questions & answers

Question: I am currently caring for a 14 month old who isn't blood related at all. He has lived with me for over 9 months now and his mom left him at a friend's cuz she had been involed in an incident where cops were coming for her and she ran. She currently hS a warrent and is still on the run but has only asked about her son a handful of times and has not seen him since she left him that day in his stroller behind the house alone. How do i go about getting rights to this little one as he is already calling me mom im the only thing he has known it would kill both of us to let her just take

Answer: This is a thorny situation and much too complicated for a forum of this nature.  You need to sit down with an attorney and go over all the details.  The attorney will want to know if you are a significant other of the mom, whether the mom signed any paperwork allowing you to care for the child and provide medical care, the father's relationship with the child (is he in the picture?), if there are other blood relatives who want the child, and a host of other things.  There are three programs in Arizona that you can use to get inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the modest means program.  You wil 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  hour.  The telephone number is (866) 637-5341.  Both Maricopa and Pima Counties have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers its 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.  If you are unable to afford even a modest fee and you meet the financial need qualifications, you may be able to find legal help in another section of this website.  Go to https://www.azlawhelp.org/accesstojustice.cfm.