With Help of Pro Bono Attorney, Sailor Reunited with Child and Awarded Joint Custody

A sailor was in military training when, unbeknownst to him, the sailor’s child was removed from the mother’s care due to the mother’s substance abuse and placed with an elderly relative who subsequently would not allow him any access to the child. The servicemember believed that it would be in the best interest of the child for him to gain custody, or at the very least, have visitation and provide child support. The ABA Military Pro Bono Project referred the sailor to a volunteer attorney who, by dedicating significant pro bono time to this sailor, was able to negotiate and enter a stipulation awarding the servicemember joint custody which provides him with visitation rights and a payment plan for child support. The sailor reports that he is successfully exercising his visitation time with his child.