Help! Need lawyer in Colombia

[jook 2]

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get very far into the fiance visa process. The holdup is with the ex husband who has wavered back and forth about giving his permission to let the kids come to the US (at one time agreeing to accept money in return for his okay). Not to get into all the dirty details, but he is a horrible father, and at this point, I don't want to deal with him. I need to resolve the situation once and for all. Can someone recommend a bilingual attorney in the Medellin area? Thanks.

[Mononoke28 134]

Try posting your question in Poor But Happy where there's a lot of members who currently live in Colombia or who travel there a lot. I hate to tell you this, but it won't be easy. You will have to prove that the kids are in danger when they're around their father or that he is some kind of criminal. Forget about him not being responsible, that doesn't count because according to the law, he's still the father of the children, no matter what. You will then have to file for full custody and that can take years.

Good luck!

Diana

[TE AMO ECUADOR 0]

I have had friends in the same situation and most likely what it is going to take on your part is a CASH PAYMENT to get the father to sign the papers. Most likely he is holding out for this as this is a common practice in some latin countries. lawyer, not going to help really and the money spent on the lawyer would better be spent on the payoff. But you need to understand that most likely you will have the father bothering you for your whole marriage together. Hopefully you are prepared to deal with this. i wish you much luck and just know that your situation is not unusual .

Andy y Fer

[parkpapa 0]

I have had friends in the same situation and most likely what it is going to take on your part is a CASH PAYMENT to get the father to sign the papers. Most likely he is holding out for this as this is a common practice in some latin countries. lawyer, not going to help really and the money spent on the lawyer would better be spent on the payoff. But you need to understand that most likely you will have the father bothering you for your whole marriage together. Hopefully you are prepared to deal with this. i wish you much luck and just know that your situation is not unusual .

Andy y Fer

My wife's best friend in Colombia is a lawyer (though not currently practicing....sorry). She says that the mother CAN get sole custody, but it will probably be very contentious and quite ugly, and can take four to six months. As Mononoke said, this will require proof of abuse of either the mother or the children, abandonment of the family by the father, history of criminal activity, or something else equally serious.

We feared that the father of Lorena's boys would not give permission for them to leave, also. In the end, she told him that if he didn't want them to go, he needed to take them to his home, provide their food and clothing, etc., etc. He changed his tune very quickly when he thought of losing even a part of his free "party all the time" lifestyle, and signed the permission. BUT...... This was HIM, and Lorena knew he'd react this way. This kind of thing is also very common with latin men, according to my wife.

Before you dismiss the idea of a lawyer and permanent custody, though, consider that EACH time your wife goes home to Colombia with her kid(s), she will need a NEW letter of permission from the father. Without that, DAS will not let them leave the country.

Best of luck,

Charles

[jook 2]

Thanks for the replies. As for a cash payment, i.e., bribe, I tried that.

I happened to get in touch with an attorney in Colombia on another internet list who seems knowledgeable about such matters. His advice: try all other avenues before getting a lawyer. It's time consuming and expensive.

It's a difficult situation because there's a lot of animosity between my fiance and ex husband. It's a long story and not one that I really wish to share on a public board, but I'm going to take the lawyer's advice and try to look for an intermediary who can hammer out an arrangement. The father has no desire to be responsible for the kid but I know he would do it for spite the way things stand now. Yes, not only is it juvenile, but it's hurting an innocent party, the child.

In the end, there is the recourse of legal action and if I have to, I will go that route.

Thanks again.