Los Angeles Child Custody Lawyer

The main difference between child custody and child support is that child custody deals with who has the right to make significant decisions about the child’s life. Child support is typically a monetary payment by the spouse without custody to assist in the financial responsibilities of raising the child.

The process of determining child custody and child support can be stressful and agonizing for both parents and the children affected. When you encounter the roadblock of who will have custody, hire an accomplished child custody attorney to ensure your desires are understood.

Every situation is different when it comes to child custody. While some cases involve two parents who have sufficient resources to raise a child independently, other circumstances are not so even. No template custody arrangement can fit all circumstances, but our attorneys have dealt with all types of child custody cases. They can reach a unique agreement that fits you and your child’s lives.

When devising a parenting plan, it is wise to consider your family’s needs and the children’s well-being.

Sole Custody

Sole custody is when one parent takes care of a child most of the time. Usually, this parent has legal custody, or the full legal right to make crucial decisions for the child’s life. When it pertains to where a child will live or whom they will get their hands-on care from, this is called physical custody.

When a court grants a parent sole physical custody, it typically gives them sole legal custody as well. This practice stems from the assumption that the parent who spends the most time with the child needs to make the most choices about the child’s life or well-being and should not be required to consult the other parent.

In sole custody cases, the parent without sole custody will not have the right to make decisions about the child’s life without the other parent’s consent. Despite this, having the child completely cut off from one parent is often unwise unless they are a danger to the child. Although a parent may not have custody, visitation is still valuable and can be a right. Contact our experienced child custody lawyers for advice on navigating the tricky landscape when dealing with a sole custody arrangement.

Joint Custody

As trends over the past few decades indicate, judges favor joint custody or shared physical custody in situations where it is possible. The courts believe that children fare better when parents share parental rights and live close to each other than when one parent has full custody, and the children spend limited time with the other parent. This joint arrangement tends to lessen the stress on the children and allows them to maintain a routine and relationship with their parents.

A co-parenting plan is a standard recommendation for parents who are sharing custody. Our lawyers can help you create a co-parenting plan through custody mediation. A co-parenting plan might look like the following:

• How much time a child will spend at each parent’s home, and when
• How pick-ups and drop-offs between parents will work
• How potential requests for temporary changes can happen
• Any payment for transportation if parents live far from each other

Although joint custody and a parenting plan can be helpful, a shared custody situation can still have negatives, like the cost of maintaining two homes or the strain on children when their parents refuse to cooperate.

Other Custody Arrangements

While many custody arrangements involve either one parent having sole custody or both parents splitting joint custody, these are not the only arrangements. It would help if you worked with an attorney to determine the optimal agreement for your unique case.

If you can openly discuss what will work well for your situation with your co-parent, this could make things much easier. However, this is not possible in every situation.

Factors We Help You Consider

A judge must intervene when parents cannot agree on custody or visitation. When a judge decides the custody arrangement, their priority is the child’s well-being or best interest. Due to California law, judges consider all relevant factors.

The Child’s Best Interest

When determining a child’s best interest in Los Angeles, California, a judge will consider all aspects of the child’s life. Starting with the child’s mental, physical, and emotional health, the judge may consider how any of these elements might change with each sole custody option or a joint custody situation. It is common in California for judges to rule in favor of joint custody when they believe it will promote a healthy life for the child.

Due to the encouragement of frequent and continuing contact with both parents, the judge will look at the parents’ relationship with their child before, during, and after the divorce, if applicable.

Your history may include aspects like how much time you have spent with the child, your duties in raising the child, and your desire to perform the essential parental functions in your child’s life. Working with our attorneys can be vital in presenting your case for being a suitable parent to your child.