Lawyers who take on Child custody and divorce cases work to obtain the custody arrangement that is best for the child while protecting their client's interests in the process. Any person going through a divorce in which children are involved should consider retaining an attorney to represent them. The attorney works with the parents to establish a parenting plan regarding custody, visitation, child support, and more. If the parents cannot come to an agreement in one or more areas, the attorney petitions the court for assistance in resolving the matter.

Why an Attorney is Needed?

Child custody cases can be very complex. Parents must determine who the child will live with which is often the easy part. Deciding who has the legal right to make decisions about the child can be challenging. For example, one parent may want to enroll the child in private school and the other parent might not agree with this decision. The parenting plan outlines who has the final say in this type of situation. The same is true when it comes to issues regarding the child's health, lifestyle, welfare and more. There is more than one type of custody parents need to be aware of as they create this parenting plan.

Types of Custody

Physical custody refers to who the child resides with. In contrast, legal custody determines which parent will make decisions regarding the child's daily life. In many cases, parents have joint physical custody and the child goes between the two homes to maintain a relationship with each parent. However, in this scenario, only one parent may be awarded legal custody. This parent then gets to make decisions for the child on a day-to-day basis. Some parents share both physical and legal custody, but there are situations where a parent may not have custody of any type. This parent may then see the child through supervised visitation, in many cases. The attorney works to ensure his client is treated fairly as this matter is resolved.

A child custody lawyer can be of help in other situations as well. For example, this attorney likely deals with issues regarding Emergency Guardianship and will probably handle a client's divorce case in addition to the child custody matter. Individuals have rights under the law and the attorney is there to ensure these rights are protected. If you are in the midst of a Divorce, child custody battle or wish to obtain emergency guardianship of a minor, call on an attorney today. This is one legal matter you should not try to take on alone.