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legal advice, please?

JessesGirl05
JessesGirl05 Posts: 253
edited September 2024 in Chit-Chat
I need legal advise. IDK If there is anyone here who could help me but if there is please PM me.

not sure if it makes a difference but its regarding child custody in oklahoma

Replies

  • icerose137
    icerose137 Posts: 318 Member
    It's actually illegal to give legal advice if you're not a lawyer practicing in the same area as the person asking. My suggestion is if it's serious, go talk to a lawyer.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
    There may be a legal aid office in your area if money is an issue.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Asking for legal advice on an internet forum is a recipe for disaster. Go find an attorney in your town and talk to them.
  • Gettinfit2
    Gettinfit2 Posts: 254 Member
    Asking for legal advice on an internet forum is a recipe for disaster. Go find an attorney in your town and talk to them.

    Exactly!!!!!!!!
  • sarah_boombah
    sarah_boombah Posts: 124 Member
    Definately will need to contact a lawyer in your local area - us lawyers can't give advice without a retainer etc and we have to be in the same jurisdiction. Maybe try a community legal centre??
  • JessesGirl05
    JessesGirl05 Posts: 253
    its just a question. i am thousands of miles away from home on a sunday. there really isnt anything i can do at the moment. all i wanted to do was ask a question as to what i need to do, or what my first step needs to be, to someone who has maybe gone through the same thing im going through at the moment. there is nothing illegal about that
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
    So ask your question?
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    Maybe you could google "Child custody statutes of OK"? Then you'll probably come up with several websites that will have FAQs on them. Good luck!
  • kappyblu
    kappyblu Posts: 654 Member
    Wish I could help, but I have no idea what the laws are in Oklahoma. I also do not think it is wrong or illegal to ask people for advice or for someone to give it. How can it be illegal for someone to say what they think are the laws, unless maybe they are an attorney. But an ordinary citizen can say whatever they please. What you do with the advice is up to you. I would contact legal aid first thing in the morning--there is one in every county. I hope everything will be all right. Stay positive! :flowerforyou:
  • SouthernBell86
    SouthernBell86 Posts: 275 Member
    Honestly if you want legal advice you will have to get a lawyer. If you just want advice on a situation, or hear someone else's experience, you should just post it here on the forum. Alternatively there is a LOT of information out there on the internet. Maybe your state's government website has a section detailing the process you are trying to get through.

    Or you could call one of the local state representatives for your area. I interned for a representative of the state congress in TX and his office received calls asking for help with stuff like this all the time, and we really tried to get people as much help as possible, or at least point them in the direction where they can find the help they want. I am not talking about the guy who goes to DC, but the guy who represents you in the state capital. Child custody was a pretty common reason for someone to call in about, and the office director always was very sensitive and timely with responding.
  • icerose137
    icerose137 Posts: 318 Member
    Wish I could help, but I have no idea what the laws are in Oklahoma. I also do not think it is wrong or illegal to ask people for advice or for someone to give it. How can it be illegal for someone to say what they think are the laws, unless maybe they are an attorney. But an ordinary citizen can say whatever they please. What you do with the advice is up to you. I would contact legal aid first thing in the morning--there is one in every county. I hope everything will be all right. Stay positive! :flowerforyou:

    It isn't illegal to ask but it is illegal to answer. Because the person is then misrepresenting themselves as a lawyer in the eyes of the law.

    So not okay to ask "I need legal advice, here's the situation."

    Totally okay to say "I'm in a bind, anyone got any ideas?"

    One is asking for qualified advice from a lawyer. The other is asking for help in general.
  • goaldrivenmom
    goaldrivenmom Posts: 2
    Go ahead and ask your question as if you are talking to friends over a cup of coffee. Too many families are destroyed when they get into the legal arena when common sense could have suggested other ways to resolve the problem. Like some of the other suggestions, besides legal aid, look at arbitration or mediation, both are legally binding, but you and the other party together work for a resolution for less money and more control over the situation.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    It's not illegal to tell someone "This is what the law says," even if you aren't a lawyer. I could easily look up a statute or do some case law research and give the info to someone. That's not illegal as long as they are clear on the fact that I am not a lawyer and as long as I am not acting on their behalf (i.e. representing myself as their attorney) regarding whatever legal matter they're dealing with.

    It's also not illegal in the U.S. for an attorney to offer information for free. Lots of attorneys give no-cost consultations and do not actually begin charging a fee until they are engaged to act on the person's behalf. As long as the lawyer makes it clear that such a consultation does not establish an attorney-client relationship, they are not breaking the law.
  • Gettinfit2
    Gettinfit2 Posts: 254 Member
    Either you want to ask about what others have experienced and what they did (personal experience)

    OR

    You want to know what the law says and how you should proceed (legal advice)


    Tthe two are hugely different. If I say to you, " I closed my bank accounts to keep money from my ex, but then after going to court I had to pay him back.." That's not advice; That's my experience and I am not telling you what to do.

    However, if I say, " the law prohibits a spouse from closing an account and you should not close your account or you may have to pay back all the money." then that is legal advice.

    As been suggested, perhaps you want to ask others what they did in similar situations. If you want to legally know what you should do, then contact a lawyer.

    Good luck!
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