Maddy's Legal Voice
Donation protected
First and foremost, thank you for clicking on this link to read about our story. I am Jennifer mother of two beautiful girls, Ashley and Madelyn. I have raised them completely on my own by working full-time and have always provided for their every need. We are a happy family even if we have struggled over the years.
For the past 11 years, we have endured an ongoing custody battle with Maddy's father. As you can imagine, this has taken its toll on our small family, both emotionally and financially. We have been dragged into court repeatedly for visitation rights despite rarely receiving child support. Most of the money parents reserve for ballet or music lessons has had to go towards funding these petty visits to court.
As Maddy has entered her teen years, this battle has taken a deeper, more serious emotional toll on her. As her mother, this is too painful to witness. For years we have struggled with the financial burden that an independent advocate for Maddy would cost. Today that tough decision was made for us and Maddy was assigned a Guardian Ad Litem (a lawyer to represent ONLY MADDY'S interests in this case) by the court.
Even though we are happy to finally have Maddy's legal voice heard, it will come at a significant financial cost. Although we asked for a pro-bono G.A.L., our request was denied. We are looking at a $ 2,000 retainer and a billng rate for $250/hour. This is court ordered and we have NO CHOICE coupled with a limited time frame. We return to court Oct 5th.
Please help us by donating whatever you can so Maddy can FINALLY have a voice in regards to her own personal welfare. Please also consider sharing this with your community, because we need all the help we can get!
Thank you in advance for any and all that you can do.
Sincerely,
Jennifer, Ashley and Maddy
For the past 11 years, we have endured an ongoing custody battle with Maddy's father. As you can imagine, this has taken its toll on our small family, both emotionally and financially. We have been dragged into court repeatedly for visitation rights despite rarely receiving child support. Most of the money parents reserve for ballet or music lessons has had to go towards funding these petty visits to court.
As Maddy has entered her teen years, this battle has taken a deeper, more serious emotional toll on her. As her mother, this is too painful to witness. For years we have struggled with the financial burden that an independent advocate for Maddy would cost. Today that tough decision was made for us and Maddy was assigned a Guardian Ad Litem (a lawyer to represent ONLY MADDY'S interests in this case) by the court.
Even though we are happy to finally have Maddy's legal voice heard, it will come at a significant financial cost. Although we asked for a pro-bono G.A.L., our request was denied. We are looking at a $ 2,000 retainer and a billng rate for $250/hour. This is court ordered and we have NO CHOICE coupled with a limited time frame. We return to court Oct 5th.
Please help us by donating whatever you can so Maddy can FINALLY have a voice in regards to her own personal welfare. Please also consider sharing this with your community, because we need all the help we can get!
Thank you in advance for any and all that you can do.
Sincerely,
Jennifer, Ashley and Maddy
Organizer
Jennifer Bryant
Organizer
Lombard, IL