In these modern times, hearing news about couples breaking up and divorcing is nothing new or unusual. Celebrity couples and ordinary couples do it all the time.  As a matter of fact, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), about 41% of American marriages end up in divorce.

There are, however, many consequences to this kind of separation. The greatest effect falls not on the ex-spouses themselves but on their child or children. This is why the law provides various means in order to protect the child’s rights. One of these is the law on child support.

Roughly defined, child support is the inherent right of every dependent child, not yet of legal age, to be financially supported by his or her parents. Typically, in divorce cases, the parent who has primary custody of the child or the custodial parent has the right to be supported financially by their former spouse in the upbringing of their child.

However, sometimes things do not go as planned. Sometimes the other parent fails in their duty to financially support their child. The law addresses this problem by providing various safeguards to ensure the avoidance of this situation.

For example, there are severe penalties for not paying child support in which include, but are not limited to, fines, wage garnishment, confiscation of driver’s license, denial of passport and even military discharge in particular cases.

If you, a loved one or a friend is experiencing problems regarding matters of child support, the best thing to do is to hire legal counsel to represent your case in court. Listed below are some of the most important considerations that you must take into account when choosing a family attorney to represent you.

Consideration #1: Consider The Lawyer’s Expertise

Lawyers, like doctors, have their own specializations. Different lawyers have different fields of law where they have specialized knowledge and skill. For a case like this, it is an excellent idea to hire a family law attorney who is more familiar in the complexities of Family and Divorce Law, as compared to other lawyers who may specialize in a different area of law, such aspersonal injury law or criminal law.

Consideration #2: Consider The Lawyer’s Experience

“Experience is the best teacher.” As cliche as it may sound, it is true in every sense of the phrase. With long experience comes an inevitable and undeniable skill. The experience of the lawyer has provided them the great privilege of being exposed to various complex questions of law and gifted them the sharpened ability to more effectively analyze these situations.

Consideration #3: Consider the Lawyer’s Fees

Expensive doesn’t always mean good and good doesn’t always have to be expensive. Lawyers have different rates depending on their levels of experience, expertise, and influence. You can ask for referrals for lawyers your friends might recommend and ask for prices. Just make sure that you choose a reliable one.

By the same token, when choosing a lawyer, you ought to never compromise quality service for the purpose of cutting costs. This case will be a very important one for you so it is always worth the money if the service is top-notch.