When parents decide to divorce, a heated battle for child custody may ensue. Not only is time spent with the children at stake, parents may also have disagreements over how to raise the kids. The right to parent should not have to be hard to obtain. I can help parents sort through child custody issues so that they can agree to an arrangement that works for both of them.
At Keich Law Firm P.A., I handle all the legal aspects so that families can focus on emotional repair. Contact my Destin law office at (850) 460-2989 to talk to an attorney about child custody concerns.
DeFuniak Springs Attorney With Experience Handling Child Visitation and Parenting Time
Typically, parents fight over who gets physical and legal custody. Physical custody refers to who the child will live with. Legal custody refers to who gets to make the decisions on the children’s health care, education, religion and other concerns.
In Florida, the court must order both parents to share parental responsibility for their children, unless it is detrimental to the kids. Parents may agree upon joint physical and legal custody, where time and decision-making abilities are equal. In some situations, parents will have joint legal custody, but one parent will have sole physical custody while the other parent will receive visitation rights.
Florida courts use the “best interest” of the child as the standard to establish the child custody arrangement. The “best interest” considers several factors, including:
- Mental, physical and emotional health of the parents
- Stability of the child’s home environment
- Parents’ willingness to encourage and support a relationship between the child and the other parent
- Parents’ ability to respond to the child’s needs
- The child’s wishes, if the court deems the child to be of sufficient age, intelligence, understanding and experience
Custody and visitation may also be affected if the parents were never married. Paternity must be determined for a father to even have a legal right to custody or visitation. As a lawyer who has experience with Florida family law, I am prepared to guide clients through child custody proceedings no matter what situation they are in.
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For more information about child custody agreements, contact an experienced Destin attorney online or call (850) 460-2989 to schedule an appointment.