I live in Texas and I am the sole managing conservator of my son. I've been in and out of court on enforcement issues concerning visitation. We always come to an agreement or arrangement. Out of all these times I am suppositly in contempt she has not once made a physical appearence to try and pick up the child.They talk on the phone and either her schedule doesn't fit or his. So they make other arrangements. This last time we went to court we came to another agreement in which I would be left out of any replanning or scheduling. I was just fine with that. Leave me out. Well since then about 3 to 4 months have gone by and they have spent about 8 hours total. Well now she has gotten behind about $4000 in child support. Within the last couple of years her livelyhood has change dramatically. She claim in the begining that she only made $200 a month. So I agreed to the minimum of $150 a month. So you can see by the calculation what her intensions of paying are. Now she owns a brand new home and 2 new cars. And still not a cent. She also (I believe) fostered then adopted some childern. Doesn't the state help out (finacially) in such cases of fostering? She claims to be able to have all this on her now husbands salary of about $40,000 a year. Give me a break.To have and to support a family of 6? I have fired my first lawyer(a joke). And now I had a new lawyer submit an enforcement issue of support on her. What do I need to know or do to ensure I don't get the short end of the stick. And not end up a victim to lawyers mediation tactics? I want to fight, because I feel I have nothing to hide.

fredg

Hi,
At 63 yrs old, and many yrs ago going through a divorce, with 2 small boys, paying child support, having visitation rights, I do feel for you.
There is no 100% guarantee of finding an exceptional lawyer!
But, as a rule of thumb, don't hire a younger lawyer. You want one with some experience in the specific area; as in your case, an experienced lawyer in child support cases. As the old saying goes, "I've never handled that before", or "Yes, I have handled 3 or 4 cases like this"; is NOT what you want to hear.
Ask your lawyer how many yrs experience he/she has in this area. If the lawyer is good, they will appreciate you for asking. There should be someone you know who knows, or knows someone, who knows about your lawyer, and how good or not good they are. Most of the time, word of mouth is a good indication as to the lawyer's effectiveness.
Just keep going with your lawyer, and I do wish you the best.
fredg