Child Custody

questions & answers

Question: I share custody with my girls father but he has some a week ago he told my 15 year old she had to leave and she been with me ever sense what's my next step to keep her with me

Answer: You may want to go back to court and file a petition to modify your custody order as allowed by Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 25-411.  If you believe you can handle the petition on your own, you will be able to find forms and instructions on the Arizona Superior Court website.  Go to:  https://www.azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter.  Although there is no specific form on the website for custody (now called legal decision-making), you may be able to create one with information from the custody portion of a dissolution petition. If you need more detailed and specific advice, you may want to talk to a lawyer.  There are three programs in Arizona that you can use to get inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the modest means program.  You will need to apply for the program and meet the financial qualifications.  Once you are qualified, Modest Means will send you a list of attorneys whose practice covers your area of concern.  You select a lawyer from the list and will be entitled to a one hour consultation for $75.  If you need additional help and if the lawyer agrees to take your case, the most you will be charged is $75 per hours.  the telephone number is (866) 637-5341.  Both Maricopa County and Pima County have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney for $40.  The telephone number is  (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute attorney consult for $35.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.