Hey, everyone. I've taken the overwhelming advice of everyone to move back into my home. My wife isn't willing to come back yet, and she has all of the kids. I've forced a visit with the help of local police.

I haven't had any luck finding a divorce attorney, specifically one with family court expertise. I thought this would be a good place to ask for recommendations of successful and competent divorce lawyers.

what area of Utah?

Utah valley

As an avid listener to Utah's number 1 conservative talk radio station (Rush, Glen, Dave Ramsey, Hannity) the commercial for the best lawyer specializing in Men's rights and Men's ability to Keep their salaries away from conniving-nasty-ex-wives is Cordel and Cordel

https://cordellcordell.com/offices/utah/

I'd be sure to check websites such as www.Leagle.com, and then check for complaints on www.Ripoffreport.com before hiring an attorney.

If Utah is anything like California the local Bar Association can probably give you a lawyer's name.

My ex-wife had a life-long friend who came into money through hard work and a lawsuit against her employer. This friend married an ordinary guy who was hit by a car while a pedestrian and parlayed it into a huge settlement because the tortfeasor had a huge umbrella policy.

They had a son. They fell out of love. One of them filed for divorce and they both got divorce lawyers with excellent reputations as bulldogs.

Money was never the issue. They spent years litigating the issue of custody.

The friend told my ex that she spent just under $300,000 and that her ex probably spent more.

And since then I've wondered, just how tempting (and how easy to carry out) it must have been for the two attorneys involved to collude on keeping the matter in litigation. Had they managed to get their clients to reach an accord, the money would have stopped flowing.

...and I'm just an amateur cynic...

You're limited only by your budget. Figure that out, vs how much you stand to lose, and go from there. Be professional, not emotional. Divorce attorneys love emotional divorces.

https://www.justlawutah.com/

Good luck.

Wait, you’re forcing a visit? You mean your kids will visit their home?

I thought visit meant going somewhere not your home.

Sounds like she kidnapped the kids and is keeping them from their home. Seriously, call 911 and report a kidnapping.

She doesn’t have the right to take them.

I must be missing something because daily I hear about the Patriarchy and oppression of women and then this crap happens.

You need to be the jerk you’re supposed to be.

Freeman, sadly this is not kidnapping. Either parent has the right and ability to take/remove the children anywhere in the USA so long as there is not a custody order in play. The police will do nothing about it other than say it is a civil matter and must be handled by the police.
I took my kids and left 9 years ago and we aren't even legally separated. I am not required to inform him of where the kids are even. The only way that a parent gets in trouble is if the other one can prove that the kids were taken out of the country by a parent when there is no custody order in play.

Retain the best attorney you can afford. The bar association will provide referrals if you don't know where to begin.

The wife does not get to call the shots on how or where you get to see your children. The court does. So you returned to the family home? Did she up and leave with the children because you came back? That could be kidnapping without your consent.

You have rights too.

If money is tight, check and see whether there are legal services for family law in Utah county such as a law clinic or Legal Aid type of not-for-profit that might be able to render assistance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2018 09:11AM by helenm.

Jeez, I hate what this cult does to families. :(

you have no idea how much danger that you are presently in

The first time that there is any friction, the police will likely end up involved

The police, as a standard matter of course, will recommend a protective order, because that is what they are formally instructed to do, that came about to protect Law Enforcement agencies from law suits and bad publicity in the instances when the male parent /man freaks out and injures/kills the female parent.


your former spouse will have to be a very exceptional person to NOT be inclined to follow the advice/ instructions of men in blue

Standard police procedure is to arrest you first and ask questions much much later. If you dare to question what is going on in any way then the procedure becomes: beat the Hell out of you before arresting you.

You have ZERO real rights as a father. I know, I have been through the (male loathing) system.

My mother in law ( her mother) was on my side the entire time in court, as we both wanted the kids taken away from my total nut case ex who was practicing "polygamy" with Ervil Le Baron's youngest son (out of 40 children), and that is a family where they have killed each other.

My documented custody plan was for my ex MIL to get guardianship of the children, IF I prevailed in the custody battle. That got me NOTHING with the court.

Your only "right" is to pay and pay and pay and pay and pay for everything that everybody else wants while you get NOTHING.

I hate to tell you, but your documented plan lost you custody. If your documented plan was to give your MIL guardianship after you were awarded custody, a court would not give you custody. Two factors in awarding custody are which parent wants custody, and which parent is presently equipped to care for the children as their custodian. Your documented plan indicated you neither wanted nor could take custody. In a custody conflict between a parent and her mother, the parent wins every time—outside clear and convincing evidence of special circumstances. It’s called the parental presumption. Parents are on equal footing with each other but are on superior footing to anybody else. When you told the court you wanted (but didn’t really want) custody, you lost.