Lake City Child Support Lawyer

Services Provided by a Salt Lake City Child Support Lawyer

A Salt Lake City legal professional can provide you with advice in a number of areas.

Advice About the Amount of Child Support Payable

Under the provisions of Utah state law, both parents have a legal responsibility to provide financial support to their children. Child support payments are made to cover the cost of these items:

• Child care
• Medical insurance premiums
• Medical treatment
• Basic needs of the child

The costs are shared between both parents and the amount each parent pays is determined by:

• Gross income of each parent
• Amount of time the child spends with each parent
• Number of children to be supported
• Whether either parent is paying support for children from a previous relationship

When meeting with an attorney about child-support payments, bring copies of bills, bank statements, pay stubs, and tax returns. These documents will be needed in order to prove your income and expenses. Child support calculation software is used to determine the amount of support to be paid. If the parents' joint income is more than $10,000 per month, the child support calculator is not used to figure out the amount of child support to be paid. In this situation, the Court will decide how much is to be paid.

In making the determination about the level of child support to be provided, the Court does take into account whether the child has special needs and the standard of living the child experienced while the parents were living together.

Determination of Paternity

In a situation where is some question about who the father of a child is, a Salt Lake City child support lawyer can help arrange for the necessary genetic testing to settle the issue conclusively. If the man being tested is, in fact, the biological father, then the Court will order him to make child support payments until the child in question reaches the age of majority.

Modifying a Child Support Order

After an order for child support is made, the non-custodial parent's financial circumstances may change. Should a substantial change in circumstances occur, such as unemployment, the amount of child support to be paid may need to be altered. Unless the original order is changed by the Court, the non-custodial parent is still required to make the payments as originally ordered.

Another situation where a child support may need to be changed is where the non-custodial parent has remarried and is responsible for supporting additional children.

Other Legal Matters

A family law attorney in Utah can also provide legal advice and representation with:

• Divorce
• Alimony
• Custody
• Visitation
• Protective orders

When consulting with a family law attorney, keep in mind that it is often easier and less expensive to resolve issues on your own. Going to court should be a last resort.

When it comes to child support issues, it's very important to get professional advice. For Utah residents living in the area, a Salt Lake City child support lawyer is a great choice. To find one, consult the Yellow Pages, go online, or contact the State Bar Association to ask for a referral.