It's out weekly feature with Attorney and Mediator Shon Cook where she offers some very practical and helpful advice about legal issues surrounding family law, the courts and how effective mediation can be to avoid the day in front of the judge. Shon's desire for any case she's involved in is the best outcome for her clients and to hopefully guide them into the best decisions that they can maintain control over for all parties and get the desired resolution.
This week, we're dipping in to an area where you might hear a lot of old hearsay about what can and can't be done,, but there's also a lot of nuance to some of the proceedings and the overall "general knowledge" on the subject, well, it's got a lot of grey area. We're talking about custody, and I am sure like me you've heard someone say more than once, "When that kid is 13, they are making their mind up that they are going to live with the other parent." Well, not so fast. Shon is here to explain that there's a lot more to it. In fact, there's really only some extreme cases that get attention that quick without a long and somewhat difficult process to get through to get to where a decision is made. It's not an easy process either. Yes, there are times when things happen in the lives of people and circumstances warrant it, but it's a big decision in an already difficult situation when you ask a child to testify against a parent who may have a problem. Dealing with this can be a lifetime if issues. It's no easy task on anyone.
Shon spends a few minutes today talking about all of this from a perspective not often thought of by those outside the legal world. It's hard enough in a relationship that's not working to not put the children in the middle of it, but it happens and Shon sheds some light on the subject this week in our feature.
Life as a grownup....not so easy all the time. This is why the help of an experienced Family Law Attorney like Shon Cook is incredibly valuable and even more, maybe her role as a mediator can help avoid the court appearances all together. If you need a hand, you can always call Shon at 231-894-0909. You can