Legal Representation When Child Custody And Visitation Are To Be Determined
If you and your child’s other parent are heading toward divorce or separation, your child’s well-being is naturally a top concern. Your marriage or domestic partnership may be breaking down, but the day-to-day demands of raising a child do not stop. Who will the child live with most of the time? In a divorce or a partnership of unmarried parents, a judge in family court will make decisions based on a child’s best interest.
Even if you and the other parent disagree on many things, you likely agree on a desire to protect and nurture your child(ren) as you have always done. Child custody and visitation orders can provide parents and children alike with legal protection and clarity. A timely resolution of custody and visitation arrangements is in the best interests of everyone in the family.
I am attorney Douglas C. Dominick, a lifelong resident of Vivian, Louisiana. At my law firm, I guide parents through the legal processes involving child custody and visitation. For more than 25 years, I have provided sensible, affordable and effective representation in family law matters for people in communities and rural areas in Caddo, Bossier, Webster and DeSoto parishes.
What Your Parenting Time Arrangements May Look Like
The good news in this area of the law is that many families have successfully navigated the emotional challenges of sharing the custody of children between households. A solid legal arrangement is important, but I also encourage my clients to get help from counselors and other knowledgeable professionals. Peaceful family life is priceless and achievable, even when parents are no longer together.
As you enter negotiations or prepare to go before a judge, I can help you make your case for the child custody and visitation arrangement that you believe is best for your children. Factors that the court will consider include the following:
- The quality of the parent-child bond with each parent
- Each parent’s ability to provide children with necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter and education
- The morality and mental and physical health of each parent
- A child’s background and adaptation in his or her current and/or proposed new school and neighborhood
- A child’s needs and reasonable stated preference
- Each parent’s willingness to encourage the child’s ongoing relationship with the other parent
In the end, your child’s custody and visitation arrangement may be one of the following:
- Joint custody, most likely with one parent having primary custody and the other having regular visitation schedules
- Sole custody with one parent, although the other parent can still petition to see the child under this arrangement
- Third-party custody with a grandparent, another relative or someone else who is close to the child
Douglas C. Dominick, Attorney at Law, Is Here For You
Besides child custody and visitation, I can help you through a divorce, help you seek modifications of court orders and advise you on ways to enforce child custody orders.
To schedule a consultation, call 318-383-3168 or send an email. You will hear from me or my office staff as soon as possible.