Child Custody
February 24, 2023
Parenting plans are a critical part of custody litigation. If you and your spouse are going through a divorce, it’s important to understand how parenting plans work and what they say about the children’s future.
Parenting Plans In Mesa
A parenting plan is a set of rules and guidelines that parents agree to use in the event of a dispute over child custody. The purpose of a parenting plan is to address issues such as how often you will see your children, how much time you can spend with them, and what kind of activities are allowed.
For example, if one parent wants more frequent access to their children than the other does, they may include those specifics in their parenting schedule. A judge can enforce this agreement if both parties agree but everyone must understand what they’re agreeing to before signing anything official.
In Mesa AZ (Arizona), we recommend creating both a parenting schedule AND a joint custody order because these two documents serve different purposes:
- The Joint Custody Order describes how often each parent should have contact with their child(ren) – usually every weekend or weeknight between 4 pm – 8 pm;
- The Parenting Plan outlines which activities will occur during those times together (i.) play dates or sports games etc., which ones are not available due to school schedules etc.
What Is Legal Custody?
Legal custody is the right of a parent to make major decisions about a child’s life, such as where they go to school and what religion they practice. Legal custody also gives a parent the right to make medical decisions for their child.
What Are Parenting Schedules?
The parenting schedule is a written document that outlines the times when your children will be with each parent. The parenting schedule can be changed if both parents agree, and it isn’t legally binding on either party (unless they choose to give it legal force).
Special Considerations For A Child’s Safety
As with any other type of custody dispute, it’s important to keep your child’s safety in mind. As a parent, you want to make sure that the person who will be caring for your child is safe and able to provide for them.
If you and your ex cannot agree on an appropriate plan for their care, then the court will decide what is best for your child based on all of their relevant factors including:
- The child’s age (if younger than 18 years old) or maturity level (if older than 18 years old). If there are special needs or medical concerns related to one party’s ability to care for another party’s children then these issues should also be considered when determining which party should have primary physical custody of those children after divorce proceedings have been finalized.
- The seriousness of each parent’s misconduct during marriage as well as prior incidents leading up until today.*Whether either spouse has ever been convicted/discharged from any jail sentence within the last 10 years; if so provide details about this conviction/discharge along with date sentenced etc., including court name where applicable
Let A Mesa Child Custody Attorney Help You Protect Your Family
A Mesa child custody attorney can help you protect your family. If a parent is abusing the other parent or their children, they need to have legal representation so that the abuse doesn’t continue.
However, if one spouse is out of work and can’t afford an attorney on their own, it’s also vital that they find someone who will take care of their case without charging unreasonable fees–and who will make sure both parents are treated fairly during litigation child custody.
A good Mesa child custody lawyer knows how to make sure that each parent gets equitable treatment in court proceedings by understanding how courts operate in Arizona and applying those rules consistently across all cases handled by this office child custody.
This means giving equal time during interviews with prospective clients so we can determine whether or not our firm should represent them before making any decisions about which cases we would like to take on ourselves (or refer out) .
Conclusion
A child custody battle isn’t something that you want to face. But it can happen when one parent decides he or she is no longer willing to share custody of their children with the other parent. If you’re facing a child custody dispute, it’s important to have an experienced attorney on your side who understands how family law works in Arizona and beyond child custody.
