questions & answers

Question: Hello, my son is 8 months & his father has a drinking problem. I am scared to leave him by himself with his father because he drinks & thinks he is okay...His father believes its okay to drive while drinking some whiskey & driving with beer & We have never lived together & we have no paperwork. Our 8month old lives with me & we visit his father & his fathers family at least 3to 4x a month for weekends. He wants to pick him up sometimes while I'm at work, he lies about drinking & I have seen him drink when we are visiting. What do I do? I am sooooo scared, he has an alcohol issue

Answer: You can file for sole custody of  your child through Arizona Family Court.  You can handle the case on your own by accessing custody forms and filing instructions on the Superior Court Web site.  You can go to http://www.azcourts.gov, select the county where you live and find the self-service center.  (Some counties call it ez-court forms).  It would be good to talk to an attorney to figure out your best options.  There are 3 programs in Arizona that you can use to get some inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the Modest Means Program.  If you are financially qualified for the program, for a $75 fee, Modest Means offers a one hour consult with an experienced attorney.  If you need additional help and the attorney agrees to take your case, the fee charged will not exceed $75 per hour.  The telephone number is (866)637-5341.  Both the Maricopa and Pima County Bar Associations have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consult for a fee of $40.  The telephone number is (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consultation for a fee of $35.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625. If you do  not have sufficient money to pay for a reduced fee consult, you can go elsewhere on this website and apply to see if you qualify for a free lawyer.  Go to http://www.azlawhelp.org/accesstojustice.cfm