Child Custody Lawyer — Helping You Achieve the Best Results for You and Your Loved Ones
Child custody cases are always fraught with complexities. A knowledgeable, understanding and experienced child custody lawyer from Kecskes, Gadd & Parker will help you through the difficulties of the legal system. Many times, there is some emotional turmoil attached to these cases. This can make the court proceedings very difficult or stressful. We want to be there for all of our clients and support them with what we do best, and that is our knowledge of the law.
Child custody cases are often more complex than first meets the eye. Legal custody also means having the right to make important decisions about your children, including where they go to school and decisions on medical issues while physical custody refers to the child’s living arrangements.
The Different Types of Custody — A Quick Overview
When it comes to custody, there are typically be joint or sole custody. Sole custody is when only one parent has custody and joint custody means both parents have custody. If parents share legal custody, then important decisions regarding the child’s well-being must be made by both. If parents share physical custody, then an agreed-upon living arrangement must be made.
Visitation is another factor that comes in. A lot of child custody cases will have an arrangement that involves some type of visitation. A parenting time schedule will be agreed upon by both parties and decided when the child (or children) are with each parent. Your child custody lawyer will help you communicate with the other party in order to reach the best possible agreement.
A court might rule a “reasonable parenting time,” which puts the onus on the parents to figure out an arrangement that works for both. Several factors come into play here including where the parents live, their work schedule, and the age of the children. If a judge orders “specific parenting time,” however, there might be more restrictions and specific set schedules to follow.
The Twelve Factors for the Child’s Best Interest
In all child custody cases, the judge will always consider the best interest of the child before making any final decisions. Child custody decisions usually begin with an initial custody order. Then, you and the other parent can work out a visitation or living schedule with the help of your child custody lawyer. If both parties can’t agree, then the judge might have to consider certain factors to make a decision. This is when the best interest of the child comes in and the judge will look at certain environmental factors and find the best possible solution.
A judge in the state of Michigan will consider a set of twelve factors that are frequently called the best interest factors. They include:
- The love, affection, and emotional ties that exist between the child and the parent
- The potential and capacity of one parent to provide the child with love and affection
- The ability and capacity of each parent to provide the child with food, clothing, and medical care
- The moral fitness and character of the parties involved
- The mental and physical health of the parties involved
- The amount of time that the child has lived in a stable and satisfactory environment
- The permanence as a family unit of the existing or proposed custodial home
- The home, school, and community record of the child
- The reasonable preference of the child, if the judge considers the child’s age-appropriate to decide
- Any history of domestic violence
- The willingness and ability of each party to encourage and support and parent-child relationship with the other parent.
- Any other factor considered to be relevant by the judge
The Kecskes, Gadd, & Parker Difference — Helping Parents Gain Just Custody and Rights
The parent-child relationship is essential for a child’s wellbeing and we understand how important your child is to you. Regardless of your situation, our child custody lawyers and legal team will guide you through the complex system to ensure a satisfactory result. Our attorneys have extensive experience working with these complex family law cases.
Give Our Child Custody Lawyer a Call and We’ll Get Started
The uncertainty that comes from not knowing the final custody arrangements can be heart-wrenching. It’s why we want to help you achieve the results you want in the most efficient way possible, as we know the process can be complicated. Call us today at 734-354-8600 for a free consultation and talk to an experienced child custody lawyer.