Starting the Court Case

In every state, there are certain factors that a judge is supposed to consider when deciding custody in order to determine what custody arrangement is in the child’s best interests. To find out what the “best interest factors” are in your state, you can go to the WomensLaw.org Custody page, enter your state into the drop-down menu and look for the question called something similar to “How will a judge make a decision about custody?” You may want to prepare as much evidence as you can that will address the factors that the judge in your state will consider. This can be your own testimony, witness testimony, documentary evidence, etc. Additionally, in many states, the judge may appoint a custody evaluator to interview the parties.