Can a lawyer assist me in seeking help for a child with substance abuse problems?

A lawyer can assist you and a lawyer should assist you. In other words, you shouldn’t try and do this on your own. You should hire a lawyer who is competent and understands the dynamics of addiction and mental illness and also understands how to use the legal system so you as a parent or legal guardian can get control of an out of control situation. That means a lawyer who’s familiar with the Marchman Act which is Florida’s involuntary commitment statute for addiction and concremental illness. And also a lawyer that is familiar with the guardianship statute which allows somebody to go into court and ask the court for permission to make medical decisions, financial decisions and have access to medical records. Drug and alcohol attorneys, we only do one thing, we take care of moms and dads that are dealing with addiction and mental illness and are in crisis and we help them to formulate a plan so they move ahead. So they can get their kids into recovery and so they can move forward and have a productive life.