In this video, our Bettendorf mental health attorneys explain if mental illness factors in custody cases. The court considers all factors when deciding the child's best interests. Mental illness can mean many different things, but if one of the parents has a diagnosed condition or has a history of signs and symptoms indicative of mental illness, the court can't simply ignore a fact of the case.  When making a decision on custody and parenting time, the court will look at both parent's behavior. If a parent has a history of providing a stable environment, mental illness should not be used against that parent. However, if the parent's condition is poorly managed, leading to behavior that places the child in jeopardy, they should expect it to reflect in the ruling.

In this video, our Bettendorf mental health attorneys explain how Iowa law protects those with service animals and emotional support animals by requiring accommodations in housing and some public places.  In Iowa law, you are allowed to be accompanied by your service dog or assistive animal in various public spaces. For an animal to qualify as a service animal, they must be specially trained to assist a person with a disability. Most of the time, the service animals are dogs. An assistive animal covers other animals that are specifically trained or in training to assist that person with a disability. 

In this video, our Bettendorf mental health attorneys explain how , Iowa legislature passed House File 610, which made a number of changes to adult guardianship rules and procedures in Iowa. The law took effect on January 1st, 2020. A couple of changes to Iowa Guardianship terminology were made with the new law:

• “Proposed ward” a term that is considered outdated and offensive was replaced by “respondent;” and
• “Ward” was replaced by the term “protected person.”

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