When children are concerned, the issue is major, and child custody is one such matter. Child custody concerns are frequently associated with divorce, but child custody issues also arise for unmarried couples who share children. Additionally, the need for post-divorce child custody modifications is common. If you have a child custody concern, don’t put off discussing the matter with an experienced child custody lawyer in Hampton Roads.Â
In Virginia, child custody is broken down into legal custody and physical custody, and it’s important to consider both. Legal custody refers to how you and your children’s other parent will address primary parenting decisions, such as those related to the following:
Legal custody can be awarded in any of the following ways:
The parent who is responsible for the children at the time that workaday parenting decisions pop up is tasked with making them, and the parent who is most readily available if an emergency decision needs to be made is on call to do so.Â
Physical custody determines when your kids will be with you under your roof and when they will be with their other parent. The basic options include:
In order to avoid receiving one of the court’s standard parenting schedules, you and your children’s other parent will need to hammer out a mutually agreeable schedule between yourselves.Â
The matter of child support often accompanies child custody concerns. Child support payments are ordered to help ensure that parents continue to support their children financially and that the cost is balanced between both of them – in accordance with each parent’s ability to pay. This means that, even if you and your ex divide your parenting time evenly, the one who earns more is likely to pay child support to the other.Â
If you have concerns related to protecting your rights as a parent, the accomplished child custody lawyers at Mahoney Richmond Thurston, PLLC, in Hampton Roads, Virginia, are on your side and here to help. To learn more about what we can do for you, please don’t delay contacting us today.