Child Custody

When adults get a divorce, there are many different matters that have to be handled. One of these is the child custody case. Unfortunately, the most precious people in the parents’ life are going to be at the center of what could shape up to be a very contentious...

You get to court knowing exactly what you want in terms of child custody rights. You know where you want the child to live, how he or she should be raised and what role you want your ex to have in this process. At the same time, your spouse shows up with his or her own list of desires. You…

You may have heard of joint custody and sole custody, but what about split custody? The first thing you should know is that it’s very uncommon, but it has been used. Joint custody means that both parents have rights and essentially share the children. They have to work together to make legal and medical decisions, for instance, and the children…

You want to be involved with your kids, but parenting with your ex sounds terrible. The two of you really want nothing to do with one another. Remember that a toxic atmosphere is not good for the kids. If you’re really going to put them first, you need to focus on trying to find ways to work together. It may…

You and your spouse are divorcing and you have a 2-year-old child. Quite frankly, you’re angry about the divorce, but you don’t let that impact the decisions you make. You still work hard to create a parenting plan and a custody schedule that both focus on your child’s best interests. One thing to remember is that you and your ex…

You’re trying to get visitation rights so that you can still see your child after the divorce, and you’ve heard that the court can order supervised visitation in certain cases. Why is this used and what would it mean for you? What it would mean is that you don’t see your child on your own. A court-appointed individual has to…

Some people feel like fathers are at an automatic disadvantage if they’re seeking primary custody of their children. In cases where shared custody isn’t possible, it’s important to remember that the court judges both parents by the same criteria. It’s your level of interaction with your children and what seems best for them that controls the judge’s decision — not…

During the early days of a separation when a fragile marriage finally shatters, emotions can run especially high. That’s when some parents react badly or out of character– especially if young children are involved. That’s also when parental or familial abductions often occur. It’s important to be prepared in case your spouse (or another family member, like a grandparent, aunt…

We’ve talked before about how a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) can sometimes be important to a child custody case. Parents are often understandably nervous before the GAL’s first visit to their home because so much rides on this person’s impressions of you and your parenting skills. Take a moment to review two basic tips for the GAL’s first visit: 1.…

Divorce is rough on all of the parties involved, but its effects can be especially harsh on the children. Kids of all ages grieve the loss of an intact family, but sometimes the children lose far more than that. The bigger the changes, the greater the loss Kids often sense that their parents are splitting up long before the divorce…