Single mom needs help with child custody fees

Hi, my name is Amanda, and I’m fundraising to pay legal fees for custody of my children. In October 2022, my ex took me to court seeking custody of our very young daughters. Luckily, my lawyer got me full custody, and I’m able to supervise visitations for my ex with the girls.

However, me retaining full custody made my ex very mad, and he is retaliating through the legal system. We’ve been to court several times this past year, and have at least 2 or 3 more court appearances this year. My ex just filed another custody suit against me, he also filed contempt against me, and filed to lower child support.

It is crucial that I retain sole legal and physical custody of both children because they are only 2 and 4 years old, and my ex is neglectful and psychologically abusive. I truly believe that my daughters will not be safe if ever alone with him, and since he has parental rights, it is imperative that I have a competent lawyer to represent me for the safety of my children.

The safety of my kids is worth any amount of money to me; however, I’m on a fixed income. I’m a disabled Veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) War, so I rely on Veteran disability and child support to pay bills for my family.

Lawyers and legal fees are extremely expensive, so I currently owe my lawyer around $10,000. Unfortunately, I cannot pay this debt which means my lawyer cannot work on my case until the debt is paid. In addition to the debt needing to be paid off, I also need to pay a retainer fee of at least $5,000-10,000 to have legal representation at our future court dates this year. Many Pro Bono lawyers have met their quotas for the year, and since I was never arrested, I’m not qualified for a public defender.

Any financial help that you provide will be used to help keep my children safe and in my custody. Thank you so very much.