Once in awhile the facts are so bad, one parent really will lose the opportunity to raise his or her own child. It's rare but it occasionally happens.
The best way is to stick with it and not give up, find another attorney who won't charge as much and will work with you. It is a parent's RIGHT to raise their kids. When cases go sideways and the other husband or other wife starts to take over your job, and in so doing takes away and over-influences your kid, then you are losing.
Or possibly at least seek help from a document preparer (with attorney oversight) such as Paradise Paralegal https://paradiseparalegalservices.blogspot.com/ which can help client in multiple jurisdictions. Not getting competent help can easily be your ondoing, and if that happens, it will be very difficult to recover from adverse rulings.
For this to have happened, there has to have been mistakes made since there is no law which technically favors a step parent; the real parents are usually given chances to fix as much as possible. Attorney has seen some of the worst cases but even when kids have been taken, they are given back although it will take time. If the kids are placed into foster care, the parents are given some pretty good chances to get the kids back. There are many appeals cases involving cases where kids were not given back---but best not to go there by following everything one needs to do for reunification.
Attorney is aware that many kids in Butte are targets for foster care. Don't let it happen to you.
CASES INVOLVING ANIMAL LAWS, ANIMALS, PETS, and ESPECIALLY OWNERS!
If you have a CPS case attorney can likely help you on the case. Sometimes CPS may seize kids based on something the "pet" did---- normally a dog.
Because attorney is well versed in animal law issues nationally, having worked and studied animal law issues [which are mostly constitutional law, criminal law, and property law] since 2002, and worked with lobbyist to defeat certain activist errant legislation over the years, attorney is well qualified to work on issues involving animals, seizure, kennels, contract disputes involving animals, vet disputes; also, criminal charges involving animals and animal seizure, pre seizure notices, post seizure notices; post seizure hearings and more.
Attorney and other legal people contribute to site online at https://petdefense.wordpress.com/ which basically explains how activists seek to stop interstate commerce sales of animals, use of animals, trading of animals, breeding of animals; implement forced altering of all animals; severe punishment upon allegation of abuse (even when there is none) and seizure of animals, just because they (animal control) "CAN."
In particular, attorney is extremely well versed on issues involving 'pitbull' type dogs, and laws associated with animals, including any dogs as emotional support (Federal law) or therapy, assistance dogs, breed restrictions, housing restrictions,etc. Right now, the laws are fairly clear on these issues, but sometimes the facts may blur the issues.
