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Hi all,
I am a thirty year old Dad that is splitting from his son's mother. I have various issues with her ( which all stem from her having bi-polar) and eventually i want to apply for custody as i feel it would be in my son's best interest. The problem i have is that i can't really afford a solicitor and my ex will definitely make access difficult for me. I have a reasonable level of intelligence but haven't studied law, could i realistically do it all by myself?
Any comments or past experiences would be helpful, good or bad.
Thanks guys.
Hi there and welcome Matt 🙂
I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties. There is no reason why you cant represent yourself. Have a look at the stickys at the top of this section....one is Contact Order C100 Guide, this is about the form you would need to apply for contact or custody (Residency) and the other is called Representing yourself in Court, both have useful information.
It would be advisable to try Mediation first, the courts would expect you to have exhausted all other avenues before applying to the court. Heres a link www.nfm.org.uk
The forms you would need can be found on www.justice.gov.uk you will get infformation about fees and about where your nearest family court are located. The costs for self representation would be in the hundreds, wheras if you were to use a solicitor you're talking thousands!
Good luck with everything 🙂
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