A Houston Child Custody Lawyer to Help You
During a divorce, child custody is one of the most delicate and stressful aspects. Of course, no parent wants to hurt or disrupt their children, but child custody arrangements are an overwhelming, necessary change that a Houston child custody lawyer must endure when their parents separate. Even if your divorce proceeds smoothly, your children will probably need an adjustment period. Be aware that the courts are only concerned with the best interests of your children during custody disputes.
Choosing the right family law attorney from the Houston child custody lawyer for your child custody case can be difficult. To help you with your search, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions about choosing a child custody lawyer that’s right for you. Divorce and child custody are often intertwined, so many lawyers have experience in both. Make sure that you ask your divorce attorney about how much experience they have in child custody and child support determinations, as well as their success rate.
Consider hiring another divorce lawyer or hiring a separate child custody attorney if your attorney lacks experience or if there are no favourable client reviews. Both parental physical care and legal decisions regarding their children are shared by both parents on a relatively equal basis in joint custody.
Parents often arrange to have their children see the other parent on weekends, during the summer, or on alternate holidays if the other parent takes care of the children physically. Most parents handle the majority of their children’s physical needs, but the other parent sees them frequently. The non-custodial parent may have fewer regular visits and may need to be supervised as ordered by the court. Similar to primary custody, the non-custodial parent does not have legal custody.
When a parent has sole custody, they are given physical and legal custody of their children. The other parent cannot make decisions regarding their children or see them without the consent of the custodial parent. Your child custody attorney can help you develop your case based on your knowledge of potential outcomes and your clear understanding of your desired custody arrangements.
The arrangements for child custody, though they must be approved by the court, can be negotiated out of court during the mediation process. If you and your former spouse’s attorney agree on a solution, it will be presented to a judge for final approval. A third-party mediator will help you both express your concerns.
Mediation will not resolve your child custody issues, so you will have to litigate the issue in court before the judge will make a final ruling. If your child custody arrangement needs to be modified or changed in the future, you may have to go to court again.