Click here to get this post in PDF
Facing a separation or divorce is a challenging situation for anyone. It can be even more painful and complicated when minor children are involved. If you and your spouse or estranged partner are going through a break-up and share joint custody of children, it could be important to hire a child custody lawyer who can work to make sure you’re protected should disagreements about things like physical custody or sole custody come up. A child custody lawyer will also have resources to help you and your former partner work together to work in the child’s best interest when possible. For things to consider when divorcing or separating from y our partner with children involved, read on.
Working to Protect Your Overall Interests
One of the major reasons most parents hire a child custody lawyer when in the middle of a divorce or considering a separation is to protect their rights when it comes to things like supervised visitation, joint custody, physical custody, and helping to come to agreements with an ex about what’s in the child’s best interest. The truth is, experienced child custody attorneys can work to make sure you stay involved in your child’s life whether you have sole custody or that’s awarded to the other parent. For example, the team at Simon Law Group can also help with things like child support, setting up visitation schedules, and overall financial arrangements that might impact you and your child’s overall quality of life. Equally important, they are a great resource if long-distance moves or other special circumstances are involved in your case.
Maybe you live in New Orleans and are hoping to move north with your child to be closer to family. The first thing you’ll want to do is hire a child custody attorney in Louisiana to get legal advice about your rights. Before even talking to your co-parent, you’ll want to know exactly what is and isn’t allowed under the law so that you’re in a better position to make arguments you believe are in your and your child’s best interest. While a child custody attorney can’t make the final decision on your case, they can at least offer legal advice on next steps for getting you closer to your goals when it comes to child custody arrangements.
Helping with Resources and Legal Questions
Separations are stressful on everyone. During this challenging time, it’s important to pay attention to the mental health of you, your child, and your co-parent. Panic attacks, anxiety, depression, and sadness are all normal parts of the process. For this reason, it can be helpful to get psychotherapy as you work through legal custody in your child custody case with your attorney. If you, your ex-partner, or even your child are struggling with things like panic attacks, it’s okay with be honest with your attorney and ask for recommendations to a family therapist who specializes in separated families or about anyone they know who practices behavioral cognitive therapy for anxiety. The reality is that child custody attorneys see the pain of separations in families every day and could be a great resource, and that CBT(cognitive behavior therapy) is an effective tool for combatting the negative thoughts you may be experiencing.
Whether your separation is triggering something that makes you believe you need help with a specific problem from a psychotherapist or you’d like your child to see a practitioner who understands the stressors for a child whose parents are separating, your child custody attorney can also serve as a tool for referrals to guardian ad litems and others who can objectively make recommendations on things in your child’s best interest. For example, if your child has developed an anxiety disorder from worrying about air travel for visitations or can’t sleep because they aren’t sure if they’ll be able to see their grandparents, your family law attorney can offer names of custody evaluators who can help participate in custody modification recommendations that may make things easier on everyone.
Mediating Disputes for Visitations and More
No matter how well you get along with your co-parent, disagreements are bound to come up as you and your partner move on in different directions. Something like the global pandemic, for example, could turn a custody arrangement upside down. Maybe the impact of Covid-19 on the travel industry has made it difficult for one parent or the other to see your child. Having a visitation lawyer on your side could help ensure a mediation to help you and your family get through these challenging times.
The Importance of a Support Network
As you and your family work through the separation, you’ll likely begin to understand that the first step toward healing is developing a strong support network. Your lawyer can be part of that team, too. A child custody lawyer, otherwise known as a family lawyer, can help in a variety of ways. From working for the best interest of the child through mediation, to explaining the law and representing your reasons for seeking sole custody, or even in being there for legal advice on family law, hiring a family law attorney is a good idea.
Even if you and your former partner are in agreement about how to handle your separation now, things can change quickly, and it will be in your own best interest to have someone on your side to help with setting up things like visitation schedules, areas of disagreement, and more. Consider calling a child custody attorney today and asking for a free consultation. You’ll be happy to learn just how much these highly-skilled professionals can help you with your case and work in your child’s best interest.
You may also like: How revenge and grudges make the divorce process harder
Image source: stock.adobe.com
