During the course of a marriage with children involved, both parents develop significant and lifelong bonds with their children. When a marriage fails and it is determined to be in the best interests of the family to have a divorce, the changing situation means that both parents will not be able to spend the same amount of time they had in the past with their children.
During the decision making process of a divorce, if a divorcing couple cannot come up with mutually agreeable decisions regarding the child custody of their children, there are a few options. The couple could opt for mediation where a neutral third party will hear both sides of the case and make a suggestion on how to handle the situation. This is often less expensive than going to court.
If you do decide to go to court, the judge will look at many factors including the environment that the children have been living with, as well as the relationship each child has with their parents. In many cases, the parent who is considered the caregiver of the child will be the one who is awarded child custody.
When you go to court, it is important to have a strong family lawyer on your side to fight for your rights and to make sure that every effort is made to see that your best wishes are met. The law offices of Katie L. Lewis, P.C. Family Law have been working exclusively with family law for over nine years. We take pride in working individually with all our clients to understand their specific situation to make sure their needs are met.