Need a little help for a friend in LA

I've got a buddy who's son lives in Baton Rouge with an emotionally abusive mother. He's in need of a good lawyer in the area, but he is in Clearwater, FL and doesn't know anyone in LA. He's torn up about this, but after a company transfer and sitting on an unsold house in N. GA., he can't afford to get raped by a lawyer that won't do him any good. Does anyone have any good contacts they could pass on? I know this is kind of off the wall, but I've found the car nut community to be a great resource across the country. Thanks guys! If you want to e-mail me privately, my e-mail is hoserracing (at) gmail (dot) com

Am I getting this straight?
Son lives with ex-wife (or ex-girlfriend) in Baton Rouge.
Mother (ex-wife or ex-GF) is emotional abusive to son.
Father lives in Clearwater, FL.
Looking for legal help in Baton Rouge.

What does the father want to achieve through the lawyer?
How old is the son?

Yes, son lives with ex-girlfriend in Baton Rouge, and the father is looking to see if he can help his son with emancipation (son is 16). He doesn't know anyone in LA, he talked to one lawyer who wanted a $10K retainer to even talk to him about the case, got him depressed because he's covered up with house payment in Clearwater & mortgage on house not yet sold in GA. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Who has legal custody of the kid, and what state? Is the ex-girlfriend the father's or the kids?

HoserRacing wrote: Yes, son lives with ex-girlfriend in Baton Rouge, and the father is looking to see if he can help his son with emancipation (son is 16). He doesn't know anyone in LA, he talked to one lawyer who wanted a $10K retainer to even talk to him about the case, got him depressed because he's covered up with house payment in Clearwater & mortgage on house not yet sold in GA. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

In Louisiana, the age for sexual consent is 17, yet the contention is that this kid is legally liable for TWO mortgages at the age of 16? Something smells and Denmark isn't the source.

Lawyers are needed, maybe psychiatrists too.

Sorry guys, as I look back, I didn't type that clearly enough. The son (who is 16) lives with his mother, who is an ex-girlfriend of the father. She has custody. She moved out when she became pregnant and didn't tell the father that she was pregnant until after the son was born. He was 23 at the time and had told her that he wasn't ready for children without knowing that she was pregnant. My friend was transferred earlier this year from GA to Florida, and is in tight financial straits due to paying the mortgage on the house in Georgia that he was living in (which has not sold) and the mortgage on the house he is in now in Clearwater. I hope this clears it up.

Yes, lawyers are needed, and quite possibly a psychiatrist depending on how well the son has been able to hold up to this. Thanks for your help everyone.

Thanks but I am still unclear what the father hopes to achieve through a lawyer.
Will the lawyer be representing the father in a bid to gain custody?
Will the lawyer be representing the son in a bid to file abuse charges against the mother?

What about sending the 16 yr old son an airplane ticket, bus ticket or some fuel cards to get to Florida? From there the father may be able to fight the battle on his home turf.
Does the father see the kid on a regular basis?
When would they typically see each other again?

He would like to get custody or at least emancipation for his son so that he could come live with him. The only way (as I understand) for the son to achieve emancipation is to prove abuse by the mother. From what my friend told me, even if his son did run away from home and come to him, since the son is not emancipated, the mother can have him forcibly returned home (it was a long conversation we had last night, I've slept since then & my memory is not the greatest, so I can't remember the actual legalese he gave me on that one). The father has had limited visits with his son, only when the mother decides she wants to let him go. Again, I don't remember the legal details, but something about him not being a custodial parent prevents his ability to receive visitation rights. They just spent 5 days together at Thanksgiving, with the mother telling the son he wasn't going to get to go until the very last minute to leave to go to the airport.

I'm not a fan of kids being abused, or being used as pawns between fighting parents. My friend is a good man, married with 3 lovely children, and it breaks his heart that he can't protect his son.