I was just served. What do I do first?

Read the papers and note the date you were served; under Ohio Civil Rule 12(A) you have 28 days to answer. Do not sign anything from the other side and do not change the children's routine on their lawyer's instructions. Then talk to a lawyer. In a $25 consultation we read what you were served with, tell you what has been asked for versus ordered, and quote the answer and counterclaim as a flat fee or full representation from a $3,500 retainer.

The other parent won't let me see my kids. Can the police help?

Only if there is a court order that sets your parenting time, and even then most officers will tell you to take it to the court. If there is an order, we file a motion for contempt and show cause ($1,095 single issue, $1,670 multiple) and ask for make-up time and fees. If there is no order, there is nothing to enforce; we file the complaint that gets you one ($1,440, or $1,555 with paternity).

Can the other parent move out of state with our child?

Not without notice if there is an order. Under R.C. 3109.051(G) the residential parent must file a notice of intent to relocate, and you can ask the court for a hearing on whether the move is in the children's best interest. If there is no case yet, we can ask the court for a restraining order against removing the children from Ohio as part of a new divorce or custody filing. A move can also support a motion to modify custody ($1,670 flat).

My child is in danger. What can a court do fast?

If a child is in danger right now, call 911, and call Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services at 216-696-KIDS for abuse or neglect. Ohio courts can issue an ex parte emergency custody order without the other parent present when a sworn affidavit shows specific facts of immediate risk, followed by a full hearing. We draft the affidavit, file the emergency and underlying custody motions, and represent you at both hearings for a $4,025 flat fee. Whether and when the court acts is the court's decision.

I'm the father and we were never married. Do I have any rights?

Not on paper until a court says so: under R.C. 3109.042 the mother is the sole custodian until there is an order. Once you file in the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Division, the court decides on best interest and does not favor either parent. We establish paternity and file for custody and parenting time in one engagement for $1,555 flat, or $1,440 if paternity is already established.

How much does a child custody lawyer cost in Cleveland?

Our fees are published. Contempt motions are $1,095 or $1,670. Establishing custody and parenting time is $1,440; with paternity it is $1,555. A motion to modify custody or parenting time is $1,670. A shared parenting plan is $1,900. An ex parte emergency custody motion with both hearings is $4,025. Those are limited-scope engagements: we draft, file, and prepare you, and you appear at the hearing. Full representation of a contested case starts with a $3,500 retainer, a deposit against work rather than the total cost. Court filing fees are paid separately to the Clerk of Courts.

Do I need a lawyer if the other parent and I agree?

Often not for the whole case, and we will tell you that. An agreed parenting plan still has to be drafted correctly and entered by the court to be enforceable, and that is what a $1,440 or $1,900 limited-scope engagement covers: we draft the plan and the filings, you sign, and the court enters the order. Where you should not go alone: a contested case, a guardian ad litem, any allegation of abuse or substance use, a relocation dispute, or a modification.

What happens at the $25 consultation?

A phone consultation with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin. You tell us what is happening; we tell you which Cuyahoga court hears it, what Ohio law does with your facts, what we would file, what it costs under each way of hiring us, and whether you can do it yourself. You leave with a clear next step, whether or not that step is hiring us.

Which attorney will handle my case?

Cleveland custody matters are handled by David Thomas and Ari Goldstein, both Ohio-licensed and both named on this page with their profiles. You will know who is on your case before you sign. Consultations are with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin, and every filing is reviewed before it goes to the clerk.

Can you take over a custody case that is already filed?

Yes. We review what has been filed, what orders exist, and what the next hearing date is, then tell you in the consultation whether limited scope or full representation fits where the case stands.

How long will my custody case take?

We do not promise timelines. The court controls the schedule, and it depends on whether the case is agreed or contested, whether a guardian ad litem is appointed, and the court's own docket. What we can do is ask for temporary orders while the case is pending so a schedule is in place, and tell you at every step what the next date is and what it means.

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes, on limited-scope and full-representation engagements. Pay in full, finance through Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later, or use an in-house Gavvl Direct plan. The $25 consultation is where we confirm which option fits your case.

Cleveland Child Custody Lawyers

Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated May 27, 2026

Served with papers. Parenting time cut off. A move you never agreed to. A home your child is not safe in. When it is happening now, you need attorneys who understand it now: Ohio-licensed, in both Cuyahoga County courts, at published flat fees, starting with a $25 consultation.

What's Happening With Your Kids?

Can't wait for a consultation? Find the situation that sounds like today. Here is what it means under Ohio law, what we can file, and what it costs.

You Were Just Served Divorce or Custody Papers

Someone handed you a stack of paper that talks about your children like a case number. Maybe you knew it was coming. Maybe you did not. Either way, the other side has a lawyer, a plan, and a head start, and every paragraph reads like it was written to take something from you. It was. That is what a complaint is for.

What it means

You are now a party to a case in the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court (if you are married) or the Juvenile Division (if you are not). Nothing has been decided. A complaint is what the other parent is asking for, not what the court has ordered.
Under Ohio Civil Rule 12(A) you have 28 days from the date you were served to file an answer. If you file nothing, the court can eventually grant what the other side asked for without hearing from you.
If the packet includes a motion for temporary orders, the other parent is asking the court to set a parenting schedule and support while the case is pending. That is the schedule your children will live under until the case ends, and it deserves a response, not a shrug.
Do not sign anything the other side sends you, and do not move out of the home or change the children's routine on their lawyer's say-so without talking to yours.

What we can do

File your answer and, where your facts support it, a counterclaim so the court decides your requests, not just theirs.
File your own motion for temporary orders under Civil Rule 75(N), asking for the parenting schedule and support that fits your children rather than the one they proposed.
Pull the docket, read every filing, and tell you in plain English what has been asked for, what has actually been ordered, and what the next hearing date is.
Start building the best-interest record now, so the first time a magistrate sees your name it is attached to a parent who showed up prepared.

What it costs

Full representation of a contested case starts with a $3,500 retainer, a deposit against work rather than the total cost. If you only need the answer and counterclaim drafted and filed, we quote that as a flat fee in the consultation.

The Other Parent Is Keeping Your Kids From You

Weekends that used to be yours are suddenly "not a good time." Calls go unanswered. Your child asks why you did not come, and you have no answer that is true and fair to them at the same time. There is no worse feeling than being kept from your own child by someone who knows exactly what it is doing to you.

What it means

If a court order already sets your parenting time, the other parent is violating a court order. That is contempt under R.C. 2705.031, and the court can enforce it: make-up parenting time, attorney fees, and, for repeated violations, jail.
If there is no order yet, there is nothing for the police to enforce and nothing for a contempt motion to stand on. A never-married mother is the sole legal custodian until a court says otherwise (R.C. 3109.042), and married parents who have not filed anything have no schedule the law recognizes. The fix is an order.
Keep a written record: every denied exchange, every unanswered message, every date. Communicate in writing. Do not retaliate by withholding support or the children yourself; the court will hold that against you.

What we can do

If an order exists: draft and file a motion for contempt and to show cause, with the dates and evidence attached, and ask the court for make-up time and fees.
If no order exists: file the complaint that gets you one. For married parents that is a divorce or legal separation with a motion for temporary parenting orders. For never-married parents it is a Juvenile Division complaint for custody or parenting time, with paternity established in the same filing when needed.
Ask for a specific, enforceable schedule, written so that the next "not a good time" is a violation on paper rather than an argument by text message.

What it costs

Contempt motion: $1,095 flat for a single issue, $1,670 for multiple issues. Establishing custody and parenting time: $1,440 flat, or $1,555 when paternity must be established first. Those are limited-scope engagements; you appear at the hearing and we prepare you for it. Full representation starts with a $3,500 retainer.

The Other Parent Is Threatening to Move Away With the Kids

A new job, a new partner, family in another state, and suddenly your every-other-weekend is about to become a plane ticket you cannot afford. The worst part is the way it is presented: as a decision already made, with you as an afterthought. It is not already made. Not if there is a court involved.

What it means

If there is an existing parenting order, the residential parent must file a notice of intent to relocate with the court under R.C. 3109.051(G) before moving, and you have the right to ask the court for a hearing on whether the move is in the children's best interest and how the schedule should change.
If there is no court case yet, either parent can ask the court for a temporary restraining order in a divorce or custody action that prevents the children from being removed from the court's jurisdiction while the case is pending.
A move that changes where the children live can also be the change in circumstances that supports a modification of custody under R.C. 3109.04(E)(1)(a). Who the residential parent is can be re-decided.
Nothing about a move is settled by a text message or a lease. Until a court rules, an order in place stays in place.

What we can do

File an objection to the relocation notice and a motion for a hearing, and where the facts support it, a motion to modify custody or parenting time.
If no case exists, file the divorce or custody complaint with a motion for temporary orders and a restraining order against removing the children from Ohio.
Prepare the evidence that relocation hearings turn on: your involvement in school and medical care, the children's ties to Cleveland, and the schedule you propose if the court allows or denies the move.

What it costs

Motion to modify custody or parenting time: $1,670 flat, limited scope. A new divorce filing with children and temporary orders: $2,300 flat. Full representation of a contested relocation starts with a $3,500 retainer.

Your Child Is Not Safe With the Other Parent

You know what you saw, or what your child told you, or what the smell in the car was. And you know the standard for "emergency" in a courthouse is higher than the standard in your gut. You are afraid of two things at once: that something will happen, and that you will be the parent who overreacted. We hear both of those every week. Both are the reaction of a parent who is paying attention.

What it means

If a child is in danger right now, call 911. If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, call Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services at 216-696-KIDS. A court filing is not a substitute for either.
Ohio courts can issue an ex parte emergency custody order, meaning an order made without the other parent present, when a sworn affidavit lays out specific facts showing a child faces immediate risk of harm. Domestic Relations and Juvenile courts each have their own procedure for this; Juvenile Rule 13 governs emergency orders in the Juvenile Division.
The standard is high on purpose. "He is a bad parent" does not meet it. Specific dates, specific conduct, specific harm, and any police, medical, or school records that back it up are what the court can act on.
If the court grants the ex parte order it then sets a full hearing where the other parent is heard. If the court denies the ex parte request, the underlying custody motion still goes forward on the regular docket.
Whether and when the court acts is the court's decision. We do not promise a result or a date, and you should be wary of anyone who does.

What we can do

Sit down with you, hear all of it, and tell you honestly whether your facts meet the emergency standard or belong in a regular custody or modification motion instead.
Draft the sworn affidavit with the specific facts the court needs, file the ex parte motion together with the underlying custody motion, and represent you at both the ex parte hearing and the full hearing.
Gather the records: police reports, medical notes, school reports, texts, and photographs, organized so the magistrate can see the pattern, not just the incident.

What it costs

Ex parte emergency custody: $4,025 flat, which covers the emergency motion, the underlying custody motion, and attorney representation at both hearings. Court filing fees are paid separately to the Clerk.

You Are a Father With No Custody Order

You have been a father every day. You have also just found out that, on paper, you are not one, and that the other parent can decide where your child lives, goes to school, and whether you see them, without asking you. Nothing about that is fair. It is, for now, the law, and the law has a fix.

What it means

Under R.C. 3109.042, when parents were never married, the mother is the sole residential parent and legal custodian until a court orders otherwise. Signing the birth certificate or a paternity acknowledgment gives you legal parentage and a support obligation; it does not give you custody or a schedule.
Ohio law does not favor mothers over fathers once you are in front of a judge. R.C. 3109.04 tells the court to decide on the children's best interest, and Cuyahoga magistrates order shared parenting and substantial parenting time for involved fathers routinely.
Your case is in the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Division, not the Domestic Relations Court, and it starts with a complaint, not a motion.

What we can do

Establish paternity (if it is not already established) and file for custody or parenting time in one Juvenile Division filing.
Ask for a temporary parenting schedule while the case is pending so you are not waiting on the other parent's mood in the meantime.
Draft a parenting plan built around your real involvement: your work schedule, your home, school, holidays, and decision-making.

What it costs

Paternity with custody and parenting time: $1,555 flat. Custody and parenting time where paternity is already established: $1,440 flat. Both are limited scope; you appear at the hearing and we prepare you for it. Full representation starts with a $3,500 retainer.

Custody Matters You Can Plan For

Agreed plans, dissolutions with children, support, and changes to orders that no longer fit. Published flat fees, same attorneys.

A parenting plan you both can live with

You and the other parent mostly agree and want it written so it holds: weekdays, weekends, holidays, summer, transportation, school, decision-making, right of first refusal. A plan the court will enter and a contempt motion cannot unravel.

Shared parenting plan drafting: $1,900 flat. Establish custody and parenting time: $1,440 flat.

Start with the free parenting plan builder

Dissolution with children

You have agreed to end the marriage and agree on the children. A dissolution is the agreed, no-trial path in Ohio; with minor children it requires a shared parenting plan or allocation of parental rights and a child support worksheet the court will accept.

Dissolution with children: $2,645 flat.

Divorce & dissolution services

Child support

Establishing support for the first time, changing it because income or the schedule changed, or ending it when it should end. Cuyahoga Job and Family Services can do some of this administratively; a court motion does the rest.

Establish, modify, or terminate child support: $1,095 flat.

Run the Ohio child support calculator

Changing an order that no longer fits

The children are older, a job changed, one of you moved across town, the every-other-weekend plan was written for toddlers. Changing the schedule needs only best interest; changing who the residential parent is needs a change in circumstances too (R.C. 3109.04(E)(1)(a)). Filing the right motion is the whole game.

Modify custody or parenting time: $1,670 flat.

Post-decree modifications

Grandparents and other relatives

A grandparent who has been the day-to-day parent, or who is being cut off after a death or divorce, has standing in Ohio to ask for companionship time or, in the right facts, custody.

Grandparent companionship motion: $1,095 flat. Non-parent custody complaint: $1,440 flat.

Grandparents' rights

What These Words Mean

Ex parte order: An order the court makes after hearing from only one side, because the situation cannot wait for the other parent to be served and heard. It is always temporary and is always followed by a full hearing where the other parent gets to respond.
Temporary orders: The parenting schedule and support the court puts in place while a case is pending, so the children have a routine before the final decision. Either parent can ask for them; the court decides what they say and when they take effect.
Contempt / show cause: The motion you file when the other parent violates an existing order. "Show cause" means the court orders them to appear and explain why they should not be held in contempt. Remedies include make-up parenting time, attorney fees, and, for repeated violations, jail.
Residential parent and legal custodian: Ohio's term for the parent the children live with and who makes the major decisions. In shared parenting both parents hold the title and the plan divides the time and decisions. In sole custody one parent holds it and the other has parenting time.
Shared parenting: Ohio's version of joint custody. Both parents are residential parents under a written shared parenting plan. It does not have to mean equal time, and the court will not order it if the parents cannot cooperate enough to make it work.
Best-interest factors: The list in R.C. 3109.04(F)(1) every Ohio judge and magistrate must weigh in deciding custody: each parent's wishes, the child's adjustment to home and school, each parent's willingness to honor parenting time, any history of abuse or neglect, and more. Cases are won by building a record around these.
Guardian ad litem (GAL): An attorney the court appoints in a contested case to investigate both homes, interview the parents and children, and recommend a plan. Magistrates give GAL reports real weight; how you present to the GAL often decides the case.
Limited scope vs. full representation: Limited scope means you hire us for a defined piece of the case at a published flat fee, such as drafting and filing a motion and preparing you for the hearing, and you appear yourself. Full representation means we handle the whole case, starting with a $3,500 retainer that is a deposit against work, not the total cost.
Domestic Relations vs. Juvenile Division: Married or divorcing parents are in the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court at 1 West Lakeside Avenue. Parents who never married are in the Juvenile Division at 9300 Quincy Avenue. Same best-interest standard, different courthouse, different forms and procedure.

Your Cleveland Custody Attorneys

Ohio-licensed attorneys who practice in the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court and Juvenile Division. Consultations are with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin.

David Thomas — Of Counsel Attorney · Licensed in Ohio (30 years) and New York (19 years)
Ari Goldstein — Of Counsel Attorney · Licensed in Ohio

What it costs — two ways to hire us

Limited scope, flat fee — Flat fees from $1,440

You hire us for a defined piece of the work — drafting and filing your child custody paperwork, a single hearing, a specific motion — at a fixed, published price. The court's filing fee is paid to the Clerk of Courts separately. The number you see is the number you pay at checkout. What each flat fee covers.

Full representation — $3,500 retainer to start

An attorney manages the whole case — strategy, filings, hearings, negotiation. The retainer is known before you sign and is a deposit against work, not the total cost; the total depends on how contested your case becomes. You watch every dollar of it in real time. How full representation is billed.

Is there financing? Yes.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan with a flat 15% payment plan fee and no interest, $500 minimum: 60% down to start, then the balance on any schedule you choose within 4 months. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay. See every financing option.

Real people, — with direct lines

Stephanie Green — Managing Partner
Elizabeth Warren — Managing Partner
Niva Elgin — Senior Case Manager · Licensed New Mexico Attorney

Your consultation

Stephanie Green or Elizabeth Warren, our managing partners — or Niva Elgin, our senior case manager and a licensed New Mexico attorney. They've heard hundreds of situations like yours and will tell you plainly what you need, and what you don't. Meet the firm.

Your attorney

One of our Of Counsel Ohio family-law attorneys is your attorney for the case — from the first strategy call to the final order in Cleveland. You have their name and a direct line the day your file opens. Our attorneys.

Your case team

Niva Elgin keeps your case moving as Senior Case Manager. Madeline Wampler, Certified Paralegal, handles documents and scheduling. Erin Schultz, Finance Manager, handles billing and payment plans. Real people who answer when you call.

95+ five-star Google reviews
60+ years of combined Ohio family-law experience
Super Lawyers Rising Stars honorees on the team: Elizabeth Warren (2021–2023) and Samantha Berkhofer (2019–2021)
Every flat fee published before you call

From first call to retained, — and every step after

Consultation — A 30-minute phone call, $25. You talk with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin about what's happening and what Ohio law actually does with it. Before you hang up you'll know whether you need a lawyer at all — and if you do, you leave with a written quote: the service we recommend, the price, your financing options, and your next steps.
Choose — Pick the level of help. Pay, or set up financing. Limited-scope flat fee or full representation — you choose, with real numbers in front of you. Pay online, or secure a Gavvl Direct payment plan or third-party financing in a few minutes. Nothing is billed until you decide.
Sign — Your agreement arrives by email. Review the client agreement and sign it electronically — from your phone if you like. While you do, your attorney reviews your intake.
Get started — Your first attorney call goes on the calendar. Limited scope: your attorney's first call is scheduled from your intake. Full representation: a paralegal reaches out the same or next business day to open your file and gather what's needed, then schedules your first attorney call — and if something is urgent, you speak with the attorney first.

It's easier than ever to retain an excellent attorney.

How you'll stay updated — you never have to wonder

Every client gets GavvLink™, our client portal, on day one. Your whole case — messages, calendar, billing, status — lives in one place, and your team is a message away.

Reach your attorney directly. Message, text, email, or call. Request a callback or book time on their calendar yourself — no waiting to hear back.
Case calendar with reminders. Every hearing, deadline, and milestone, with a reminder before each one.
Case status updates. See where your case stands and what happens next, updated as it moves.
Payments and billing in real time. Every entry on your account as it posts, plus links to make a payment or add funds.
Your case team, one message away. Full-representation clients message their paralegal and case manager the same way — and they answer.
24/7 receptionists and direct lines. Something urgent after hours? A live receptionist answers around the clock and reaches your team. You also have your attorney's direct line — and a way to reach the managing partners. We return calls and messages promptly.

Can I do this without an attorney?

sometimes, yes. Ohio lets you represent yourself, and for a genuinely agreed dissolution or a simple motion, some people do. Every Ohio county's forms and local rules are linked from our county pages, and our free tools will draft a parenting plan or estimate child support before you spend anything.

Here's what the online-divorce platforms leave out: most Ohio counties require their own forms and language on top of the statewide ones, and a rejected filing is the most common reason people call us after trying it alone. A $25, 30-minute call tells you whether you can do this yourself — and if you can, we'll say so.

Schedule Your $25 Consultation

Both Cuyahoga County Courts, Cleveland and Every Suburb

Married or divorcing parents are in the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court, 1 West Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland. Parents who never married are in the Juvenile Division, 9300 Quincy Avenue. We practice in both, we handle the e-filing, the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit, and the Children in Between seminar certificate the Domestic Relations Court requires, and we tell you which courthouse your case belongs in before you pay for the wrong filing.

We represent parents from downtown Cleveland, Lakewood, Parma, Euclid, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Westlake, Strongsville, North Olmsted, Rocky River, Beachwood, Solon, and Brook Park, and in the neighboring Lorain, Lake, Medina, Geauga, and Summit County courts. Our Cleveland office is at 26300 Euclid Avenue in Euclid. Consultations are by phone, and most limited-scope matters are handled entirely by phone and online.

Why Cleveland Parents Hire Gavvl Law

Most parents call us after one of two things: a retainer quote they could not afford, or a first hearing they tried to handle alone that went badly. We built the firm around both problems.

Published flat fees and a $25 consultation. You know the price before you call, and the consultation is a real conversation about your situation, your court, and your options with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin.
Two ways to hire us. Limited scope for a defined piece of the case at a fixed fee, or full representation for the whole thing. Same Ohio-licensed attorneys either way, named on this page with their bar admissions.
Payment plans on limited-scope and full-representation engagements: Affirm, Klarna, PayPal Pay Later, or an in-house Gavvl Direct plan.
A client portal where you see every document and message, and a live reception team that answers around the clock.
Straight answers. If your facts do not meet the emergency standard, if shared parenting is not realistic on your record, or if you can do this yourself, you will hear it from us in the consultation, not after you have paid.

Cleveland Child Custody FAQs

I was just served. What do I do first?: Read the papers and note the date you were served; under Ohio Civil Rule 12(A) you have 28 days to answer. Do not sign anything from the other side and do not change the children's routine on their lawyer's instructions. Then talk to a lawyer. In a $25 consultation we read what you were served with, tell you what has been asked for versus ordered, and quote the answer and counterclaim as a flat fee or full representation from a $3,500 retainer.
The other parent won't let me see my kids. Can the police help?: Only if there is a court order that sets your parenting time, and even then most officers will tell you to take it to the court. If there is an order, we file a motion for contempt and show cause ($1,095 single issue, $1,670 multiple) and ask for make-up time and fees. If there is no order, there is nothing to enforce; we file the complaint that gets you one ($1,440, or $1,555 with paternity).
Can the other parent move out of state with our child?: Not without notice if there is an order. Under R.C. 3109.051(G) the residential parent must file a notice of intent to relocate, and you can ask the court for a hearing on whether the move is in the children's best interest. If there is no case yet, we can ask the court for a restraining order against removing the children from Ohio as part of a new divorce or custody filing. A move can also support a motion to modify custody ($1,670 flat).
My child is in danger. What can a court do fast?: If a child is in danger right now, call 911, and call Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services at 216-696-KIDS for abuse or neglect. Ohio courts can issue an ex parte emergency custody order without the other parent present when a sworn affidavit shows specific facts of immediate risk, followed by a full hearing. We draft the affidavit, file the emergency and underlying custody motions, and represent you at both hearings for a $4,025 flat fee. Whether and when the court acts is the court's decision.
I'm the father and we were never married. Do I have any rights?: Not on paper until a court says so: under R.C. 3109.042 the mother is the sole custodian until there is an order. Once you file in the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Division, the court decides on best interest and does not favor either parent. We establish paternity and file for custody and parenting time in one engagement for $1,555 flat, or $1,440 if paternity is already established.
How much does a child custody lawyer cost in Cleveland?: Our fees are published. Contempt motions are $1,095 or $1,670. Establishing custody and parenting time is $1,440; with paternity it is $1,555. A motion to modify custody or parenting time is $1,670. A shared parenting plan is $1,900. An ex parte emergency custody motion with both hearings is $4,025. Those are limited-scope engagements: we draft, file, and prepare you, and you appear at the hearing. Full representation of a contested case starts with a $3,500 retainer, a deposit against work rather than the total cost. Court filing fees are paid separately to the Clerk of Courts.
Do I need a lawyer if the other parent and I agree?: Often not for the whole case, and we will tell you that. An agreed parenting plan still has to be drafted correctly and entered by the court to be enforceable, and that is what a $1,440 or $1,900 limited-scope engagement covers: we draft the plan and the filings, you sign, and the court enters the order. Where you should not go alone: a contested case, a guardian ad litem, any allegation of abuse or substance use, a relocation dispute, or a modification.
What happens at the $25 consultation?: A phone consultation with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin. You tell us what is happening; we tell you which Cuyahoga court hears it, what Ohio law does with your facts, what we would file, what it costs under each way of hiring us, and whether you can do it yourself. You leave with a clear next step, whether or not that step is hiring us.
Which attorney will handle my case?: Cleveland custody matters are handled by David Thomas and Ari Goldstein, both Ohio-licensed and both named on this page with their profiles. You will know who is on your case before you sign. Consultations are with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin, and every filing is reviewed before it goes to the clerk.
Can you take over a custody case that is already filed?: Yes. We review what has been filed, what orders exist, and what the next hearing date is, then tell you in the consultation whether limited scope or full representation fits where the case stands.
How long will my custody case take?: We do not promise timelines. The court controls the schedule, and it depends on whether the case is agreed or contested, whether a guardian ad litem is appointed, and the court's own docket. What we can do is ask for temporary orders while the case is pending so a schedule is in place, and tell you at every step what the next date is and what it means.
Do you offer payment plans?: Yes, on limited-scope and full-representation engagements. Pay in full, finance through Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later, or use an in-house Gavvl Direct plan. The $25 consultation is where we confirm which option fits your case.

Related guides

In-depth, attorney-written guides on Ohio custody and parenting time.

Ohio Child Custody Laws: What Every Parent Should Know — Ohio custody law turns on one principle: the best interest of the child. This guide explains sole custody, shared parenting, the statutory factors, and how courts decide.
Shared Parenting in Ohio: How Joint Custody Really Works — Shared parenting is Ohio's version of joint custody — both parents stay legal custodians and share major decisions. Here's what a plan must cover and how courts decide.
My Ex Leaves Our Child With the Grandparents During Their Parenting Time. Can I Do Anything About It? — Ohio courts favor grandparent relationships, so a few nights a month at grandma's is not a problem. It becomes one when the grandparents replace the parent. This guide explains why the court cannot order the grandparents to do anything, how to tell whether you have shared parenting or sole custody, and the six realistic options — from a documented conversation to a right of first refusal, contempt, a parenting time modification, a custody change, or an emergency motion.
My Ex Has Mental Health Problems and I'm Worried About the Kids. What Can I Do in Ohio? — A mental health diagnosis alone does not cost an Ohio parent custody — courts look at whether the condition is affecting the child, and they weigh the health of everyone involved, including you. This guide covers what changes when a condition is untreated: emergency motions versus modification, court-ordered evaluations, what a guardian ad litem actually does, supervised parenting time with step-up plans, and the real limits on subpoenaing records.
I Think My Ex Is Drinking or Using Drugs. Is There Anything I Can Do? (Ohio) — You do not have to prove your co-parent is using before you ask an Ohio court for help — you have to give the court a credible reason to look. This guide covers what a judge actually cares about, emergency filings versus modification, how to ask for the right test panel (fentanyl and alcohol are not on standard screens), EtG, PEth, hair and nail testing windows, alcohol monitoring during parenting time, guardians ad litem, and supervised time with step-up plans.
Emergency Custody in Ohio: When and How to Get an Ex Parte Order — When a child faces immediate danger, Ohio courts can grant emergency custody on short notice through an ex parte order. Here's what qualifies and what happens next.

Related Cleveland & Ohio Custody Resources

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