Hi everybody! We are all moved into our new apartment. It is great. There are still boxes everywhere, but I am unpacking those slowly. <P>It was so wonderful to have my H home for the weekend, even if we were moving. We had dinner on Sunday at our fave restaurant (where we had dinner when we got married ) It was nice.<P>So, I am back, but busy unpacking boxes and stuff. Will check in later. Missed you guys!!<P>We still have no news yet. The lawyer hasn't returned the 2 phone calls I made. Do ya'll think we should just drop him. And go to court alone? Let me know what you think.<P>happy_girl

welcome back!!!! I think as far as your lawyer is concerned, I think I would ask for your money back. He isn't doing his job if he isn't even returning your calls. You have been waiting for over two weeks for some information. If he can't do the job, he shouldn't be paid. Call the cs office and see where the results are. Tell them you know that they have been posted, and you still haven't heard anything. That lawyer needs to get his butt in gear.<P>babstr.

Welcome back HG!!! Have no idea about the lawyer, although I would be tempted to drop him if phone calls weren't being returned. I know how much "fun" it is unpacking boxes and getting things put where you want them. We've done it about 10 times in the past 12 years!! Such is the life of a Navy wife!! Again, glad you're back.<P>Tigger<BR>

Welcome back HG! I think it's great you have a new place.<P>Have fun unpacking.and....do "it" in every room of the new place....sort of creating new memories w/H in your new place!<P> Debi<P>------------------<BR>Imagine....

Happy glad youre back we missed you. HAPPY VALINTINES DAY everyone. With love flowerseed

I am so glad you're back! You have been sorely missed. I am also wondering about Heavenly and very concerned none of us have heard from her. Someone said you might have her e-mail. If so, please check up on her and see how she is.<P>Your attorney sounds like a dud. Get your money back and get someone else. Before you go to court alone, what is the hearing about? Child support? Is your income cut and dried or do you have a lot of IRA's and savings that need to be protected? I guess the more you have the more you need an attorney to try to protect your [censored]-ets.<P>You sound so relaxed about moving! And happy about it! I have a house full of twenty years of crap to move two hours from here next month and all I can do is breath in a bag whenever I think of it. NOT looking forward to it...but I am looking forward to the end result. None of you will probably hear from me much all through March and April until I am settled. So much to do and so many complications.<P>Welcome back, HG.<P>Catnip =^^=

Dear Happygirl,<BR>I have learned two things in the four years we have been dealing with the courts and with the child support system:<P>1. Never go in without a lawyer. there are all kinds of loopholes in the cs laws that the cs official WILL NOT tell you about. They are concerned only about the plaintiff, never about the defendant. Unless you know guidelines and case law backward and forward, you need a lawyer. Even if you think your income is cut and dried, your lawyer might know little ways to cut back your final costs. Every time we have gone in without a lawyer we have gotten royally screwed.<P>2. a bad lawyer is much worse than no lawyer at all. We also started out with a lawyer who didn't care at all about us. If your lawyer is sitting on his thumbs, by all means request your money back and start putting in calls to other law offices. You can request a continuance in the meantime because you are changing counsel. When I was searching for a new lawyer, I wouldn't even consider meeting with lawyers who didn't talk to me personally on the phone beforehand. I figured that if they were to busy to try to win me as a client, then they'd be too busy to take care of our stuff for us. Make sure you pick a lawyer who realizes that he/she works for you, not the other way around. My lawyer always makes me feel like I am the only client he has - even though I know his practice is booming - and that nobody else is more important than whatever questions I have at the time. if you have to go with somebody less experienced or somebody with a hole-in-the-wall office, do so. A half decent lawyer who is fighting for you and breathing fire on your behalf has got to be better than a great lawyer who doesn't care diddly about your well-being. our lawyer, sweet man that he is, once came to court with a huge mustard stain on his shirt looking like something the cat dragged in, but man, did he knock-em dead once we got in there. Ask them how they've handled similar cases, and if you can get references. Then call the references. i did, and we now have a great guy I can call up in the middle of the night if I need to and that he'll jump hoops for us.<BR>Hope this helps<BR>cd

hey everyone! thanks for the warm welcome back. i missed everyone. when you come here everyday it feels like a little family.<P>i called the courts and told them what is happening with the lawyer. they said H can call and request the info. so i am going to have him do that. of course i couldn't get it, but that is okay.<P>i am busy unpacking and throwing away more stuff. i am a packrat. ick.<P>catnip, i will email heavenly again. i don't know where she is... start packing now. don't wait till last minute like i did. and label everything. and don't let your H pack if he doesn't label. i did and i have boxes that i have no idea what they contain. it took me 3 days to find the canned goods. <P>i will see about getting a new lawyer. we gave him $800 and all he has done is filed the initial response and talked to us on the phone a couple of times. and messed up the blood test date and then fixed it. but that was his fault, he never contacted us then tried to cover it up. :P do you think he will give us any money back?<P>H has no assets. his income is basically cut and dried, except he works in construction and his income varies from week to week. otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary. if we can find out when the hearing is set for, we can see if there is time to find a new lawyer.<P>thanks for all the input!<P>happy_girl