Will my criminal case impact my family law situation? This is the question we aim to answer in this week’s blog.
Criminal & Family Law Case – Now What?
If you have a criminal case pending during a divorce or an allocation of parental responsibilities case, you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Even though there is the fifth amendment right against self-incrimination, if you’re dealing with urgent parenting time issues, it’s highly likely that the criminal case and its facts will be involved in your divorce or APR case. The last thing you want to do is get on the stand in your family law case and admit to something that can be used against you in your criminal law case. So, it’s crucial that you speak to your lawyer about those issues immediately.
Also, if there is a mandatory protection order issued in a criminal law case, the chances are high that you’ll be required to vacate a residence while the alleged victim is allowed to stay in that residence. Unfortunately, that may leave you with limited options of where you can go during that time. That may certainly impact your family law case, so I would highly recommend that you speak with a family law attorney about how to address those issues as quickly as possible with the court.
Child Custody…
What happens when you’re dealing with a child custody case while navigating a criminal law case? Will one impact the other? Typically, no. However, it’s up to the judge to review your cases and determine the best course of action for your family law case. For example, if you’re facing a misdemeanor charge, odds are this will be better for your family law case than a first degree murder charge.
In order to ensure the best outcome in your custody case, don’t stalk your ex-spouse, go by their house, or try to intimidate them. This should go without saying, but doing so can land you in all sorts of trouble. Not only will it affect you, but it will also affect them on a mental and psychological level. Child custody and divorce can be messy, extremely difficult processes, often leaving a person fragile and emotionally drained. The last thing your ex-spouse needs is to be intimidated, scared, or annoyed by your stalking behavior. To be safe, just don’t.
Need Legal Help?
Looking for legal representation? Not sure if hiring an attorney is the right thing for you? Consider reaching out to our attorneys here at the Colorado Lawyer Team for a free 30-minute consultation. With specialties in family law and criminal law, our experienced, dedicated, and hard-working attorneys may just be the representation you need! Find more information at https://colawteam.com or call 970.670.0378.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This blog post does not create an attorney-client relationship. It’s a blog post and not legal advice. Each case is different, and this post is meant for generalized knowledge, only. If you haven’t signed an engagement letter (or even received an engagement letter) AND issued some form of payment (peanuts do not count), then no attorney-client relationship exists. Nevertheless, we will do our best to ensure your confidentiality should you choose to contact us privately, but do not post about your case in the comments here (because reaching out for help with your case should be confidential, damn it).
If you have done both of the things mentioned earlier–signed a letter and paid us–then, and only then, you might be a client. But merely chatting with us online does not a client make. Suffice it to say, if you aren’t absolutely certain about whether or not an attorney-client relationship exists between yourself and the Colorado Lawyer Team, you should probably ask for some clarity. Until then, we’ll keep your secrets but we don’t formally represent you… YET.
