Rochester Hills Child Custody Attorney

Because they directly affect your children and your parental rights, child custody concerns are always critical concerns. If you are facing a divorce that involves shared children, are facing a breakup with your children’s other parent (to whom you are not married), or need a post-decree child custody modification, it’s a serious legal matter, and an experienced Rochester Hills child custody attorney is standing by to help. 

Legal Custody

In the State of Michigan, child custody is separated into legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody refers to the decision-making authority parents have in relation to raising their children. While many parents share legal custody and make these decisions by consensus between themselves, others do not. Additional options include:

• You and your children’s other parent may continue to make these decisions between yourselves, but one of you may retain the ability to break a tie if your genuine efforts to reach a mutually acceptable decision aren’t successful.
• You and your children’s other parent can divide this responsibility between yourselves according to the kind of decision that needs to be made. 
• One of you may take on sole legal custody and will, thus, make the important parenting decisions on your own. 

The kinds of primary parenting decisions addressed by legal custody include those related to all the following:

• The medical care that your children receive
• The schools and daycare that your children attend  
• The religious upbringing your children receive
• The extracurricular activities and travel that your children participate in

Physical Custody

Physical custody resolves the matter of parenting time – or what you may think of as visitation. You and your ex can create whatever kind of parenting schedule that works for you and your kids and that you are both willing to sign off on. If you need the court’s guidance on the matter, however, you should expect to receive one of its standard parenting schedules. In the end, all such schedules either make one of you the primary custodial parent who has the kids the majority of the time or divide your parenting time more evenly.

The Factors that Guide Child Custody Decisions

The factors that the court takes into careful consideration when called upon to make child custody determinations include:

• The degree of closeness achieved between each child and each parent
• Each parent’s ability and inclination to provide the children with the love, care, affection, and guidance they need
• The desirability of maintaining the status quo – in terms of how well the children have adapted to their current home, school, and community
• The overall mental and physical health of each parent and each child
• The willingness of each parent to continue fostering a healthy relationship between the children and their other parent 
• Any additional factors that are deemed relevant by the court

Turn to an Experienced Rochester Hills Child Custody Attorney for the Skilled Legal Guidance You Need

The veteran Rochester Hills child custody attorneys at the Law Offices of Robbins & Licavoli have the experience, legal insight, and compassion to skillfully advocate for your claim’s optimal outcome. To learn more, please don’t wait to contact us today.