After 8 years of marriage, Anna wanted to divorce her husband and secure custody of their 6-year-old son, since — according to her — he had demonstrated neither an affinity nor a proclivity for parenting. “He didn’t want to be a part of his life when we were married,” the 40-year-old tells me. “So I didn’t think he’d take care of him when we weren’t.”
Divorce and child custody stories like these sounds all too familiar. We hear them from friends, relatives, and neighbors. As common as it is, chances are, it could happen to you. If and when it does, make sure you have enough evidence on your side to be prepared for the court proceedings that will follow.
Having relevant, accurate, and up-to-date evidence can really help you gain a legal advantage in your divorce or other family law action.
These are some of the evidence that you can present to the judge:
- Bank statements
- Tax returns
- Property
- Asset information
- Child’s school
- Medical records
Some documents and records you need as evidence are easily obtainable. If your spouse is adversarial and starts to hide information or documents, you can use subpoenas to obtain evidence.
Additionally, you can also hire a private investigator to help with the following:
- Gather evidence of marital misconduct or adultery.
- Asset search – locating assets that may be hidden by your spouse.
- Support information – spouse may attempt to make his earnings look lower than they really are.
- Child custody – find out activities that transpire when the child is visiting the other parent.
