CHILD SUPPORT

Although child support is determined in most cases by the State child support guidelines, this is not the simplest calculation, and there is room for adjustment in many cases based on specialized circumstance.

Do not handle your child custody dispute alone. The Crosland Law Group, LLC can help you. We have a wealth of experience representing clients in child support matters. If your case is heavily contested, we have the skills and resources to litigate aggressively on your behalf. If you need your case to be handled under more amicable terms, we can provide mediation and other non-litigious solutions.

We are here to help you through the complex and potentially challenging child support component of divorce.

Child support is most often determined by application of child support guidelines that take into account the amount of time that a child will spend with each parent and each parent’s income or earning capacity. However, the court can deviate from these guidelines when special circumstances arise. We help our clients understand these special circumstances and other child support challenges that include:

• Special-needs children: Children with mental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs can cost their parents more money than children who are free from these limitations. The court will often alter child support recommendations to reflect these extra costs.
• Self-employment: When one parent is self-employed, it can be difficult to ascertain his or her actual income. Whether deliberately or not, a self-employed parent will often underreport actual income by exaggerating expenses or neglecting to include certain cash flow items.
• Child visitation and support: It is unfortunately common for a noncustodial parent to seek for more visitation time in an attempt to minimize child support obligations.
• Modifications: In many cases, circumstances change long after initial divorce decrees have been finalized, or one of the parties is not living up to the agreement. We help clients enforce divorce decrees or petition courts for decree modifications as necessary.