Fathers Rights expert, Jeffery Leving offers free family law advice for the Divorced, Separated or a Single Parent Father. This month’s question is about Visitation Rights and Child Custody in Illinois. Read more.
Ask a Lawyer on SingleDad: Visitation Rights, Child Custody in Illinois
Fathers Rights expert, Jeffery Leving offers free family law advice on SingleDad. As a Divorced, Separated or a Single Parent Father, you will always have family law questions throughout your life. This month’s question is about Visitation Rights and Child Custody in Illinois. Read more.
Question:
The mother of my 4-year-old daughter will not let me see her. I ask her all the time if an when I can see her and she always replies with "I don’t know" or she uses her sick father as an excuse as to why she can’t drive her to me. (The live 10 miles away and I don’t drive). For example, today she needed me to watch her while she took her dad to a doctor’s appointment. I told her where my new house was located and that she could drop her off on her way. She refused to leave her at my house and insisted that I call off work so I could sit in the waiting room with my daughter for the 15 minutes and that would constitute a visit. WTF?
We were never married and I don’t have any kind of custody agreement in writing. However, I pay child support. I don’t have any kind of criminal record or history with drugs or alcohol. I saw my daughter once at Christmas time and one time in June for a doctor’s appointment but I have never been allowed to have her for a whole day by myself. Although I work two jobs, I cannot afford a custody lawyer. What would you suggest?
Answer:
As the father of a child, you have the right to be positively involved in your child’s life. The best way to protect your rights and ensure you can spend quality time with your daughter is to file a petition with the court for a specified visitation schedule. Although you can file this petition on your own, I would strongly advise you to immediately retain a skilled custody attorney such as James Hagler, an attorney in my firm that has tenaciously represented many fathers in situations similar to yours. Attorney Hagler was named a Chicago "Best Lawyer of 2013." Without a court order granting you custody, there may be little you can do to prevent your daughter’s mother from unilaterally deciding when you can see your child. By hiring an experienced family law attorney who will fight tirelessly for you, you can protect your right to see your daughter and avoid the legal pitfalls that may disrupt your relationship. For more information about father’s rights, visit www.dadrights.com
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