In cases where the parties have children and are not married, Juvenile Court has the responsibility of deciding contested issues of custody, parenting time and support.

In Ohio where a child is born to a couple who are not married the birth mother by virtue of giving birth has custody of the child. The father of the child has no rights to custody or parenting time until a Court grants him such rights. Just signing the birth certificate does not give the father rights regarding the child. An acknowledgement of paternity while creating a parent child relationship between the father and the child does not automatically convey rights of custody or parenting time to the father.

Child Support does not automatically begin with the birth of a child. A parent, or in cases where a child or parent receives state assistance, the State must file a complaint for support with Juvenile Court. The Court may back date support to the birth of the child in certain circumstances.

If you need assistance in trying to obtain custody of your child, or you want to be able to have a say in how your child is raised by entering into a Shared Parenting Plan, or you simply want to by able to see your child without the other party dictating when and where you do so. Call my office for a free consultation.

If you need assistance in trying to obtain a child support order call my office and I will take the time to do a preliminary child support worksheet to give you a general idea of the amount of support you are entitled to, and can then assist you in filing the Complaint for Support with the Court.

If you already have a custody, visitation or child support order, and you feel that the order needs to be modified, a motion to modify may be appropriate. In cases of child support many individuals are either paying too much or receiving too little support due to changes in the child’s or parent’s circumstances. Ohio law permits a review and modification at any time upon showing that there would be a 10% change in the current order. The sooner you file the motion, the quicker a modification will take effect. If you wait to file your motion the Court cannot back date an order prior to the filing of the motion.

If you need assistance with a Juvenile Law issue please call my office. I will take the time to review your case on the phone, and will follow up with a free initial consultation.