Understanding Your Role Outside of Court in a Custody Case
Are you in the middle of a child custody case and you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do outside of court? My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a family law attorney with Wirth Law Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I want to help you make law easy by talking a little bit about what you can do to try to help yourself if you’re in the middle of a child custody case.
Part of this only applies to new custody cases, such as a new divorce or a new paternity case where you’re trying to get the order established for the first time. In those instances, every parent is going to have to do what’s called helping children cope with divorce class. I understand it’s not always a divorce case. Unfortunately, even if it’s a case where you’re just trying to get custody of a child that was born out of wedlock, the title of the class is the same.
The Importance of Required Parenting Classes
That’s what the legislature requires. By law, you cannot be granted custody of a child unless you take that class. It usually takes a few hours, and ever since COVID hit, you can do it on Zoom instead of doing it in person, but you have to make sure that you take the class. You have to make sure that you get that certificate from the class, and you have to make sure that that gets filed in your case.
Otherwise, you legally can’t be granted custody of a child, not even joint custody where you wouldn’t be the primary physical custodian. Beyond that, I do have some cases where my clients want to know if they should take some parenting classes. I always say yes, because what is it going to hurt? All it’s going to do is educate yourself and help you be better prepared to be there for yourself and your child in these situations.
Continuous Learning for Custody Modifications
It doesn’t just mean when you’re in the initial case, in the initial divorce, or in the initial paternity case. Maybe you’ve got a decree that’s a few years old, but you guys are going back, and you’re in the middle of a custody modification. It is never a bad idea to educate yourself, and it’s never a bad idea to show the court that you’re actively trying to better yourself as a parent in those situations.
Take some classes. Figure out what tips or tricks you can learn to help you be a better parent because it’s not just going to help you with your case. It’s also going to help you with your kids and raising your kids. I always encourage my clients, if that’s something that they feel they need to do, do it. You don’t even need to ask. Just do it and let me know that you’re doing it because all it’s going to do is help you.
Take the First Step: Schedule a Low-Cost Initial Strategy Session
I’ve never seen a custody case fall apart because my clients took too many classes. If you have questions about this, or you want to know maybe what classes to take or is the right time to do that, go ahead and give us a call. You can reach me at Wirth Law Office. My name is Carl Birkhead, and I want to help you make law easy. Call us today at 918-879-1681 to schedule your low-cost initial strategy session.
