The article highlights a legal aid lawyer's experience in court regarding a client's ability to support her child amidst economic hardship. The judge's lack of understanding of financial constraints, particularly regarding basic needs like transportation and communication devices, illustrates a disconnect between legal expectations and reality. Despite the father owing substantial child support, the judge dismissed these financial limitations, insisting the mother should procure items like a car and a phone. This case accentuates systemic issues in the judicial system concerning economic disparities and their implications on custody cases.
"The dad's lawyer brought it up in court, and I explained my client didn't have a car and was depending on the bus..."
"...why doesn't she just buy a car?" The judge told me with a straight face, '...your client should buy her a phone.'"
"I explained that my client didn't have the money for a car or a phone for a child..."
"...maybe if dad, who was fairly well off, could pay some of the five figures of child support..."
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