Attorney Jody L. Usow
Milwaukee Area Divorce, Family Law and Criminal Defense Lawyer

Child Support is a central theme in family law because financial issues are so often at the forefront of family disputes. Chiild support is calculated based upon a combination of factors including how many children are involved, how many overnights of placement the children have with each parent and what the parent's respective incomes are.

Bringing an action for child support.
Once a child support action is commenced, both parties will be required to provide Financial Disclosure Statements and the process will often involve one or more court appearances, requesting proof of income and in many cases, requesting interrogatories or depositions to confirm the current facts. As a result, the process itself can be expensive, so it is important to establish priorities before starting such an action. 

Effective negotiation is at the heart of family law.
Because child support issues often arouse other longstanding sources of animosity between the parties, child support actions can become contentious, requiring a balanced approach. In order to effectively resolve child support issues between parents a skilled attorney can make all the difference in bringing an unwilling spouse or parent to the negotiating table, either with the threat of litigation or through litigation itself. If you have struggled to negotiate with your ex-spouse or a difficult parent, we may be able to help.

Attorney Jody Usow is an experienced child support and family support lawyer and skillful negotiator.

To discuss your legal rights and all of the options available to you in a child custody and/or child placement matter, contact Attorney Jody Usow at (414) 272-7800.

Useful Concepts

Bringing an action to modify Child Support.
Assuming previous child support orders have been issued, either as the result of a divorce or paternity action, it is usually necessary to bring a motion before the circuit court to modify these arrangements. 

A substantial change.
A motion to modify child support requires that a "substantial change in circumstances," has occured before it may be brought before the family court. A "substantial change in circumstances" is a legal concept that establishes whether an action to modify an existing child support order is warranted. 

Examples of a substantial change in circumstances are a significant deviation in the placement arrangements, such as a child spending substantially more or less time with a parent than was previously ordered or agreed to, the loss of a job, or a substantial increase or decrease in either parent's income.