tracking people down - child support - all that jazz

[RaZoRbLaDe KiSs]

So I dont know how many of you have experiance with this type of stuff, but my dad is a scum bag, and I pretty much havent seen him, heard from him, gotten one cent from him (despite the fact that he's supposed to be paying child support) etc... In almost 18 years now. So, I've finally come to the point where I am thinking - god damnit, I want to collect that shit!! If he doesnt want anything to do with me, the least he can do is pass some money over every once in a while, im getting ready to go to college, I can use that!
So I try to talk to my mom about this - she refuses to have anything to do with it, she says if I want to get it so bad, that I need to get it myself. I have no idea where to even start! she says I should look online - I've done that, I've come up with shit. My cousin has a friend who is a lawyer in Chicago, but I dont even know where to begin with all of this.

Any advice?

[Dorothy Wood]

my dad owes me about $30,000 in back child support. in college I thought I'd try to get the money and open up a miniature golf course in my town because there weren't any around and since they were cracking down on underage drinking, the kids needed something else to do.

but, meh. my dad's kind of a bad dude and who needs the trouble? if you're willing to complicate your life, I suppose you could research child advocacy groups that help with stuff like that. try searching "dead beat dads" or something.

[The Notorious LOL]

after lawyer fees you would see maybe 10% of it. Assholes, all of them...including Befsquire and Documad. Assholes!

[Bob]

that's defamation! i should sue you for a million dollars!

[Documad]

that's defamation! i should sue you for a million dollars!

that's the spirit!

[zorra_chiflada]

i've been trying to track down my half brother (my dad's son) who he has never mentioned, and has no contact with. it's fucking impossible. some people don't want to be found

[Bob]

that's the spirit!

if you need representation, let me know

in 2 years

[Documad]

Sometimes it's better not to find them. My sister in law regrets trying to hook up with her dad's other kids.

RBK: I don't have good info for you. In my state, I would call the office of County Attorney in my county and ask for the child support division. They won't represent moms or kids but they do some child support enforcement and because they're elected officials they try to be helpful and give out information. In your state, county attorneys might have another name. I think that in Illinois they may be called state's attorneys, even though they work for the county instead of the state. Like if I lived in Chicago, I'd google for the Cook County State's Attorney, and then I'd call the child support division.

I've never done any kind of family law, so I'm confused about why your dad would owe you instead of your mom. Most states punish deadbeat parents better than they used to. They can lose their driver's licenses for one thing.

[befsquire]

yeah, even though child support is a right of the child and not the parent, it goes to the parent who is the primary residential parent, not to the child. so, even if you found him and got him to pay, it's really about reimbursing your mom for the money she spent that should have been equally spent by both.

and LOL, i don't know what you think goes on, but lawyers in FL can't charge a percentage fee on any sort of family law type issue. AND, child support enforcement is done through the state, not individual attorneys.

if attorneys could collect a fee for getting deadbeats to pay back child support, way more private attorneys would be doing child support enforcement, and you wouldn't hear anyone bitching about what they're owed.