When a couple starts the divorce process, there may be some questions in regard to child support. A lawyer in Walker, MN who practices family law can answer these questions and provide legal representation during the divorce. It is advisable for each person to have a lawyer during a divorce when children are involved, as matters can become complex.
For the most part, child support amounts are set by state law as a percentage of the noncustodial parent’s income. Judges have some discretion in making adjustments to these amounts if one of the parent petitions for a change. Usually when the parents share physical custody relatively equally, child support from one parent to another is not required. There are exceptions to this, however. For instance, if one parent has always made a substantially higher income than the other, that person may still be required to pay some amount of child support so the youngsters can have somewhat equal experiences at both homes.
Another situation involves stepchildren that have been living with the couple. Normally, a stepparent is not expected to provide support for those children if the marriage ends, but the natural parent may ask the court for child support. A judge may be inclined to agree if the stepparent has been providing financial support to those youngsters for any length of time and has essentially been acting as the parent. This usually happens if the second natural parent is deceased or otherwise entirely absent from the children’s lives.
Certain specific conditions must exist for this request to be granted. Legally, it comes down to whether ending financial support would be definitively unfair to the children because of the relationship that had been created with the stepparent. A lawyer in Walker, MN who practices family law can explain the details in easy-to-understand language. Of course, if the stepparent has adopted the children, he or she would be responsible for providing financial support in a noncustodial situation. A firm such as Business Name. is ready to answer questions from people who are planning to divorce and have complicated situations concerning the children.
