Legal Corner: How to present a custody agreement to a judge

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Legal Corner answers viewers’ civil legal questions.

QUESTION: If I am stopped by an Arkansas State Trooper and issued a citation, can a Texarkana, Texas city police officer issue another ticket for that same stop?

ANSWER: Either a Texas- or Arkansas-licensed attorney should be contacted for advice regarding this question.

QUESTION: My child’s mother and I have a custody case that we filed in Jeff Davis, and neither of us has a lawyer. We have reached an agreement on everything in our case. Is there a way that we can present our agreement to the judge to end our case?

ANSWER: In Louisiana, parties can agree on or reach a stipulation on issues in their case, even if they are not represented by attorneys.

A joint stipulation is a written agreement between parties that is filed and submitted to the assigned judge for approval. Entering into a joint stipulation eliminates the need to go to court and have a judge decide specific issues in a case or the entire case. The written agreement should be signed by each party in the presence of a notary public.

Based upon the joint agreement or stipulation, the parties can create the written consent judgment that resolves either specific issues or the entire case. The written consent judgment is signed by the parties and the judge assigned to case, if the judge approves.

Once the consent judgment is signed by the judge, the agreement of the parties becomes a legally binding judgment of the court, and the parties are required to abide by it.