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Hi all,
heres my story -
I split with my ex at the beginning of this year and since day one she made it difficult to see my daughter (now 2 years). I began seeing a solicior straight away and tried to get contact with my daughter at weekends. My ex made up lies from the beginning calling me unstable and an alcoholic and drug abuser. I met a new partner and we have a great relationship. after months and months of constant solictors battle i finally got to have my daughter all weekend, and my daughter was finally allowed to see my new partner (the same time she met someone else by the way). I must have spent 8 weekends with my daughter in total, when one supsicous night i eneded up taking my daughter to my partners sister (a registered nurse) because of what appeared to be a cigarette burn on my daughter bottom. She advised me to take my daughter to a and e, which of course, i did immmediately. Of course social services had to get involved, and phoned my ex (of which up until that point i was at a and e with my daughter). Contact has again broken down, the dr reported the case inconclusive, my ex partner immediately stoppped me seeing my daughter because i did what i felt was the right thing. She has since told solictors i am not acting in the best interests of my daughter and cannot be trusted. Ive now not seen my daughter for 3 weeks and its killing me inside. Yesterday my partner receievd a text from my ex saying i can see my daughter during day times only and no overnight stays (for no reason). But when my partner replied (i have no phone contact with her anymore due to her nature) she then said contact would be supervised only and she would not be seeing her solicitor anymore as she doesnt see the point. She has also refused mediation.
when contact broke down three weeks ago i decided to represent myself without a solicior as it just became about my ex and me and not my daughter.
I have now filed my papers for court and have got witness statements, character references, medical reports and also a policer report from when my ex hit me and preforated my eardrum whilst my daughter was present.
So i would like to ask - has anyone else represented themselves in court? and how hard is it to cope without expert legal advice?
Many thanks
Craig
Hi Craig
Firstly, welcome to Dadtalk. I hope you are going to find it helpful. It sounds as if you are going through a tough time right now and I am sorry to hear that you have not had contact with your daughter for some weeks now.
Whilst I don't have any experience of representing myself in court I am sure that other dads do and will be able to give you the right advice. I do know that the family court generally is pretty informal and the judges and magistrates are used to people representing themselves. If there is anything you don't understand, you should feel free to ask the judge or magistrated for help if you get stuck at any point.
Try to keep calm, because the family court is generally interested in one thing only - that being the best interests of the child involved.
I hope this is helpful.
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