How a Fort Lauderdale Divorce Attorney Will Help With Child Custody Issues - By: Jeff Miller.

When you are getting divorced, one of the most important considerations for most people is the custody of their children. Most parents want to have as much time with their kids as possible, which unfortunately puts them directly at odds with the spouse they are divorcing, who also wants to maximize time with the kids. Working out a custody arrangement can thus be inherently rife with contention and lead to a fight. With the help of a Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney, however, you can try to make the process as painless as possible.

How a Fort Lauderdale Divorce Attorney Can Help

A Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney will first help you understand the different types of custody arrangements and the implications of each.

The first type of custody arrangement is a sole custody agreement. When one parent has sole custody, he or she is the only parent with regular access to the child. That parent has the child live with him/her on a daily basis and provides all of the care that the child requires. The other parent will typically be required to pay child support in these instances. The non-custodial parent may have some limited visitation rights, and sometimes those visits are supervised. This custody arrangement is usually only an option when only one parent wants custody, or in situations where there is abuse or an unfit parent.

Another type of custody arrangement is primary custody. In this arrangement, one parent gets the child most of the time and the other parent has specific visiting privileges. For instance, if the child lives with his/her mom for most of the time and his dad visits on the weekends or every other weekend, this is an example of a primary custody arrangement. Again, the non-custodial parent will typically pay child support in this scenario. This is often an option when it is not practical to share custody more equally and/or when one parent has provided the bulk of the child's care and can provide a more stable home environment.

Finally, a third type of custody arrangement is joint custody. In this scenario, the two parents will share custody relatively-equally, splitting the child's time in a close to 50-50 ratio. For instance, a child may live at one parent's house one week and the other parent's house the next week. This arrangement can give the child the best chance of maintaining a strong relationship with both parents, but it is important to make sure the child is comfortable and doesn't just feel as if he/she is shuttled around from place to place with real, solid home.

Getting Legal Help with Custody Arrangements

When you are getting a divorce, your Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney can explain your different options to you and can help you to negotiate a parenting plan and custody agreement that makes sense for your kids and for your family dynamic. Your attorney can also help you to understand the "best interests of the child" standard, which is used in cases where the parents cannot decide and the court has to make a custody determination for them.

About the Author

Learn more about Fort Lauderdale Divorce Attorney and Tampa Divorce Attorney at DivorceYes.Com.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jeff-Miller-/130041

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