Question asked on March 26, 2020

Q: I had a baby 5 months ago, the father is still around. He is mentally and emotionally abusive and has threatened to take my baby away. I am in school currently with no job. Living with my parents who will help watch him when I go to school. The father lives in a house with a bunch of other people and rents out his room. He quit his job a month before I had the baby, and just got laid off from his new job. I had been taking the baby to visit his father every few days because he did not have a car. He just recently got one and thinks he can come pick him up whenever he wants.

A: Presuming both parents are on the birth certificate, the law starts with a presumption of equal rights.  Details are posted here and here.  Child support is explained here.  You should consult with a family law specialist to find out all of your rights, obligations, and options.  If you cannot afford counsel, the local Pro Bono provider is the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, which can be called at 702-386-1070 (or see their information on the web at https://www.lacsnprobono.org/).  Those that take pro bono cases take them after they have been screened, and assigned, by Legal Aid.  The Reduced Fee Panel sponsored by the State Bar can be reached at 702-382-2200.  Additionally, there are free consultations offered on Thursdays at the self-help center (during the emergency, they are being done by phone or video); volunteer attorneys provide 15-minute consultations, for free, on family law questions.  For those that wish to attempt self-representation, forms are available at the Clark County self-help center website, at http://www.familylawselfhelpcenter.org/.