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Divorce and Parental Rights
Divorce and Parental Rights
in Maine (updated June 2009; partially updated September 2009)
How to navigate your way through the Family Division of the Maine
District Court, in a simple divorce or parental rights and responsibilities
case.
Court Forms and Court Instruction
Sheets (updated continuously)
You can view and print these PDF forms or fill them out online.
If you are thinking about doing your own divorce or parental rights case,
read Divorce and Parental Rights
in Maine first.
Courthouse
Assistance Projects (updated May 2009)
Help with preparing forms, serving papers, and doing
child support calculations in divorce and parental rights cases and, in Bangor,
small claims cases. If your
district court isn't listed, you may want to use the statewide Helpline.
Divorce
and Separation: Where Can I Get Help? (updated January 2009)
Lists resources for parents who are separating or going through divorce:
where to get legal and financial help, and other support services.
Calculating Your Child Support (updated December 2008)
If you are doing your own divorce or parental rights court case, find
out the rules for calculating the amount of weekly child support the
non-custodial parent will owe.
Child Support Calculator
(October 2009)
Calculate how much child support DHHS or a Court may order, based on Maine's Child Support
Guidelines. Find out whether a Court would be likely to modify an existing child support order.
Family Law in Maine: Post-Divorce Motions (updated February 2009; partially updated September 2009)
What you can do if you need to change or enforce your
divorce or parental rights court order.
Sharciga Qooska (Family Law in Somali) (October 2008)
Basic information about how family law works in Maine (downloadable slideshow, ~3mins).
This project was sponsored by the Lewiston Education Fund.
What is a Guardian ad Litem? (updated April 2002)
Basics about why courts appoint GAL's and what they do.
Family Abuse Issues
Protection From
Abuse (updated September 2007; partially updated September 2009)
How the protection from abuse law works in Maine, together with step by
step instructions on how to get a protection order for yourself or a child in your custody.
Protección Contra el Maltrato
(septiembre 2007; parcialmente actualizado septiembre 2009)
Protection From Abuse Forms
are available in six languages - Arabic, French, Khmer, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese,
as well as English. These were developed by the Cumberland County Violence Intervention
Partnership with a grant from the Department of Justice, and include translated versions
of the Court Guide to Protection from Abuse and Protection from Harassment Actions.
Child Abuse and Neglect: "Substantiation" and "Indication" (August 2009)
What steps you can take to protect yourself if DHHS notifies you that your name has been added
to their "substantiation" or "indication" list. Includes sample form letters.
What Do I Do if the State is Threatening to Take my Kids? (updated
November 2006)
This tells you how the Maine child protection system
works and what you can do to protect your parental rights. You have
the right to get a court-appointed lawyer if you can't afford one. Get
one as soon as you can.
Child Support and DHHS (Support Enforcement)
How
Much Child Support Should I Get from DHHS: Information for Families
Getting TANF (updated November 2005)
This helps you figure out how much child support DHHS
should be passing through to you each month. The amount depends on how much
other income you have, such as earnings.
DHHS And Child Support: Information For Parents
Who Owe Support
This series of on-line articles explains how the Maine
child support enforcement system works:
Paternity:
Am I The Father? (August 2005)
Child Support And Debt Due: How Much Do I Owe? (December 2008; partially updated September 2009)
The DHHS Support
Hearing Process: What Should I Expect? (August 2005)
Support Collection: What Can
DHHS Do to Make Me Pay? (August 2005)
How Do I Change My
DHHS Child Support Order (August 2005)
Other Family-Related Issues
Power of Attorney for Child
(April 2009)
If you need someone to take responsibility for your children for a short period of time, here's how.
Grandparent
Visitation Rights (updated May 2004)
In November 2000, the highest Maine Court made an important decision affecting
grandparents and their grandchildren. Read about the Court's ruling, and a later 2003 decision,
about how grandparent rights work in Maine.
Emancipation (September 2006)
Find out how a minor in Maine can go to court to become
emancipated, what a judge must find to order an emancipation, and what it
means.
Changes of Name (April 2004)
A Maine Register of Probate explains what steps you
need to take to change your own name, or a child's name.
Paternity:
Are you wondering about how to voluntarily claim paternity of a child? Do you want to
know more about genetic testing? The Maine Acknowledgment of Paternity Project
posts information about
Establishing Paternity for Your Child.
"Innocent Spouse" and "Injured Spouse" Tax Relief:
After a divorce or separation, the IRS may be trying to collect taxes from
you that you think your spouse or ex-spouse should have to pay. Either
you didn't understand that your taxes weren't fully paid, or, for other
reasons, it would be unfair to make you pay now. To find out if you
may be eligible for this tax relief and how to file for it, go to the IRS's
Tax
Information for Innocent Spouses.
The IRS provides another
type of tax relief for
Injured Spouses.
If the IRS is withholding money from your tax refund because of your spouse's debt, find out how you
can claim your share of the refund and credits.
Elder issues:
The Maine Office of Elder Services
posts
Aging:
Taking Care of Business, an on-line guide for older people, their
families and friends, including information about durable power of attorneys,
revocable living trusts, and other common issues.
Maine Legal Services for the Elderly
provides many pages of information on family-related issues.
Browse their list
of topics or go directly to:
A Legal Guide
for Recently Widowed Seniors
What To Do When You Are
A Surviving Spouse
Power of Attorney
Seeing Your
Grandchildren: Your Visitation Rights
Guardianship:
Maine DHHS's
Adults With Cognitive and Physical Disability Services posts an extensive guide:
A Guide to Understanding Adult Guardianship and Guardianship Alternatives
in Maine.
(They no longer publish
a printed version.)
For more information on disability-related topics, see
Miscellaneous
Issues Index.
You can order from your nearest
Pine
Tree Legal Assistance office information on these additional topics:
Information Guide for Abused Women in Maine
Applying for a New Birth Certificate Following a Legitimation
Can I Get an Old Child Support Order Set Aside?
Power of Attorney for a Minor Child
Kids First Programs
More divorce and parental rights pro se information:
Service by Publication
Military Search for Service by Publication
Service on Someone in the Military
Entry of Appearance
