Atlanta Divorce Lawyer

Child Custody

One of the biggest concerns of any parent that is about to go through a divorce is, “will I get custody of my children?” If you are going through a fairly agreeable divorce process, you can probably work out a joint custody agreement that will allow both parents to share responsibilities for and time with the children. If your divorce isn’t likely to go so smoothly though, there is still hope. An Atlanta family lawyer from our firm can help.

Our office is dedicated to protecting the parenting rights of our clients and we are happy to work directly with your spouse or their attorney to ensure that you are able to see the children on a regular basis. In most cases, your Atlanta family attorney will urge you to negotiate a joint custody plan so both parents can take care of the kids. This is not only the easiest and least-hostile of all parenting plans, it also is generally best for the children involved. Even in these cases though, the home of one parent will usually be chosen as the children’s primary residence and this can still cause tension between the parents.

In some cases, one parent will be named the sole custodian of the children, which means they will have the majority of parenting time and full parenting rights regarding the children’s well being, known as legal custody. In most situations, the non-custodial parent will still be given visitation rights. If you believe you should be named the sole custodian of the children, whether or not you believe your spouse should have visitation rights, it is important to communicate this with your Atlanta divorce lawyer.

If you have more than one child, you may also opt for split guardianship, where one parent takes sole custody of some of the children and the other guardian takes sole custody of the other children. This is often based on the child/parent relationship of everyone involved.

The Georgia courts will ultimately decide custody based on a number of factors, including who is primarily responsible for childcare right now, the financial stability of each parent, who the children want to live with and the overall fitness of each parent. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a skilled Atlanta divorce attorney from our firm.