Choosing the Right Child Custody Lawyer For Your Case

Often the most complex and emotional aspects of divorce cases are related to children. A couple that has children together may want to remain close or even live together after a marriage ends, and they will need to make decisions about custody, visitation, and support arrangements. A highly trained Child Custody Lawyer in Orlando can help parents reach an equitable solution that works for them and their children.

While the term “custody” sounds simple enough, there are actually several different types of custody arrangements. The best way to understand these arrangements is to speak with a lawyer about your unique situation. The following are some of the most common types of custody:

Joint legal custody: This is where both parents share decision-making responsibility for their children, but one parent has primary physical custody and the other has visitation rights. The parent with primary physical custody will typically do a hand-off or have their appointed representatives do a hand-off at the end of each visitation period. Parents with visitation rights can choose whether or not to attend school functions, extracurricular activities, and other events, which makes it easier for them to maintain a regular schedule with their children.

Sole legal custody: In this arrangement, the judge awards one parent sole decision-making authority for the children, but the other parent may have supervised or unsupervised visitation rights. A court will only award this type of custody if the other parent is deemed to be unfit to care for the children, or if there has been some sort of abuse or neglect by the other parent. In most situations, judges will grant either joint or shared legal custody to both parents in order to promote the well-being of the children.

Many people assume that the mother always gets custody of their children in a divorce, and that the fathers will have visiting rights. While this was once the norm, courts today are working toward a more even balance between parents. Timesharing, as it is called in Florida, is a more fair method of custody that allows for both parents to have time with their children while still granting both parents joint legal and physical custody.

A highly trained Children’s Lawyer in Orlando can help parents understand the different types of custody and how they might affect their family, including spousal and child support. In order to help their clients achieve a positive outcome, these attorneys can work with both parents to create a parenting plan that outlines custody and visitation arrangements. They can also help clients with financial disclosures, child support calculation worksheets, and other mandatory information required by the courts. Click here for more details.