I have concluded my custody hearing and was pro se and my ex was represented by an attorney. My ex has had the children in her custody for the last 2 years and I have only had supervised visitation due to false allegations she made to secure a DVPO in 2012. The judge has requested we submit findings of facts following the hearing. Is this something I submit and the ex’s attorney submits and then the judge sorts through to make the ruling in the case? I was requesting every other weekend visitation, unsupervised, alternating holidays and 3 weeks of vacation time. How do I even go about writing up findings of fact? I thought the fact finding was done by the judge hearing the case? Thank you for any advice.
The process for order submission can vary from county to county, so contact the family court in your county to ask what the process is. You can also contact your ex’s attorney to see if he or she is planning on drafting the findings. If so, he or she will be obligated to send them to you for review before they are sent to the judge. If you have objections to the findings your ex’s attorney has drafted, you should submit your changes in writing directly to your spouse’s attorney. I would also contact the attorney’s office and ask for confirmation that they intend to contact you before sending the order to the judge. The attorney has an obligation to submit your objections to the judge along with their proposed order. You are also free to send a letter directly to the judge with your requested changes to the order.