3 Important Reasons Why You Need A Child Custody Attorney For Your Divorce

Posted on: 19 February 2018

Are you the parent of one or more children and you're thinking about getting a divorce? Have you been hoping that it'll be a relatively simple matter where you can just sign a few pieces of paper and be done? Even when you and your current spouse are more or less in agreement over what should happen regarding getting divorced, a divorce is rarely a simple matter. This is even truer when children are involved. At the very least, you need to consult with an attorney regarding what will happen with your children, even if you don't discuss anything else with them. Some of the reasons for doing so include:

Custody arrangements: In some cases, one parent wants full custody and the other parent doesn't want custody at all, though he or she may still want visitation rights. Despite being very clear regarding what is and is not wanted, a judge may sometimes grant or try to grant full or partial custody to the parent who wants none. Before this happens, it's a good idea to have an attorney who is fully versed in child custody law to check everything and, if necessary, go before the judge in order to make sure that he or she understands what you and your soon to be ex-spouse actually want.

Vacation arrangements: When you have joint custody or even just have to deal with parental visits, going on vacation can become much more complex. If you're taking the children with you, then the other parent will need to be notified of this, depending on the terms of the divorce agreement. If your ex-spouse will be watching the children, then you'll need to also consider what will happen in the event that he or she becomes unable to care for the children while you're potentially hours away. An attorney who is experienced in child custody law will help you to consider each of these scenarios before your divorce and, when necessary, help to draft agreements that will go into your final divorce decree.

Unexpected circumstances: Having an attorney who is versed in child custody law on your side now can help you even after the divorce is over. Even if your spouse is fairly reasonable now, he or she could potentially break his or her agreements after the divorce has been finalized. For instance, if he or she is neglectful, whether purposefully or simply by virtue of circumstances, you'll likely want to know what recourse you have against him or her. An experienced attorney can help draft agreements to deal with these circumstances, in the event that it does actually become reality, he or she will already be aware of what's going on and can better help you to deal with whatever has happened.

Contact a law firm, like Hertz & Kearns, for more help.

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