Presently the mother of our 5 year old daughter and I are seperated (never married). We are looking into mediation and I was wondering if its true that I would have to pay for half of the costs to her lawyer and if we take to long to set up mediation that primary custody would be given to the mother by default since she is residing in North Carolina and I am living in California.
It was my understanding that I’m only required to pay half the cost of the mediator and unless an agreement can’t be reached in mediation then physical custody is only decided in the final court hearing regarding our case. Thank you again in advance and for operating this site; you have no idea how much I appreciate this site and how refreshing it is to be able to get even a little help regarding these matters that some individuals (such as police officers) expect ordinary tax paying citizens to know like the back of our hands.