep let us know how it goes.......