Are there court appointed lawyers for custody battles when the parent can not afford one? Or are there people one can contact for help on filing for custody?
by 
s tman
ANSWERS: 2
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I don't know what state you live in, but in Michigan when a parent can not afford an attorney in a custody dispute, the court will appoint a Mediator so that both parents can work out their differences. A mediator is most often an overworked, underpaid person who works closely with the court system simply to lighten the load on other court-hired clerks and jerks. They can, however, actually be quite effective in helping to work out some of the usual custody difficulties and differences. If it is striclty custody that you are filing for, you can do that through the clerks office at the courthouse... in Michigan, that is.
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It depends on the legal jurisdiction in which you reside. That said, even if there is legal aid available, all cases must be approved by the agency that funds the legal aid program. Legal aid is often reluctant to take on custody cases, unless there is solid support for it, because of the number of frivolous custody cases pursued by parents. Custody claims are often used as a legal manoeuvre by one parent against another, to force concessions that are unrelated to child access. You have to contact the legal aid office in your jurisdiction, present you case to them, and wait for them to decide if the claim can be funded under any aid program. You should also be aware that legal aid cases usually have a financial or hourly cap, limiting the amount of time that a legal aid lawyer can spend on your case - kimiting either the number of hours the lawyer can work on the case or the expenses that can be charged to the case. Some cases are expensive to pursue and take a substantial amount of time, so it is careful to ensure that the limited legal aid resources are not wasted.
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