If you are served with a protection order, you probably have a lot of questions right away. Unfortunately, the officer who shows the order for the first time is rarely the person to ask. It may make the most sense to give these questions to a lawyer who can help represent your interests.
- What is a protection order anyway?
A protection order, sometimes known as a restraining order, is a legal demand for a person to stay away from another person or a specific location. It may also require that a person never attempt to contact another person or even return to a home in their name.
- How do protection orders affect family rights?
If a couple has children and one has filed a protection order against the other, the filer often retains custody of the children once a judge has made the order legal with a signature. There are some cases in which the subject of an order may make a case of custody, but it is rare.
- What about personal possessions in a shared home?
The subject of an order may request a visit to the home to pick up required goods like clothes and tools. A judge may, however, insist that police escort people on these visits to prevent contact with residents there.
- How can the subject of a protection order get help?
An attorney can always help people dealing with protection orders, either through address the basic reasons for the order or standing up for their rights to custody, visitation and other aspects of parenthood.