Dear Attorney Mark, About eight years ago my ex-girlfriend and I had a child.
After that we broke up a bit and never got back together, but I have to pay child support.
My ex-girlfriend keeps bringing me to court for not paying what I’m supposed to and owing a little over $ 3,000.
I know that seems like a lot of money, but actually it’s not much for more than eight years.
Well, their child support friends are ordering me back for contempt.
Is there anything I can do to get them and the Child Support Agency off my back?
I know there are people out there who owe a lot more than me and nothing happens to them – why do they choose me if I can’t afford to pay? – DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
Dear Contemnor, the simple answers to your two questions are as follows: They are “attacking” you for failing to comply with a court order, and you can get them off your back by paying what you are supposed to pay.
While that $ 3,000 doesn’t seem like much to you, imagine if you were busy somewhere and your boss is telling you he won’t pay you this month because he can’t afford it, but that you are still for have to work him.
The fact is that the money is necessary for your child’s well-being and you are legally required to pay that money.
If you think your obligation is too high, you can contact the Child Support Enforcement Agency and request a change, or you can hire a lawyer to file an application in court.
However, if you choose to simply ignore the court order instead of going through a process of amendment, you face jail sentences and fines for disregarding the court and even the potential for offenses for criminal failure to assist.
As for all of the people who owe more than you who have not been persecuted by CSEA, I am sure that if you gave them the names and addresses, they would love to remediate.
Dear Attorney Mark, my question is not really a legal question, but rather a question about attorneys.
I phoned various lawyers last week to get an answer to a simple question but no one answered my call.
They all said I had to come to a conference and get a counseling fee for the counseling and they wouldn’t know how much my whole case would cost until I talked to them.
I am not happy with the service I received from any of them and I wonder if all lawyers are just out to make money instead of looking after their clients. – ANGER IN LAWRENCE COUNTY
Dear Angry, imagine someone calling a doctor’s office telling them they have chest pain and wanting to know whether to take a rolaid for indigestion or go to the emergency room for a heart attack and how much would cost the treatment.
The man’s problem is simple, he has chest pain.
Legal issues are very similar – most of the time, the attorney needs a lot of information about the facts and circumstances in order to pass judgment on a case or provide advice.
While a question may seem straightforward to a customer, legal issues often depend on a single fact that the customer may not think is important and leave it out on a short phone conversation.
A conference is therefore usually needed to provide better service and advice to people.
When it comes to costs, the same goes for lawyers as for doctors: we can’t know how much it will cost until we know what to treat because a Rolaids costs a lot less than a visit to the emergency room.

It’s The Law was written by attorney Mark K. McCown in response to legal questions he has received. If you have a question, please forward it to Mark K. McCown, 311 Park Avenue, Ironton, Ohio 45638 or email it to [email protected]. The right to condense and / or edit all questions is reserved.