Child Custody Article


Where to Find an Attorney for Specific Legal Advice

Arizona has three legal aid organizations which cover different regions of the state.

  1. Community Legal Services (800) 852-9075 covers Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai, Yuma and LaPaz Counties.
  2. Southern Arizona Legal Aid (800) 640-9465 covers southern Arizona.
  3. DNA People’s Legal Services (800) 789-7287 covers northern Arizona.

All legal service programs in Arizona differ, and their criteria for accepting cases vary. The legal aid organizations above all have the same criteria of income restrictions and legal status requirements, but do have varying priorities.

To find out about more Arizona resources that may be able to assist you, you can contact LegalLEARN, Legal Information & Resources at (866) 637-5341.

Individuals may apply for free and reduced fee legal services by using the "Access To Justice Online Intake System" through AZLawHelp. 

If the legal services program in your area cannot assist you, you may be able to find a lawyer through lawyer referral services in Maricopa County (602) 257-4434 or Pima County (520) 623-4625.

The State Bar also maintains a listing of all Arizona attorneys on their website, and certifies “specialists” in eight legal areas. (Not all attorneys seek such certification, however.) Lists of specialists can also be found at the State Bar of Arizona’s website.


Comments:

QUESTIONS

  • I am recently divorced. We have 2 kids. Joint custody. My daughter no longer want to go to her Dads during the week, what are her rights? she is 13. Conciliation Services told me I had to wait a full year before changing custody. That couldn't be right, could it?
  • My ex husband filed to modify child support to lower his payment. Before he filed I told him that I wanted to file to have the children during the whole week and modify our current parenting plan. So now he filed the child support modification should I not respond and have a hearing? Or should I file my own paper work to modify the parenting plan?
  • I have been living in phx since 08/2018. My twins were born on 10/8/18 in phx, AZ. Their father served me papers (ie: custody, child support) in 07/2018 in Lincoln, NE. His name is not on the birth certificate. We already broken up before I got pregnant & I was already planning on moving to AZ b/c all of my family/ support is here as I have none in NE. He too was originally planning on moving to AZ when I told him the news and later changed his mind. Which court would have jurisdiction? Can NE make me move back with the twins?
  • The father of my children wont let me see my kids and there is no court order or anything for him todo this to me i just want to know what do i do to help me see my kids i have done nothing for him to keep from me i just need advice on how to see my own kids?
  • I am going to have a son anyday now. The mother wanted to put him up for adoption but I talked her out of it. She wants to give me full custody of him, being that she's only 17, and in high-school, she wouldn't have time to raise him. How do I ensure I get full custody?
  • My children's father and I have joint legal custody and joint physical custody. He just provided 60-day notice that he is moving more than 100 miles away. I read that I need to request a hearing to prevent this. How do I do that?
  • I gave my ex verbal notice of my relocation with my 4 year old, 2 mos prior to the relocation. He was receptive and understood my reasoning. I sent a letter cert. mail and it was returned to me because he failed to pick it up. So I then hired a process server, which was successful. Its now 4 days before my moving date and he has served me w/ a summons to establish parenting time and custody. My position at work has already been filled and I'm to be out of my apartment by the 5th. Am i obligated to stay in the state now? Or can i temporarily relocate?
  • I need to establish parental rights. My baby momma is threating to take off wit my son and I have bn the one takin him to appointments,daycare,and I'm a full time student we aren't married but we live together and he has my last name jus don't have birth certificate.Please I need help don't wanna lose my son.
  • I'm just curious in case things go wrong. But I'm hispanic & a legal US citizen, my boyfriend is Native American & we have a a child together. From what I've heard from a friend is that by law since he's Native, that he can have full custody of our child. I want to know if this is true, because he's on probation & has a bad record and where he lives with his mom is not so safe for our baby since she smokes. So I'm wondering with that in the way, if I would have more of a right to keep the baby with me?
  • I have an order for the parenting plan and the parents disagree about what the term "2 days before school starts" means. So if school starts on Monday when does the Child need to return back to the other parent? Sat? or Friday? Where can I find proof of this?

STORIES

LegalLEARN

FIND LEGAL HELP

  • Please select your county of residence below.

    County:
     

OTHER LEGAL RESOURCES

  • State Bar of Arizona
    www.azbar.org
  • Maricopa County Bar
    www.maricopabar.org
    Referral number 602-257-4434
  • Pima County Bar
    www.pimacountybar.org
    Referral number 520-623-4625
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline
    800-799-7233
  • Bankruptcy Court Self Help Center
    866-553-0893
  • Certified Legal Document Preparer Program
    Link

ORGANIZATIONS

Documents

.pdf  Custody and Parenting Time Guide ReadSpeaker

.pdf  Sample Forms for Divorce with Children (Petitioner) ReadSpeaker

.pdf  Sample Forms for Divorce with Children (Response) ReadSpeaker

.pdf  Sample Instructions for Divorce with Children (Response) ReadSpeaker

.pdf  Sample Forms for a Divorce Decree with Children ReadSpeaker

RELATED ARTICLES

Things You Should Know about Custody and Parenting Time

Model Parenting Time Plans for Parent/Child Access

What is a Court-Appointed Advisor and what is his or her function in a Family Law case?

How to Represent Yourself in Maricopa County Part 1: Initial Filings

How to Represent Yourself in Maricopa Family Court Part 2: Default Through Discovery

Federal and State Tax Exemptions for Dependent Children: Who gets to claim them?

Best Interests of the Child

LINKS

Arizona Supreme Court Programs Unit

DES Division of Child Support Enforcement

Birth Certificates - Arizona Office of Vital Records

Arizona South Asians for Safe Families

Public Access Case Lookup - Arizona Supreme Court

See More...