Custody evaluation sounds like a scam to me but if thats how it works I’d be real careful about who performed it.
It's basically a delaying tactic. The temporary order is almost always totally in favor of the woman, and the longer she can maintain that status quo the more likely she is to prevail in the end.
But you certainly do NOT want some entry-level attorney or social worker appointed as a guardian ad litem or evaluator.
On one particularly bad day in court, I could see they were going to recommend a GAL be appointed. They were batting around the names of some junior staffers at one of the local law firms. I demanded a GAL with a strong mental health background.
I found out later that the head judge in the family court for that county was married to a psychiatrist. She had attended all the court Christmas parties for many years and knew all the judges socially. My judge that day appointed her.
Also unbeknownst to any of us, early in her career, she had been the psychiatrist for the school district where - you're gonna love this - my ex went to elementary school! She later told me that my ex was notoriously unstable even then.
This lady had my ex's number from day one. And when my ex's young, state-appointed, idealistic, man-hating pit-bull of an attorney tried to disparage the GAL's character and credentials, it all backfired.
Divorce is a war nobody ever wins, but it's nice when a battle or two goes your way.
