Here at BestLegalChoice we understand not just the legal difficulties involved with family law, but the emotional factors as well.
Our experienced family attorneys also empathize with your needs and how your children are at the heart of the situation.
With the help of matching you with a qualified family attorney, they will be able to provide immediate assistance with listening to your needs and priorities to help you get a fast and efficient resolution. They also understand how important it is to provide affordable legal services when the family budget is tight.
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Types of Child Custody :
Joint custody - parents share physical and legal custody.
Sole physical custody - the child lives with and is under the supervision of one parent. The other parent may often have visitation. This is also commonly known as Full Physical Custody.
Joint physical custody - each parent has significant periods of physical custody.
Sole legal custody - one parent has the right and the responsibility to make the decisions relating to the health, education, and welfare of a child.
Joint legal custody - both parents share the rights and responsibilities to make decisions concerning the health, education, and welfare of the child.
Once you are connected consult with your family attorney about which custody arrangement is best for you and your children.
Child Visitation
Having visitation with your children is one of the most important legal steps in staying in touch and involved in their lives. In some cases, you can remain a non custodial parent, but visit your child on a regular visitation schedule. The best way to make your scheduled time with your child or children enforceable is to have an agreement approved by the court.
Visitation schedules are determined, like all other domestic issues involving children, in accordance with the best interests of the child. In most situations it is important that visitation be frequent and continuing.
Getting a court order will help protect you, so that the other party is not in control of the situation.
When you are matched with your attorney discuss what schedule is best for you and your children.
Child Support
Often, many parents mistakenly make the assumption that child support is 100% tied to child custody or visitation. While this may be true in some cases, it may not be true to all.
In most disagreements, having a well-defined court order in place often clears up any misunderstandings and keeps both parents in check throughout the longevity of parenting their children into adulthood. If you are required to go to court, we will support and prepare you to help yourself to obtain an order for the first time or get your existing order changed.
Generally, there will not be a custody order without a support order and vice versa unless the parties previously agreed to visitation issues. Furthermore, generally, parents will agree to both. Problems typically arise later when one parent is being unfair, or if parents simply disagree over minor issues and a lawyer gets involved with the recognition that there are no orders in place, and encourages them to seek such orders to take the guess-work out.
Most court orders outlining custody, visitation, and support often take the guess work out of arrangements involving children of broken or separated families so that everyone understands what is expected of each parents. Such orders are generally subject to change if the parents’ circumstances change (i.e. job loss, illness, disability, and others).
What is Child Support?
Child Support is the obligation paid to the custodial parent of child by the non custodial parent for rearing the child. It is in the best interest of a child for both parents to be obligated to pay for the support of their child. An order for child support transfers the income/wealth from one parent to the other so that the combined incomes/wealth of both parents is available to use for the support of the child.
A Child Support order includes when and how much a parent has to pay for child support. A Child Support Order is generally part of a divorce decree or paternity judgment. Most states now follow a guideline or formula devised for estimating child support amount. This ensures uniformity in child support payment from court to court.
Are you paying too much child support?
Have you lost your job or taken a lesser paying one? Are you spending less time with your children due to relocation? These are generally considered a change in circumstances and should be made known to the court.
If you do not have a visitation or custody order in place and are paying high child support, obtaining such an order may lower the amount of child support you pay. Bring this up with your attorney when you speak with them!
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