Ending the relationship means automatic 50-50 shared custody with joint legal. That's the law. If that's something you want, push hard for that NOW. If you settle for less, you will have a HUGE and YEARS LONG battle to increase it down the road.
She is not breastfeeding, so there is NO reason the kid cannot do immediate overnights. Offer some reasonable parenting plan that does 2-2-3 or similar schedule. Then if she refuses, ask for costs.
Start paying OFFSET CS right away, make sure you document what it is for (ie. USE the memo field). Bank the difference between offset CS and full CS, just in preparation for worse case scenario. That way if you get hit with arrears, you'll have them handy.
The lawyer cost you indicated is reasonable. An emergency motion will run you 900-2500 depending on the lawyer. Get a loan or otherwise liquidate any assets to build a war chest. You are going to need it if she gets stupid about it.
Read THE LIST
Lots of good advice in it. Your ballpark guesstimate on a final cost is going to depend on how amicable or ugly this is. A high conflict case will run you 1-3 years and 10-30K+ at a minimum to get a final order in place. (A decent lawyer should have a temp order for you in a matter of weeks)
She is not breastfeeding, so there is NO reason the kid cannot do immediate overnights. Offer some reasonable parenting plan that does 2-2-3 or similar schedule. Then if she refuses, ask for costs.
Start paying OFFSET CS right away, make sure you document what it is for (ie. USE the memo field). Bank the difference between offset CS and full CS, just in preparation for worse case scenario. That way if you get hit with arrears, you'll have them handy.
The lawyer cost you indicated is reasonable. An emergency motion will run you 900-2500 depending on the lawyer. Get a loan or otherwise liquidate any assets to build a war chest. You are going to need it if she gets stupid about it.
Read THE LIST
Lots of good advice in it. Your ballpark guesstimate on a final cost is going to depend on how amicable or ugly this is. A high conflict case will run you 1-3 years and 10-30K+ at a minimum to get a final order in place. (A decent lawyer should have a temp order for you in a matter of weeks)
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