There is no easy way to break up a family. Unfortunately, when a family separates there are emotions that cannot be avoided. This is a really sad time for all who are going through the process. Sometimes anger is involved as well. Many times children will rebel against their parents at times like these because they are confused, hurt, or upset about the situation that they cannot control. In no way shape or form are we bringing this to light in order to make a parent feel guilty; instead, we are suggesting that hiring an attorney to help navigate this space as a third party participant can help you focus on your children while we take care of the legal work and paperwork.
Where To Start
Child Custody falls into many categories in Utah. Here is a shortlist of what to expect when looking at options for child custody:
- Sole legal and sole physical: only one parent is legally responsible and makes the big decisions. Non-custodial parents can have scheduled parent time with their children.
- Joint legal and joint physical: just as it sounds, both parents make major decisions and both parents get their child to live with them. The children should be spending at least 111 days in each parents’ home.
- Joint legal and sole physical: Even though both parents are able to make big decisions like what religion is their child, what kind of medical treatment do they need etc. However, the child will stay with one parent for at least 225 days of the year.
- Split custody: if there are multiple children then the children are split between the parents. Often times the legal custody may or may not share for the children that are in the other parent’s custody. The courts decide.
There are plenty of options for you and your family. The most ideal is the joint legal and joint physical, however, this kind of relationship does require a lot of communication between the parents. If you are able to speak openly and often with your ex-spouse then this option may be available to you. Yet, there is a custody evaluation that you may have to deal with if the courts require it.
A custody evaluation looks at several aspects of a parent such as how much the child likes the parent, moral character, emotional stability, and financial stability of the parent determines where the court thinks the child should reside.
What To Do
The “how” part of hiring a child custody attorney is easy. Call (801) 901-8159 or click here to start a discussion with our Child Custody Attorney at Emy A. Cordano, Attorney at Law in Salt Lake City. We have experience in working with parents at any level of the custody battle. Whether it is the beginning, middle, or end, we will ensure that not only is your child protected, but you are protected too. Don’t let the courts or your ex-spouse bully you. Let us represent you today.