Help Kristin Secure Legal Representation for Her Family

My name is Rachel and I'm here to help my sister and her two kids, Allie age 17 and Finn age 19. Kristin is a kind, compassionate woman who has brilliantly raised two trans children during ridiculously hard times. She is great at embroidery and loves animals, especially insects. Finn loves to draw, make spiders out of beads, and learning about all things Mothman. Allie is a quiet kid who loves gaming and cats.

She and her ex-husband got divorced a few years ago and unfortunately it has not been amicable. Kris and the kids have struggling financially ever since and the ex has been extremely negligent in maintaining his legal obligations to help support them. I am choosing not to use his name here because of safety concerns. He is currently $50k in arrears. Kristin and her children are all disabled and need this money in order to cover expenses like rent, groceries, and medical bills. When they were facing eviction last year, he did nothing to help or provide resources. He has not had seen his children in over a year, despite repeated attempts from one of them to meet up. He has also placed an extraordinary amount of blame on Kristin for his own troubles and has taken little to no responsibility for anything in the last several years. Finally, he has not been fully supportive of his children's transitions and doesn't always make a conscious effort to correctly gender them or use their correct names. All of these actions have led to highly emotional and unstable relationships between him and Kris and the kids.

Kris is scheduled to go to trial to try and recoup some of this money on November 21st. Her ex has pleaded "non-guilty" to failing to provide payments. For the record, he has had several opportunities to renegotiate the amount he owes and how it is calculated and he has refused to participate in the process in any way. He will not update the court of any changes to his employment status, living situation, and salary. He has essentially chosen to ignore all of his responsibilities in regards to his family.

However, when Kristin goes to court in November, she will be in need of legal representation. She is not entitled to free court attorneys because America is going great. The case will require her to provide a $3500 retainer for her lawyer. If the case is concluded quickly, any remaining funds will be refunded. This is the most likely scenario. However, that is an extravagant amount of money to provide upfront and our family will be unable to cover its entirety. Kristin is eligible for a small grant through her job but it will also not cover all of what we need.

If you're able to, please contribute to this fund to help ensure their safety and wellness. If the money is ultimately refunded, we can contact you about returning your donated amount. Sometimes the only way we get through things is by relying on community, and we ask that you help us now us so we can help others later.