Visitation, Custody and Police in Chicago

When dealing with the police in the context of a visitation or custody dispute, it's important to remember that they do Not want to answer a 'domestic' call.  That is, they do not want to come to you house, or to the residence of the other parent, and mediate or handle a dispute between two parents.  There are better ways to enforce your visitation or custody rights under Illinois law, and I would be happy to talk with you.

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Customer Service in Divorce, Custody and Visitation Cases

Should a family-law attorney give clients his or her cell-phone number?  I believe so.  My clients, by trusting me with their divorce, custody, paternity, child-support, visitation or other family-law case, are really placing their lives in my hands.  I don't want them guessing what to do when a situation arises -- they need to be able to reach me when they have questions.  I give them my cell-phone number and encourage them to call anytime. This means that I can't hide from clients, that I must keep clients informed and somewhat happy, or they will be ringing my phone day and night. I call my customer-service policy 'direct contact.'  My clients can reach me 7 days/week.  I even answer my phone when I'm on the phone with someone else (very briefly, with apologies to the present caller -- just to say that I'm tied up and will have to talk later.) I don't put up a 'voicemail wall'  (I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson is in a meeting right now, would you...
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Basic Protocols for Calming Divorce, Custody and Visitation Conflicts

By learning from experience, I am trying to arrive at a set of basic 'protocols' (as I call them) that can be used in most high-conflict custody and visitation cases.  The idea is to reduce or eliminate much of the wasted effort and wheel-spinning that can take place as parents jockey for advantage.  Not that there aren't important tactical considerations in these cases -- there are!  I'm talking about protocols like the following: 1.  Don't talk with the other parent during exchanges of the child 2.  Communicate with the other parent only by email, except for emergencies 3.  Pickup of the child for visitation is by the parent whose time is beginning. 4.  Exchange of the child(ren) should be done curbside in front of the other parent's house, with the parent in the car staying in the car.  (This works for children who are safe to walk between the street and the front door.) Back to my website
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The Improper Use of 'The Wedge' in Custody, Visitation and Divorce Cases

One tactic improperly used against my client is what I call "the wedge."  It's when one parent gets the child excited about attending an activity or event that will infringe or cancel the other parent's parenting time, or that will require the other parent to provide transport to and from the activity or event.  Once the child is excited about attending, without notifying the other parent or communicating directly adult-to-adult (which would be the proper way) the parent instead says, "It's OK with me, but you'll have to ask your Dad, since it's his weekend," or words to that effect. Now the child is like a torpedo, launched against the other, unsuspecting parent.  The child's words will be something like, "Dad, can I be in baseball this summer?  Mom says it's OK but I have to ask you."  This puts the other parent (in this case, Dad) in an unwinnable situation:  He may well enjoy the free-and-easy parenting time he has each we...
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