You’re going through a painful divorce. First, you have to handle the emotional trauma of leaving your spouse. Next, you have to worry about who will get the children. That uncertainty about who will get child custody is keeping you up at night.
Your Atlanta child custody lawyer will give you the support and guidance you need in a tough child custody battle. They understand the pain and uncertainty you’re experiencing. They’ll fight hard in family court for your child custody rights.
Georgia state law includes two types of child custody:
If you get joint custody, the child lives with both parties on a rotating basis. For instance, you can get a custody agreement in which the child spends 70% of the time with you and 30% with your ex-partner. The parent who has the child 70% of the time has primary custody.
Most child custody matters are settled without going to court. However, if the parents cannot reach a custody agreement, it must be decided in a family law court. Having an experienced Atlanta child custody lawyer fighting for your rights is essential to obtaining the best result.
A parenting plan will outline the child custody arrangement. First, your attorney will advocate for your rights, so you can see your children and be as involved as possible in their lives.
Typical features of a parenting plan include child custody details, physical and legal custody parameters, and contingency plans.
If you and your estranged spouse agree to joint custody, the plan will outline the holidays and weekdays each person may take with the children. There also will be details about where and how the kids will be handed over to the other party.
If you share legal custody, neither party can decide solely on important matters like education, healthcare, or religious upbringing.
What happens if the other parent moves to another state? What kind of relationship will the kids have with your ex-spouse’s new partner? What should each parent provide financially?
The state’s custody laws require the court to focus on the child’s best interests to render the custody decision.
The judge will look at several factors to decide which custody arrangement is in the child’s best interests:
Without an attorney, it’s unlikely you’ll make as strong an argument before the court to get primary child custody. An Atlanta child custody lawyer gives you the best opportunity to prevail.
One of the most upsetting parts of a divorce can be fighting over child custody. Our Atlanta child custody lawyers sympathize with your situation. But there’s hope, and we want to help. We also may help solve the problem amicably in some cases.
Our attorneys will spend a lot of time making a parenting arrangement that gives you as much time with your children as possible. For more information about your Georgia child custody case, contact our team at Edwards Family Law. You can complete our online contact form, and we’ll get in touch with you soon.
Each case is different, but we can share what clients typically struggle with when they make their initial calls to us:
The financial aspect of family law matters can be terrifying because it has been historically known as a black hole of billing with retainers and hourly charges for things like emails and texts. Peel back further uncertainty by Estimating Your Legal Fees.
While other firms might tell you “there is no way to predict the total cost of a divorce,” we can tell you with certainty that those smoke and mirrors will not be a part of your care at Edwards Family Law. We provide value with a high degree of peace of mind through conscientious costs for our care. Learn more about our Flat Fee Family Law Services.
Georgia law states that children between the ages of 11 and 14 can say which parent they want to live with most of the time. The judge will consider the child’s wishes in his decision. However, the child’s preference is not binding on the court. At age 14, the child’s choice is binding as long as the choice is in the child’s best interest.
Under Georgia law, there is no preference for the mother or father to get child custody. Therefore, the court should act neutrally and render its decision based on the facts and best interests of the child.
Moving to a new city or state will significantly affect your current child custody arrangements. If you relocate or remarry, each parent must notify the court and the other parent of the change of plans.
If one party is relocating, the other party may request a modification of the current parenting plan.
Child custody isn’t always clear-cut. Custody disputes can cause expensive divorces. You’ll probably get temporary custody if you take care of the children. Then the family court will gather all the information to make a final custody decision.