Scottsdale Child Custody Lawyers
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Scottsdale Child Custody Lawyers
If you are searching for child custody lawyers or attorneys in Scottsdale, Canterbury Law Group can help! When a divorce involves children, Canterbury Law Group fights to vigorously protect the children’s future by maximizing your custody and child support payments. Common queries used to find our Child Custody Lawyers including: Child custody attorney Scottsdale, child custody lawyers near me, child custody lawyers for fathers, child custody attorney near me, affordable child custody lawyers, and child custody lawyer Scottsdale Az.
Our experienced child custody and guardianship attorneys work diligently to obtain maximum amount of parenting time (custody) that the law and your particular facts will allow. We are also aware of the sensitive impact that divorce can have on children and parents. We address your with case with concern and personal attention and always have you and your children’s best interest in mind when offering legal solutions.
Obtaining Child Custody Agreements & Parenting Plans In Scottsdale
A key component of Scottsdale divorce with children is a court enforceable joint parenting plan. This is a judge-signed court order which lays out the rules of the road for sharing joint custody of the children post-Decree.
When parents cannot mutually agree on a joint parenting plan, the court will impose its own plan that both parents must follow concerning the children’s health and welfare. The law requires that the best interest of the child be the lead consideration above any other. Moreover, judges are commanded by statute to maximize the amount of parenting time for each parent. The law is also gender neutral, there is no preference for a Mother or a Father, so long as each parent is a fit parent.
Many joint parenting plans contemplate 50%/50% equal parenting time protocols absent parental fitness issues (e.g. drug, alcohol, criminal history, domestic violence) being proven by the other parent. If your spouse is threatening to take 100% custody from you, absent your parental fitness being called into question, our attorneys will stop your spouse in his or her tracks and advocate fiercely to procure the 50% parenting time to which you are likely entitled under state law.
Family courts determine child custody based on the best interests of the child, taking into consideration a great deal of details, including:
- The child’s age
- The child’s wishes (if the child is of sufficient maturity)
- Each parent’s wishes
- The child’s adjustment to home, school and community
- Any history of substance abuse, domestic violence, or child abuse
- Whether the parents have provided primary care for the the child in the past
- The mental and physical health of all individuals involved
- The child’s relationship with each parent
- Each parent’s willingness to foster a meaningful and substantial relationship with the other parent
Protecting your children’s future and safeguarding their status after divorce is crucial to their sense of security as well as to your ability to move forward in a healthy fashion. Canterbury Law Group has become an authority in Phoenix and Scottsdale at obtaining the most sensible joint parenting plans and child-support arrangements possible. We will first attempt to collaborate with parents and related experts to design practical, child-focused arrangements for successful co-parenting and child support schedules. When collaboration or mediation is not a viable option, the firm employs powerful litigators who prepare your case with a meticulous and creative approach.
Legal Custody, Physical Custody, Joint & Sole Custody
It is very important that you know the difference between legal, physical, joint and sole custody when dealing with parenting time issues. The standard types of parenting time (Child Custody) include:
Child Custody (aka Parenting Time)
Physical custody means you have the ability to determine where your child or children will live, as well as the parent the child the child or children will live with most of the time. Joint physical child custody is usually awarded unless one of the parents is deemed unfit.
Joint Child Custody
With joint parenting time, the time will be split among the parents in a way that is consistent with the child’s or children’s best interest.
Legal Decision Making
Legal custody allows the parent to make decisions on the health of their his/her child. Legal decision making means you have the ability to make decisions about personal care, medical care, religious upbringing, schooling, etc.
Joint Legal Decision Making
Joint legal decision making will allow both parents to make these types of decisions for your children. It is possible for the both parents to have a joint legal custody agreement without also sharing parenting time.
Joint Custody
Joint Custody (Joint Legal Decision Making) — Grants joint legal decision making authority to both parent assuming the parents can jointly agree on all issues of their child’s upbringing, if disagreements arise, the parties can divert to a parenting coordinator, a mediator or return to Court.
Sole Parenting Time and Legal Decision Making
With (Sole Legal Decision Making), one parent has final decision making authority over the child or children. The other parent may or may not have parenting time visitation rights, but will not have custodial rights, and will not be able to make final legal decisions affecting the child.
Child Custody Modifications
Child custody agreements can be changed or modified to reflect your new circumstances. Whether you are responding to a request of your former spouse or are the parent that wants to make a change, it is wise to speak with a child custody attorney to help you during the process. The Canterbury Law Group has significant experience is assisting parents with child custody matters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Typically once child custody orders are issued by a judge, you cannot amend those orders for at least one year absent extraordinary circumstances.
Initial Consultation With Our Child Custody Lawyers
Is there anything I should bring to be more prepared for my initial consultation with your child custody lawyers? No. We will provide an outline of all of the details we will need to formulate the right plan to win your child custody case. Answers to the following questions will help us determine what type of custody you will receive.
Are both of the parents active participants in the child’s medical care, education, and extracurricular activities? Has only one parent taken on these roles? What is the relationship like between the each parent and the children? Do your children have special needs and are both parents meeting those special needs? Has there been any abuse or domestic violence by either parent? How far away is each parent from the children’s activities and school campus. Does either one or both parents have extended family that live close by such that reducing parenting time with that parent would affect the child’s relationship with these extended family members.
Scottsdale Service Area
We are a short drive from many Scottsdale neighborhoods including: Old Town Scottsdale, Fashion Square, North Scottsdale, Cave Creek, McCormick Ranch, The Boulders, Scottsdale, Mission, Paradise Valley, Gainey Ranch, Shea-Scottsdale, Troon North, Grayhawk, South Scottsdale, DC Ranch and other areas.
Child Custody Consultations in Scottsdale
The Canterbury Law Group should be your first choice for when you need the best Scottsdale child custody lawyer. Our experienced family law attorneys will work with you to obtain the best possible outcome in your situation. You can trust us to represent you fully, so you can get on with your life. We can help with best interest, legal guardianship, child relocation, fathers rights, grandparents rights, and more. Call today for an initial consultation!