New York Family Legal Questions

It is great that you feel you have employment opportunities. Perhaps you and your parents can compromise: what if you attend school part-time or community college at night? That way you can take the job but get all the job security and ability to advance through the work-force that comes from a college degree.  At the end of the day, your parents can't force you to go to college. But, even with a job, your resources are limited. $50k in New York is not much and you don't say what sort of work you are doing - if that work requires physical labor, you might find that you end up hurt and without an education it limits you. More and more the trend is to need more than college, but also graduate school, to make it. Of course that isn't for everyone. If you can talk to your parents and outline a plan for your life, maybe you can convince them to work out a deal with you to either go part-time or delay a few years.  Going to school while you are young is much easier than trying to go back later. If you can't talk to your parents, maybe ask a family friend (an adult) to help you get organized and approach your parents. If they see you are handling this in an adult way and you can present your reasoning in a clear manner, that might help them realize you are close to becoming an adult.  Remember that some of the only unconditional love in the world comes from parents. Think carefully about how to find compromises and preserve what you can with your parents. One day you might both understand eachother better. Good luck.... Read More

If you feel comfortable, maybe you can offer some access to the child in a public place, where you stay not too far away (maybe a park, museum or McDonalds). One marker for a good custodial parent is trying to encourage the relationship between the child and the other parent. Obviously this has to be done in a safe way. You have no court order for him to see the child, but showing the court that you can support an appropriate relationship will generally help your case. Talk to a lawyer to get a more detailed answer that is specific to the facts of your case. And don't do anything you feel is not safe for you and the child. Good luck.... Read More

You would need a permit to carry a weapon. If you put a restraining order on someone - either through the criminal court or the family court - that's it. If you find them following you or violating the order, call the police and report it. Violating an order of protection will result in their arrest. Good luck.... Read More

You can go to the Family Court and file a petition to modify custody/visitation. The family court has no filing fees and sometimes people are able to use it without a lawyer. If he gets a lawyer, you should get one too. Figure out what you want to happen and ask for it in your modification petition. The clerks can help you draft it. It is never too late in the process to decide later that you want a lawyer. Good luck!... Read More