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For parents in Louisiana and elsewhere, child support can be a rather contentious topic. Yes, it is important to make sure your children receive all that they need, but determining how much economic support is actually required to accomplish this can be a challenge.

Whether you have custody of your children or are a father who has orders to provide financial support, you do have the right to seek modifications to your order if you feel doing so is needed. How do you do this? Why might you want to? How can an attorney help you?

Seeking a support modification

There are two ways to modify a child support order: parental negotiation and court intervention. It is possible for parents to work out a new agreement through private negotiations. If this route is one you choose to take, the changes will still need court approval before becoming active.

If parents are not able to agree, the one requesting the change will need to file the appropriate petition in court. This petition must be submitted to the same court which awarded the original support order. From there a judge will get to decide if a modification is really warranted and what the new support amount will be. Parents may or may not have to appear in court for a modification hearing.

Why seek a modification?

There are various reasons as to why a support modification may be necessary. A few of these include:

• Change in child’s needs
• Loss of employment
• Pay cut
• Increase in cost of living

Whatever your reason for wanting to increase the amount of support you are getting or decrease the amount that you are ordered to pay, you will need to supply evidence of a change in circumstances in order for the court to even consider your request.

How can an attorney help me achieve a support modification?

Support modifications are not always easy to achieve. There are no guarantees that parents will be able to work something out on their own or that a judge will agree that a modification is truly necessary. Having legal counsel at your side may prove highly beneficial. With assistance, you will be able to take the steps necessary to fight for a child support order that not only provides for your children’s needs but also works with your current economic situation.