[TX] Is a lawyer absolutely necessary to request 100%?
Here is the situation:
1 The couple is not married, share a 5 year old son.
My friends' ex boyfriend suspected of alleged cheating a month ago and kicked out the mother of his child and 5 year old toddler back to her parents home in a drunken stupor after he stole her phone, police was called. He has no proof of any cheating and friend's testimony is that it never happened. She was a full time stay at home mother.
Ever since he kicked her out he:
- Threatened to release intimate videos, audios and pictures of her to family, friends and neighbors to show who she is. (she has screenshot proof of this)
- Threatens nightly to go to court and request 100% custody of the child and that he will gain it based on her leaving her son with her grandmother to attend a graduation party for a friend for the duration of 8 hours (she swiftly returned to her son right after) - She has no audio call recording of these threats.
- He does not have a job, he got fired this month and quit two separate jobs he was hired into.
- My friend was not allowed to work because he was jealous so she has no work experience and is now looking for a job for the first time since she became a mother.
- He threatens to unalive himself with the gun he owns weekly to her. (she also has no written proof of this, only happened through phone calls or in person)
- He is bipolar and an alcoholic and every time he calls her she is left in tears. Last night he called her 71 times after she refused to answer. (she has a screenshot of the 71 calls back to back)
- He threatens her and is forcing her to share the baby boy on a 4/3 day split every week. He picked up the boy yesterday after apologizing profusely for the 71 calls and says he wants to file for court jointly with her.
She is terrified. Walking on egg shells and she is afraid that if she files alone, goes to court, requests 100% custody of her son based on the above, that she will lose because she has no money for a real lawyer.
What is the best course of action for her? Google is not helping me project a clear path on how she should proceed to prove the father is not fit to be a parent and she is too afraid of his reaction if she does go ahead and files "without him" since he mentions the gun he owns frequently.
Thank you!