BALDWIN LASHES OUT AT DIVORCE LAWYERS

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's cutthroat custody battle over their 12-year-old daughter, Ireland, has made international headlines for years. The couple divorced in 2002 after nine years of marriage, but the vicious accusations on both sides continued, culminating in the infamous 2007 voice-mail message in which Baldwin berated his daughter.
In an interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, Baldwin, 50, spoke about his lengthy court struggles with Basinger, 54, and said that when the voice mail was released, it brought him to the brink of suicide.
"I used to pray to God every night. I would get in bed, and I would say, please, don't let me wake up in the morning," Baldwin said. "I began to think about what little town I would repair to in order to commit suicide. And then you, obviously you say, well, what would that do to my child if I killed myself? Me, I really didn't care about me."
After the media storm and new round of custody litigation that followed the voice mail release, Baldwin nearly broke his own promise to never give up on his daughter. Deterred by the barriers that he believes his ex-wife imposed on his relationship with Ireland, Baldwin said he almost lost the will to keep fighting.
"I don't care if the judges and the lawyers die of heart attacks in the process of getting their job done. They are corrupt, inefficient, lazy, stupid -- they're the most God-awful people."
Baldwin believes that many family court lawyers and their manipulations and delays make the child custody duel much worse than it needs to be. "The judges are like pit bosses in Vegas casinos. Their job is to make sure everybody stays at the table and keeps gambling."
Baldwin's clashed with Basinger for nearly eight years: there are hundreds of documents, 91 court proceedings so far, and about $3 million in legal costs.

Scenarios Behind Hiring A California Child Custody Lawyer

Divorce is regarded as one of the most horrible things that may happen to a couple, especially if a misunderstanding is not resolved immediately. Many individuals are filing their petition for divorce with their respective partners because they cannot resolve their differences anymore. They feel that they cannot stand with each other living under the same roof anymore; they are just uncomfortable seeing and being with each other.

Aside from the legal procedure that needs to be followed, the family is also experiencing emotional distress. The atmosphere will not be as friendly as before, because such divorce petition means separation-one moving out of the house while the other will remain. In addition, if they have children, their custody will also be a subject for argument in the family court. That is the saddest part of a couple filing for a divorce-giving the children to whoever has the better right under the family law.

In the case of child custody, many divorcing couples are getting a child custody lawyer aside from the divorce lawyer for their petition. Most of the states in the country have their own regulations with regards to family law. In California, they have their own set of regulations that applies to child custody cases. That is why if you are residing in California and planning to get hold of the custody of your children in case your husband or wife filed a divorce, you need to hire a California-based child custody lawyer.

Your child custody lawyer will be your representative in California family courts. He or she will be the one to explain to you the possibilities of getting the custody of your children based on the circumstances present as well as the laws and regulations covering child custody issues.

Mom Represents Self in Custody Case

If there's one thing Sylvie van Hoek has learned the past seven months, it's that real life's trials aren't exactly like "Law & Order."

"It's not like TV. You don't get to object to everything," van Hoek said. The 45-year-old suburban single mother, part-time grad student and catechism teacher is representing herself in a bitter legal battle with her ex-husband, who does have a lawyer. At stake is custody of their 9-year-old son.