Douglas County Child Support Attorney
Dealing with a child support case and you don’t know where to turn? Worried you’re receiving too little child support, or paying too much? Needing to modify your current child support orders? The Douglas County child support attorneys at Plog & Stein, P.C. can help deal with any of these scenarios. Our attorneys have over 70 years of combined family law experience and have litigated hundreds of child support cases in Douglas County. When establishing or modify child support in your divorce or child custody case, having the right family law firm on your side matters.
- Establishing Child Support
- Modifying Child Support
- Enforcing Your Child Support Orders
Call us today at (303) 781-0322 or contact us online to schedule a confidential appointment with one of our experienced child support attorneys.
Understanding Your Child Support Options in Douglas County
Under Colorado law, child support orders are typically entered in divorce (with children), custody, or stand-alone child support cases. Colorado statute dictates that each parent has a financial obligation to appropriately support his or her children. C.R.S. 14-10-115 sets forth the basic guidelines for calculating child support, with income being the key factor in determining what monthly amount should be paid. Lesser, yet important, variables include the number of children, overnight parenting time, child care, and health insurance premium costs. Child support is generally calculated with statute specific software. However, litigating child support cases and obtaining appropriate outcomes entails both the understanding of the law, but also the subtle nuances tied not only into the core variables, but also tangential issues affecting your rights and obligations.
For example, with income being the key factor in determining child support, the vast majority of child support litigation ties into “income” and whether proper figures are being used. The prevailing duty that parents have is to be employed commensurate with their experience and training, full-time. In some cases, one parent may be voluntarily underemployed or unemployed. In others, there may be valid reasons why a parent cannot work at all. Child support attorneys understand what facts, or evidence, you need to support your arguments, as well as what’s needed to challenge those of the other parent. Given that the child support calculation is a mathematical function, the lesser variables also have an impact. Making sure proper child care, health insurance, or recurring expense figures get into the calculation ensures accurate results and just legal outcomes.
The duty to pay child support generally runs until a child turns 19. However, it can extend beyond then if the child is still in high school or suffers from a disability such that he or she is unable to independently meet his or her own financial needs. Colorado statute makes no provision for payment of college expenses.
Additionally, you can modify child support, until the age of majority, when there has been a substantial and continuing change in circumstances, which are generally financial in nature and tied into income or employment changes. Plog & Stein, P.C. also assists in child support enforcement and collections proceedings. When the child support payor fails to comply with court orders, there are various steps that can be taken, such as wage garnishment, a support judgment, or contempt of court proceedings.
When first meeting with a member of our Douglas County family law team, we will thoroughly and honestly assess your case to determine what your rights and options are. From there, we will work to formulate a strategy designed to effectively and efficiently pursue your objectives. We understand the importance of making sure you’re able to meet both the financial needs of your children, and yourself. We will be there for you each step of the way in your child support case. Whether in the courtroom or during settlement discussions, your attorney will use their many years of legal knowledge, experience, and insights to advocate for you, the client.
Hire an Experienced Douglas County Child Support Lawyer
Regardless of your child support circumstances, chances are we’ve seen it before. When dealing with child support issues, timing is everything. In most divorce or custody cases, the duty to pay child support does not start until the other party is served. Conversely, if you’ve been served with a petition or a motion to modify child support, you have 21 days to file a response. Modifications of child support are typically done retroactively to the date a motion is filed, not the day of your court hearing. With any child support case, you will need to deal with mandatory financial disclosures, and potentially, discovery requests. Though striving for the best outcome is always our goal, part of our job is to deal with each aspect of your case, thereby relieving you of the burdens of deadlines and paperwork that come with litigation. Our attorneys provide zealous advocacy, decades of legal experience, and the comfort of knowing you’re well represented when the time comes to resolve your child support issue. Plog & Stein, P.C., family law done right!
We also represent family law clients in Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Parker, and other cities in Denver, Douglas, and Arapahoe Counties. Our main office is located in Greenwood Village, just a short drive from all Douglas County locations.
For further information, don’t hesitate to reach us at (303) 781-0322, or contact us online.