Everything you could ever think of!
Michele Hernandez, Teacher
I was amazed at first that
this book was written by a non-professional,
but after reading it, I can see that the
author went through much of this stuff
personally and learned a great deal.
Lawyers
only tell you so much, but this book
examines the issues from various sides. It
is VERY comprehensive. You can read it cover
to cover (it's very absorbing) or use the
excellent indices to find almost any topic
you need to know. Some of the material (like
the detective reports) is fascinating. There
is a ton of helpful advice. The only problem
with the book is that it's SO big that it
can seem overwhelming until you realize that
you don't have to read everything, just
what's relevant. I like the fact that the
author emphasizes that you should do
everything NOT to fight in order to protect
your kids. Many feel a custody battle is
about who wins and who loses, but the
biggest losers tend to be the children.
The Only Child Custody
Resource Book You'll Ever Need!
Sandra McLeod Humphrey Children's Author
Minnetonka, MN
Child Custody Help Source
Book--A How-To System for People Serious
About the Welfare of Their Child
This book is impressive in both its depth
and its breadth. It is a practical "how-to"
book, but it is extremely well researched
and covers every imaginable custodial issue.
No one involved in a custodial battle should
enter the courtroom without first reading
it. With this book everybody wins--mothers,
fathers, and especially the children. Highly
Recommended!
Cautionary
Directions for World War III-Type Combat
Donald Mitchell "a Practical Optimist "
Reviewer of 3,441 Books
"Willing to devote all
of your attention to winning, and want to
know as much as possible about how to decide
what to do, Win Your Child Custody War is
the right book for you.
If you think that using the courts to get a
better custody deal is an easy, simple,
inexpensive path, this is also the right
book for you. It will hopefully present you
with the reality of what you will go through
and encourage you to seek a simpler
solution.
Child custody battles are usually about the
emotions of the adults, and reflect the
child's interest as an excuse to "punish"
the other adult. In chapter 13, there's some
helpful material about how to minimize the
negative impact on children during divorces
and changing custody relationships.
Most women going through a divorce of
separation hit some situation that scares
them almost to death (such as you go to pick
up your child, and find an empty house with
all the furniture removed). These issues are
dealt with very well in chapter 15.
Chapter 16 does a fine job with how to deal
with various kinds of child abuse, false
allegations of child abuse, and actual cases
of kidnapping.
The author has been through much of this, so
you're dealing with someone who knows the
ropes. However, remember that this is a
resource guide. The chances are very good
that you will never come up against 95
percent of what is described here. Also, you
don't really have to know the roles of the
various courts (up to the Supreme Court) as
they are outlined here.
Ms. Hardwick consistently encourages you to
settle peaceably and quickly, whenever
possible. That's good advice. This book
would have been a lot more valuable,
however, if it had dealt with custody issues
from the perspective of what most people
will go through rather than the relative few
who will face drug-dealing, fly-by-night,
ex-cons during the custody battle. If your
former spouse or lover is a person of good
character and has moral habits, you will
eventually settle this issue by having the
two of you sit down without any lawyers
around and calmly talk it over. Many people
don't want to do that, and create lots of
problems for their children while wasting
tens of thousands of dollars in the process
that are badly needed for some other
purpose.
Although this book will teach you how to run
a very effective child custody law suit, my
advice is to avoid doing that if at all
possible.
Think of the children's interests first,
second, and third . . . even when you are
looking out for their interests!"
SPARC - Separated Parenting
Access & Resource Center
DeltaBravo.net
"Win Your Child Custody
War" book is the best, most comprehensive
book on the market. I'm a reviewer for
SPARC, a divorce and custody web site
(www.deltabravo.net) and we recommend the
"Win Your Child Custody War" book before all
the others. There's no secret to why we
recommend this book so strongly- it's just
the best guide to custody issues available
anywhere at any price.
The breadth and depth of the information is
astounding, well-written, and logically
arranged. This book is worth 10 times the
cover price, and I don't say that lightly.
There is nothing like the "Win Your Child
Custody War" book; nothing even comes close.
This is, in our opinion, *<b>the</b>* book
to have. You'd have to buy about 20 other
books just to start to equal the information
contained in this one.
(And just in case you're wondering, we have
no connection to Pale Horse Publishing, we
just think their books stand
head-and-shoulders above the rest.)'"
This book is essential to anyone who
is or may be involved in a child
custody battle. Every possible
problem is covered, giving examples,
recommendations, advice, and
solutions. There's so much
information, it's almost
overwhelming.
Then again, being
involved in a child custody dispute
is no simple matter, so you need
lots of information. Better to have
too much than not enough. One man
who bought the book said it
contained details he never would
have thought of, but because it did,
he was better prepared and won his
case.
WIN YOUR CHILD CUSTODY WAR has
been recommended by parents,
psychologists, mediators, educators,
judges, lawyers, and wardens--all of
whom have firsthand knowledge of
what's involved when people are
fighting one another for custody of
a child. Universally, they say that
it's the most comprehensive book
available today, with a breadth and
depth of material not found anywhere
else.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
"I am a custodial father who endured a
prolonged campaign. Horrible legal advice
and strong gender bias plagued my initial
effort in 1993. I made many of the mistakes
common to parents in these situations and
paid dearly.
Later, as our case progressed, I was
fortunate enough to discover the manual
entitled `Win Your Child Custody War'. These
pearls of wisdom are a treasure trove of the
information, advice, and warnings that
everyone engaged in this war needs. I only
wish I had found this gem when the battle
began! The result of this discovery was
winning custody of our then 10-year-old son.
This resource is bulging with common sense
strategy. From the preferable negotiated
settlement to the Desert Storm attack, a
wealth of useful tips is readily available
for you to implement immediately. In the
appendices are your sources for an abundance
of intelligence, including a tutorial on how
to read legal documents. I even offer it on
my website, WinningChildCustody.com, where I
provide information to other parents
involved in US and international child
custody disputes. This brilliant work
definitely made all the difference in my
case and it can in yours as well!"
It Is A War!
Barbara Donahue Author, "The Anti-Rules, Now That You've Got Him, How Do
You Get Rid Of Him?"
Win Your Child Custody War: Child Custody
Help Source Book
A fantastic book with hard hitting and
realistic approaches to the most difficult
"war" you could ever imagine.
Don't let
anyone tell you it's not a war, because it
is, and it is the only one that will ever
matter to you.
Great Book!
By Grace E. Castle "Editor, Cluesonline"
If you've never been
involved in a child custody case, you may be
offended by the cover of this book. If you
have been, the baby boy in a U.S Marine
uniform won't seem unusual at all. The
children in this nation that so prides
itself on "freedom" are daily battered,
psychologically abused, and sometimes
killed, while their parents struggle to gain
custody---to win the war. All too often the
rights of the children to emotional,
physical and psychological stability---not
to mention LOVE---are overlooked, forgotten,
or just plain ignored as each side positions
themselves to win custody.
Whether you are a parent, grandparent, older
sibling---or a retained
investigator---you'll find useful guidance
in this book. It contains so much
information that some chapters are almost
overkill. Let me say right up front-if
you're engaged in a child custody battle, or
you suspect you might be soon, GET THIS
BOOK!
I'll be honest---although I have never
before written a book review without having
read the entire book, this time I'm making
an exception. I don't have the time to
devote to reading the massive amount of
information, nor do I need to at this
moment. However, I have read enough of it to
wish I had had a copy in earlier years. If I
was working a child custody case now---I
would read every word and insist that
everyone involved in the case do the same,
if they were capable. Some clients aren't
capable, of course, and that makes it even
more important that the attorney and
investigator be educated.
Though this book is designed primarily for
the parents involved in a custody battle,
there is ample information for a seasoned
investigator to review or a novice to
carefully study. There are pages describing
e-mail evidence, chain of evidence
requirements and applicable case law, and
spoliation of evidence details. Especially
important are the detailed explanations of
why the person seeking custody should NOT be
the one gathering evidence. The following is
a brief example of what the author has
stated:
"Even if you do manage to observe a problem
and even if you do manage to conduct an
immediate, proper and thorough scene
investigation---including preserving the
scene, taking dozens of overall and close-up
photographs, making a detailed sketch,
casting, collecting, vacuuming, scraping,
marking and preserving, it won't do you the
least bit of good.
"Why? Because you are an advocate...."
There is an entire chapter entitled,
"Detectives" which of course turns out to be
about professional investigators. The author
interchanges "detective" and "private
investigator" and "investigator" so often it
becomes confusing. Though PIs are called
detectives in some states, the author should
choose one descriptor to avoid confusion.
I read this chapter very carefully. Some of
the author's advice is right on and useful.
Some of it made me grit my teeth! She
instructs to "make sure your detective is
licensed and, above all, very street smart,"
but then on another page gives the unwise
advice: "Pay the investigator directly, as
some attorneys add a mark-up to defray the
cost of paying the detective while still
waiting for payment from you. Also, tell the
investigator that you intend to maintain
control over the costs and information
developed." I assumed from those comments
that Ms. Hardwick didn't know that most
states don't extend attorney-client
privilege to investigators who are hired
directly by the client. Then, several pages
further I found her somewhat confusing
admonitions. From the initial statement
under "Confidentiality-Detective":
"The relationship between a detective and a
client is confidential between you and a
reputable detective, but there is no
confidentiality protected by the law."
to
"Instruct the detective to send everything
directly to you and not maintain an in-house
file on your case"
I found her instructions and comments to be
completely outside the norm for how a
custody investigation should be handled. It
is my hope that she seeks assistance in
cleaning up the "detective chapter" before
the next edition is published.
It also bothers me that she used "he" and
"him" throughout the chapter, but since it
is consistent with the rest of the book,
I'll assume that she is aware that some of
the best domestic case investigators are
female.
This chapter is heavy on how to govern your
investigator, complete with sample forms for
evaluating, retaining, and making
assignments to him, as well as pages and
pages of sample reports. I didn't find
anything related to doing this through an
attorney, but of course she isn't
recommending hiring an investigator through
the attorney---only getting a referral from
one. It is good, though, that she warns
against hiring "snakes," explaining that
unethical investigators aren't willing to
break the law "because they think you are
such a wonderful person with a worthwhile
mission that they will do these things only
this time to help you; it is because they
are this way all the time."
I was happy to see that Hardwick instructs
her readers to "Pay your investigator's fees
on time"! To her credit she also provides
explicit information on the importance of
not having sex with your detective-no matter
who tries to initiate it. There is also
information on where to file a complaint
against an investigator who has treated the
client unfairly.
In a section entitled, "Are You Are Being
Watched?" the author uses the great example
of the 2003 Texas case of Clara Harris
deliberately running down her philandering
husband to prove a point that "Just as their
(other side) detective can't catch you
misbehaving if you are behaving correctly;
your own detective can't hide evidence of
you behaving badly." In the Harris case,
Blue Moon Investigations had to turn over a
videotape of their client repeatedly running
over her mate.
In her publicity materials the author
states, "Everyone tells you what you can't
do. This manual gives hundreds of options to
let you see what you can do." I agree!
An Incredible Resource
-- Very Highly Recommended!
Maudeen Wachsmith Reviewer of more than 1350 Books
"Choosing to
give my ex-husband custody of our very young
children was one of the most difficult
decisions I have ever made. Later battles
for visitation rights and custody have been
the most painful events of my life. I have
endured restraining orders based on lies,
long distance visitation, and the
psychological devastation of being separated
from my children. My case went to the worst
of extremes when my lawyer resigned my case
in order to testify on my behalf in court.
Because of the injustice of the handling of
the restraining order, my case was used as
the example that changed a school's
non-custodial parent pickup policy. Along
the way, I made many of the mistakes common
to parents in my situation and learned many
lessons the hard way. I wish I had WIN YOUR
CHILD CUSTODY WAR when I began those
battles; the information, advice and
warnings would have made the battle far
easier.
WIN YOUR CHILD CUSTODY WAR provides the
legal details and information an informed
parent needs before and after hiring a
lawyer, detective, or even a psychologist.
WIN YOUR CHILD CUSTODY WAR sets realistic
expectations, includes straight talk with no
mollycoddling, and lots of sound advice.
Logs, affidavits, and home studies are
covered with meticulous detail and with
sound examples. As the author cautions,
however, readers also need to follow the
advice of their lawyer over the book. For
example, in the extreme case of a parent who
does not want to visit the child and would
stop harassment if not required to pay child
support, the author suggests: "You could get
counseling, legal assistance or return the
money the court sends you each month from
the other parent." I know from personal
experience that you could return the
parent's money in the state of AR. In the
state of GA, the money isn't yours, it
belongs to your children, and you are
required by law to accept the money, just as
the non-custodial parent is required by law
to pay. No exceptions.
Encouragement and common sense are also
included in the WIN YOUR CHILD CUSTODY WAR.
Some battles are better walked away from,
especially when the battle becomes a matter
of winning and not necessarily in the
child's best interest. WIN YOUR CHILD
CUSTODY WAR forces readers to carefully
examine their own motives, behaviors and
attitudes. It also warns of the pitfalls
many parents fall into, and provides tips
for how to avoid them. As I turned the
pages, revisiting my own battles, challenges
and mistakes, I couldn't help thinking of
the emotional pain this book could have
saved me. Simple things like plan an
activity for when you return the children to
their custodial parent would have been
useful advice from the beginning of my
battle. In addition, WIN YOUR CHILD CUSTODY
WAR is very sensitive to the issues
non-custodial mothers face, especially
considering the harsh judgment society
places on women without custody.
This is the most personal review I have ever
written, but given the nature of the book, I
feel compelled to offer personal
confirmation of the value of WIN YOUR CHILD
CUSTODY WAR. Surprisingly, I also found a
lot of self-forgiveness as I read this book.
As I revisited old wounds and previously
second-guessed decisions, I found
confirmation of my own good decision-making,
giving the book a remarkably positive spin
for this battle weary, but successful
warrior. Very highly recommended."
The price is not subject to
change for 2008.
Win Your Child Custody War
costs less than 30 minutes with a good attorney!
Don't miss the opportunity to have Win Your
Child Custody War at your finger tips when your attorney is
not in the office.
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