If you currently do not have custody of your young children but feel that you could provide a better and safer environment for them, you might have thoughts running through your head about fighting for them. To fight to get custody, you will need a good lawyer to handle your child custody case, and you may want to talk to the lawyer first about your chances with winning the case.

The Costs of a Child Custody Case

Before you even begin to pursue custody of your kids, you should think about one main thing – your chances of winning. If you know your ex-spouse will fight you to the end on this, you should consider whether or not it is worth the fight, and this is primarily because the costs of fighting for custody can be high. In most cases, it will cost anywhere from $3,000 to $20,000 to hire a lawyer to handle a child custody battle for you. If you do not think there is even a chance you would win, you may want to reconsider doing this. If you think there is a good chance you could win the battle and can afford to do this, then you probably will want to proceed with hiring a lawyer and beginning the case.

The Factors that Affect the Outcome

When two parents battle over custody, the decision of where the children live becomes up to the judge who hears the case. While both parents can fight for their children and offer details and reasons why they are the better parent, the judge will ultimately have the decision, and judges use a lot of details into this decision before making it.

The top factor that matters to a judge is the child's best interest. The court has the responsibility of doing all it can to protect children, as they cannot fight for themselves, and judges will try to make this decision on what is best for the kids. During this, the judge will look at living arrangements and the types of jobs each parent has. The judge will not only factor in income but will also factor in which parent will be around for the kids more. The judge may also look at mental state of each parent and the support systems the parents have around them.

If you have evidence to prove that you would be the better custodial parent for your children, you might have a better chance of winning the case. You should talk to a child custody attorney if you have any questions about this.