Santa Rosa Child Custody Attorney
Our Child Custody Lawyers in Santa Rosa Are Here To Help You.
Cases dealing with family law that involve children face a number of legal issues. From determining custody, to monthly child support, to visitation, parents often find themselves battling over the details.
Because of the importance of child custody matters, it is important to have a skilled family law attorney representing your interests and looking out for your children’s best interests.
Two types of Custody
- Legal Custody: Legal custody refers to a parent’s right to make important decisions for a child. This includes health, education, and welfare requirements. For example, a parent with legal custody determines what school the child will attend, or when they needs to see the dentist. In most cases, parents share joint legal custody. In situations where a parent has shown the lack of ability to make proper decisions in their child’s best interest, usually when drugs and alcohol play a role, the court can and will appoint one parent to have “sole” legal custody.
- Physical Custody: Physical custody refers to the amount of time each parent will spend with their children on a regular basis, and the actual schedule that both parents must follow. For example, children may live full time with one parent but visit the other parent on weekends. Other times, the stipulations aren’t as strict, and children can freely move between parents as long as there are no disputes. When parents have a healthy working relationship, the possibility for joint physical custody is generally thought to be for the best interest of all children involved.when parents have a healthy relationship.
The court typically examines legal and physical custody separately and may elect to grant both parents joint legal custody, but not necessarily joint physical custody. It’s all dependent on the unique circumstances of each situation.
Child Custody order modification
Our law firm regularly handles modification of child custody and visitation orders, and judgments. If you have a current order that you wish to modify, contact our office today for a consultation.
The determination of whether a custody order will be modified depends on whether there have been “changed circumstances” since the entry of the order. This means that something has changed for the parents or the child that warrants the change.
The Importance of HIRING a Child Custody LAWYER
Your children are precious. While it can be tempting to save money and represent yourself, it is not advised. The other parties involved will almost always use legal representation – and you should do the same. An experienced attorney has dealt with hundreds of child custody cases in the past and can provide you with the knowledge necessary to achieve a favorable result for you and your children’s best interest. Contact us toady and we can help get you and your children the help you deserve.
