The Child Custody Book

Whether you and your child(ren)'s other parent are going through an amicable or contested custody battle, this is a must read. The book is concise, and literally from the horse's mouth -Judge Stewart. Helps you understand what your judge is looking for in his/her decision to award custody. To say that my ex-husband was nasty and wealthier than I, is putting it mildly. This was an acrid combination until the book pointed out my strengths and thus managed to turn the tide in my favor. By stressing on a single point that I picked up in one of the chapters, I managed to get full custody of my child. Heaven knows what hell we'd (my child and I) be going through otherwise?!! Thank you! Judge Stewart.

Most people are put-off and confused by anything to do with legal procedure and process. I certainly am. That there is a judge lawyer out there who can untangle things for the legal novice is a surprise to me. Written by an experienced California judge, with contributions from a licensed psychologist and custody evaluator, this book (in the series Rebuilding Books for divorce and beyond) places emphasis on the emotional component to the issues surrounding child custody. The do's and don'ts at the end of each chapter will help you figure out what you need to do. The glossary is most helpful - it explained legal words to me in language that I could understand. The book does not shy away from tricky topics like child abuse and false molestation or how to select a lawyer. Even though the authors are California-based, they're aware of legal trends nationwide, so you'll find this book useful if you live in the United States. If you or someone you know is faced with the difficult decisions involved in working out a child custody agreement, I'd recommend this book.

As a psychologist who has read a number of child custody books, I find this one by James W. Stewart to be one of the best. Not only is it extremely helpful to me with the family court work in which I am involved, but I feel as though I have finally found a book I can recommend to my clients to read as well. The feedback I have received from the clients has been very positive, not only because of the content, but because of the clear, concise manner in which it is written.

The judge has done it again. We recommended his previous book to Child Psychiatrists through the Acad. of Child and Adol.Psychiatry and this one is even more helpful. While he points out how to deal with many aspects and many players in this tragic matter he leaves us with the firm knowledge that only the attorneys have a chance to deal effectively with the Judge. But there is much to be done by the parent to allow the attorney to obtain the most efficacious out come. Those who don't read this book and are in anyway involved with custody neglect themselves at their own peril.

Judge Stewart's insightful advice on Child Custody cases is clearly based on years of experience. His list of "Dos and Don'ts" at the end of each chapter serves as a succinct and helpful summary of the points covered.