Establishing child support and child custody in Las Vegas is common when a couple is getting divorced or an unmarried couple has a child together. Sometimes parents will attempt to negotiate and work out visitation, support, and custody agreements outside of the courts. These types of agreements are risky, as they are not necessarily legally binding. The paying parent could decide to stop making payments or pay less than was agreed upon, as well as create other such issues and problems.
Enforcing support agreements that are not court ordered requires retaining the services of a family lawyer in Las Vegas and going to court to obtain court ordered child support. It is for this reason that it is highly recommended to ensure court ordered agreements are put into place during separation and divorce proceedings, or in cases where unmarried couples are living apart or break up.
A big mistake people make is to wait and see whether the paying parent will live up to an agreement made outside of a court of law. Do not put yourself in this situation, because there are Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Departments and Agencies in every state that can provide further assistance in the event of non-payments, as well as other services for parents who have court ordered support agreements.
For instance, when you have a court ordered child support agreement in place, the Nevada CSE will help enforce state and federal child support laws. The CSE can use non-judicial processes to perform services, like:
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- Locating Missing Parents
- Helping to Establish Paternity in Paternity Disputes
- Reviewing Current Support Orders and Making Modifications
- Helping to Establish Medical and Child Support Obligations of Each Parent
- Enforcing Medical and Child Support Payments and Obligations
- Initiating Enforcement and Collection Processes for Arrearages
In addition, the CSE acts as an intermediary to process medical and child support payments for the parents. The paying parent makes their support payments to the CSE. The CSE then issues the payment to the receiving parent.
Should I Wait for the CSE to Enforce Child Support Orders?
In urgent matters, it is better to seek help from family lawyers in Las Vegas for enforcing child support orders, rather than waiting for the CSE. Your lawyer can expedite the process and get a hearing scheduled in the family courts much faster than the processes the CSE uses to enforce support orders.
Once the family courts have reviewed your case, they can issue specific orders, like wage garnishments, property liens, and seizing federal tax returns. Further, they could hold the paying parent in contempt for failing to make support payments, as well as refer the case for criminal prosecution.
For more information or assistance in obtaining a court ordered child support agreement, please feel free to contact McFarling Cohen Fic & Squires today at 702-565-4335 to schedule a consultation appointment to discuss your matter.