Hiring a Child Custody Lawyer in Oklahoma
How courts in Oklahoma decide custody, emergency custody, parenting classes, how to check a lawyer's license, and free or low-cost family law help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Oklahoma: fee rules
| If a lawyer takes your money | The Oklahoma Bar Association's Clients' Security Fund may reimburse money or property taken through theft, embezzlement or wrongful conversion by an Oklahoma attorney acting as a lawyer or fiduciary, including fees paid for services never or only minimally performed. It does not cover malpractice or negligence, losses of the attorney's relatives, partners or employees, losses covered by bond or insurance, or interest and consequential expenses. The attorney must have died, been adjudged mentally ill, been disciplined, or resigned or let the license lapse after discipline, and you should first try other sources of recovery. Payment is a matter of grace, not right; the Board appropriates $100,000 per year in total, and payments are reduced proportionally if approved claims exceed that. File within five years of the loss using the Clients' Security Fund Claim Form; help: 405-416-7000 or 800-522-8065. |
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Oklahoma rules to know first
| How custody is decided | Custody is decided by the best interests of the child's physical, mental and moral welfare. The court may award custody to either parent or to both jointly; parents requesting joint custody must file a parenting plan. There is no legal preference or presumption for or against joint legal custody, joint physical custody or sole custody. If the court finds child abuse, domestic violence, stalking or harassment, there is a rebuttable presumption that custody with the perpetrator is not in the child's best interest. A child may express a preference if the court finds that is in the child's best interest, and a child 12 or older is presumed (rebuttably) old enough to form an intelligent preference; the court is not bound by the child's choice. Official Oklahoma Legislature compilation of Title 43 (PDF). OSCN, the courts' statute site, was bot-blocked when checked. |
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| Emergency custody | In a case about custody or visitation, a parent can file a motion for an emergency custody hearing. The motion must include an independent report if available, such as a police report or a Department of Human Services report, showing the child is in surroundings that endanger the child's safety and would likely cause irreparable harm if they continue. If there is no such report, a notarized affidavit from someone with personal knowledge must be attached. The court has 72 hours after receiving the motion to hold a hearing; if it does not, the motion can be taken to the presiding judge of the judicial district, who must hold the hearing within 24 hours. If information the court relied on turns out to be false, the person who filed must pay all costs and attorney fees, and failure to pay within 30 days can be punished as contempt. Source: Okla. Stat. tit. 43, § 107.4 |
| Parenting classes | In divorce, separate maintenance, paternity, custody and visitation cases involving a child under 18, the court may require the adults to attend a parenting education program. In incompatibility divorces filed on or after November 1, 2014 with a child under 18, attendance is required; the program fee is $10 to $60, it must be completed before the temporary order or within 45 days after, and custody cannot be finally decided until it is completed. The court may waive attendance for good cause, including domestic violence, stalking or harassment. Official Oklahoma Legislature compilation of Title 43 (PDF). OSCN, the courts' statute site, was bot-blocked when checked. Source: 43 O.S. 107.2 |
| Grandparents' rights | A grandparent may seek court-ordered visitation if it is in the child's best interest and the grandparent shows the parent is unfit, or rebuts by clear and convincing evidence the presumption that a fit parent is acting in the child's best interest by showing the child would suffer harm without visitation. The family must also have been disrupted in a listed way, such as a pending or completed divorce, separate maintenance or annulment, the death of the grandparent's child, a parent's felony incarceration, custody with someone other than a parent, or parents who never married and live apart. Visitation cannot be granted if the child is in an intact nuclear family and both parents object. Official Oklahoma Legislature compilation of Title 43 (PDF). OSCN, the courts' statute site, was bot-blocked when checked. Source: 43 O.S. 109.4 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Oklahoma Bar Association's "Find a Lawyer" directory is a voluntary, opt-in listing of Oklahoma attorneys that the public can search by practice area, location, language and name. Not every licensed attorney is listed, and the OBA does not endorse or certify listed attorneys. OBA phone: (405) 416-7000 or toll-free (800) 522-8065. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Oklahoma Bar Association's Member Verification search lets anyone look up attorneys by name, Bar ID or city. Each listing shows the lawyer's name, city and state, Bar ID, membership type (such as Active, Retired or Senior), status (such as Good Standing) and admission date. If you can't find an attorney, call 405-416-7000. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Oklahoma lawyers go to the Oklahoma Bar Association's Office of the General Counsel, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3036, (405) 416-7007. By law a complaint must be in writing and signed; a form is not required but can be downloaded or requested. Give specific details (dates, what you hired the lawyer to do, and what the lawyer did or failed to do) and send copies, not originals, of supporting papers. The office reviews the complaint, dismisses it if no violation is alleged, or investigates (which may include the lawyer's response); if evidence supports violations, the matter may go to the Professional Responsibility Tribunal, which makes recommendations to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Complaints are confidential unless public discipline is imposed. The OBA cannot give legal advice or intervene in your case. |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (LASO) helps low-income Oklahomans with civil, non-criminal legal issues. Apply online or call 1-888-534-5243; LASO asks about income, household size and the legal issue before deciding whether to take the case. LSC lists Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Legal Services as its Oklahoma grantees. LSC grantee list: https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/our-grantees |
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Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.