when a spouse shows up to custody hearing without a lawyer

by Dr. Leda O'Connell IV 9 min read

If your spouse doesn't show up for a custody mediation appointment, the judge will probably send you and your spouse to mediation on the morning of your hearing, and hold the hearing until later in the day. You should still be prepared for the hearing anyway.

Full Answer

Can my spouse attend a child custody hearing?

You can do this without a lawyer, but you'll need to present this agreement to the local court for a judge's approval. If you try to skip the court altogether, you put yourself at risk. More often than you'd imagine, the parent giving up custody will have a change of heart after a while and then denies there ever was any agreement.

How will the judge rule on my child custody case?

Jul 31, 2016 · While it’s impossible to conduct a successful mediation without your spouse present, it’s possible that you’ll get everything you want at a custody hearing if your spouse fails to show. In other words, a judge may overlook your spouse skipping a deposition, but court hearings, settlement conferences, and trial won’t wait for your spouse.

Do I need a lawyer to get a custody agreement?

Oct 13, 2010 · Richard Forrest Gould-Saltman. If your spouse doesn't show up for a custody mediation appointment, the judge will probably send you and your spouse to mediation on the morning of your hearing, and hold the hearing until later in the day. You should still be prepared for the hearing anyway.

What should I expect at a child custody hearing?

Apr 02, 2017 · Don't Lose Custody Over a Lying Spouse. Uncategorized ... In these type of cases it really boils down to what person is saying vs. what the other person is saying during the custody hearing and who the judge or jury is going to believe.In a child custody battle there is the potential for un-truths. ... child custody without a lawyer. child's ...

What to do if your ex doesn't show up for a divorce?

If you believe your soon-to-be-ex is avoiding the divorce, it’s time to ask a judge to court to compel your spouse’s appearance at meetings or request a default divorce.

How often do you have to face your spouse when you divorce?

A typical divorce is filled with paperwork, meetings, and court appearances. As much as you’d like to not have to face your spouse every few weeks, until you’re divorced, regular meetings will probably be a part of your life.

What are the things that a divorce requires?

Specifically, a divorce requires both spouses to attend things like depositions (which are taken as part of the fact-finding process), mediation, temporary custody hearings, temporary support hearings, settlement conferences and trial.

Can you settle a divorce without a trial?

Even couples that are able to settle their divorce without a trial may require a temporary support hearing and a few mediation sessions to resolve their case. When both spouses attend all case conferences, it helps the divorce move forward more efficiently.

Can a divorce be a default divorce?

In other words, a judge may overlook your spouse skipping a deposition, but court hearings, settlement conferences, and trial won’t wait for your spouse. Your divorce can move forward as a "default divorce" with or without your spouse. But the person who fails to show at a hearing risks losing everything in the divorce.

Can a judge cancel a custody hearing?

For example, a judge won’t cancel a custody or temporary support hearing just because your spouse couldn’t get out of bed. If an accident or significant illness caused your spouse’s absence once or twice, the judge may reschedule your hearing, settlement conference or deposition.

Do you have to give your spouse a call before a court hearing?

It also doesn’t hurt to give your spouse a call before the upcoming meeting or court hearing.

Naomi T Stal

Family law is a miniature world unto itself. Without knowing which courthouse you are working in, the general rule is that the court date will stand. If your ex shows up, the judge may order you down to mediation before hearing your case, but that depends on the judge and the court...

Daniel O'Brien

A California-licensed attorney will know best. But if the mediation is not required by statute, then the court date may stay in place, depending on the purpose of that hearing.

Richard Forrest Gould-Saltman

If your spouse doesn't show up for a custody mediation appointment, the judge will probably send you and your spouse to mediation on the morning of your hearing, and hold the hearing until later in the day.

How to determine how not to behave during custody battle?

To determine how not to behave during your custody battle, it is helpful to review the criteria used by the judge (“court”) to determine appropriate placement of the children. The court is charged with the responsibility of evaluating the situation to determine what placement and parenting time is in the child’s best interest.

What to expect from your mother during custody battle?

In particular, expect your children’s mother to point out all negative behavior during your custody battle. If you behave as though the judge were standing next to you each time you interact with the children or their mother, you will certainly avoid the pitfalls that will reduce your custody chances.

What are the two forms of alienation of affection that get dads into trouble?

The two most common forms of alienation of affection that get dads into trouble are: criticizing mom around the kids and keeping the children from mom in any way.

What happens if you ignore an order of support?

If the court enters an order of support and you choose to ignore it, that is considered contempt of court. If the judge makes a finding that you are in contempt, you may be fined or even jailed for such behavior.

What does it mean when you yell at your wife?

When you yell at your wife or your children it often gives the appearance that you are being abusive or bullying them.

What happens when a mother keeps her child from her father?

On the other hand, when the mother keeps the child from the father, parental alienation can occur, and that has serious ramifications. 2. Yell at wife and/or children.

What happens during difficult times?

These difficult times often cause a person to act or react irrationally and in ways that detrimentally affect his or her case. You should be aware prior to court proceedings that the court will evaluate your behavior in its entirety throughout the proceedings and always behave accordingly.

What to do if you can't come to an agreement with your spouse?

If you find yourself unable to come to an agreement with your spouse and you do have to schedule a court date be wary of these hallway settlements. You hire a lawyer to protect your interests but you have to put pro-active energy into making sure those interests are truly protected. 3. Judges don’t enforce court orders.

What are the unwritten rules of family court?

3 Unwritten Family Court Rules: 1. Lawyers and judges cover for each other. Most judges and lawyers will not report each other for misconduct or violations of judicial ethics. Judges especially can get away with bad behavior because lawyers don’t want to get on a judge’s bad side. Lawyers know they will go before that judge again ...

What are the rules of divorce?

Divorce is a civil action, and every state has rules of civil procedure. What you don’t hear about but, have probably fallen victim to, are the unwritten family court rules. These “unwritten rules,” are the rules that define how judges and lawyers conduct themselves with each other. These unwritten rules, the rules that define what goes on ...

Why are judicial orders not enforced?

Judges have the power to enforce awards but are typically reluctant to force men to honor their support obligations to their families because, under the law, men who don’t’ comply would have to be jailed, and judges are often highly reluctant to jail a deadbeat dad.”

What to do if you have a court date scheduled?

If you have a court date scheduled and wish to go before a judge for a decision, stand your ground. There is no guarantee you will get a better settlement from the judge but, you will at least know you were in control of how your divorce played out. 3.

Do judges enforce awards?

Judges have the power to enforce awards but are typically reluctant to force men to honor their support obligations to their families because, under the law, men who don’t’ comply would have to be jailed, and judges are often highly reluctant to jail a deadbeat dad.”.

Who is Cathy from About.com?

For 11 years, Cathy was the About.com Expert to Divorce Support where she covered all aspects of the divorce process.

What is the impact of child custody?

A child custody case can seem like a maze of legal paperwork, court dates, and visitation schedules; missing even a single detail in any of these areas can have a negative impact. Simply put, your relationship with your child is too important to risk letting that happen in a child custody case.Instead, you should look for an experienced family law ...

What can an attorney do for a child?

An attorney can also use their experience to present your case before the judge in a clear and compelling fashion and communicate with the other side so that personal emotions don’t get in the way of what’s best for your child.

What does it mean to let negative feelings lead to?

Letting any negative feelings lead to destructive behavior or poor judgment on your part is a quick way of painting yourself in a negative light before the judge and putting yourself at a huge disadvantage in court. With that in mind, we’ve drawn from our years of experience with family law cases and compiled a list of seven things you should ...

Is divorce hard to handle?

Posted by Matthew Myers on June 15, 2016. When you’re going through a divorce, it can be hard to handle the stress and emotional turmoil. Often, the legal aspects of divorce tend to get tangled up with the emotional and personal issues that led to the end of the relationship, and arguments over child custody only complicate the situation further.