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When you need a trustworthy, experienced lawyer on your side, attorney Todd Houck in West Virginia can provide you with the representation and compassion you need.
Child Custody Lawyers Serving Beckley, WV and Raleigh County, West Virginia
Child Custody Lawyers Serving Beckley, WV and Raleigh County, West Virginia
While some situations vary, most child custody cases are processed the same way. A written parenting agreement is required by the court, and if it is not accepted by either parent or by the court, a new agreement must be drafted.
Grandparents, stepparents, and adoptive parents can all benefit from working with an attorney who is knowledgeable of West Virginia’s custody and visitation guidelines. Family lawyer Todd Houck and his staff can provide families with top-rated legal services, and will dedicate his time and skill to your case from start to finish.
Custody can be determined by the parents themselves in non-aggressive or non-acrimonious divorces or separations free of abuse or other aggravating factors, or by the courts themselves in cases where neither parent can mutually agree to terms beforehand.
There are two common types of custody in terms of parental rights and the best interests of the child: sole custody and joint custody . Beyond this, there are also two different categories in which custodial rights can fall — physical and legal.
Child custody refers to a situation in which a parent (or parents in cases where there is joint legal or physical custody) is charged with the responsibility of raising and protecting their child. During bitter divorce or separation proceedings, or in cases where abuse is alleged to have occurred (either against the child or against a spouse, or both), custody hearings may be brought to court.
Custody and visitation terms are easy enough to change in amenable arrangements where both parents are on speaking terms and fine with moving the schedule around. Some paperwork may be involved via each parent's respective attorneys if there is a formalized schedule that needs to be updated.
Frequently, parents or other adults who have raised a child will be required by the court to take part in mediation. In mediation, you can discuss what you want, any problems you've had exchanging the child from one home to the next, and anything else that's relevant to the situation. Hopefully, you can come to a resolution everyone can live with. Otherwise, the judge may make a parenting plan that neither parent is happy with. However, it's important to note that if there was domestic violence in your relationship with the other parent, you may be able to skip mediation.
In more contentious cases, custody and visitation terms may be changed by court order, generally requiring a hearing from both parties. The reasoning behind any potential custody or visitation change (a change in job hours, ability to take care of a child, living environment, allegations of abuse or similar) may be considered, and the opposing party will have the opportunity to defend themselves against any such claims as well as to reiterate their own stance.
It is often necessary to go to court to modify or nullify a Child Custody arrangement. Perhaps the parent with primary custody has become ill or is moving out of the country. In this case, you want a Beckley Child Custody lawyer who can lead you through the process of modifying or nullifying your original child custody arrangement.
No one wants to lose their kids, which is why it is important for you to get the best Beckley Child Custody attorney to work on your case. Because it is possible to change or modify the original arrangement you need to make sure it is done right the first time around.