Solve all your child custody issues with the help of a good lawyer in Stamford, CT

Stamford, CT – Getting a divorce in Connecticut is fairly easy, but things can become messy when the couple has children. Two people may agree they don’t want to be together anymore, but they’ll still want to be with the kids. If you want to avoid a bitter child custody battle, you need to be reasonable and do what’s best for the children. Always keep in mind that they’ll suffer the most in a divorce as they’ll have a hard time figuring out why mommy and daddy don’t want to be together anymore. The best way to deal with the future of the children is to sit down with a seasoned Stamford child custody lawyer and draw up a parenting plan.

Who decides child custody in Connecticut?

You have two options, leave it to the judge or prepare a parenting plan that meets your family’s needs and submit it to the court.

What is a parenting plan?

When the partners discuss a parenting plan they’ll have to decide on two main issues:

Legal custody of the children

This refers to who gets to decide on important matters concerning the child’s health, education, religious activity, and anything related to their development and welfare. To put it simply, the legal guardian has the final say on any matter that requires a parent’s signature. In most cases, both parents will want to stay involved in the child’s future so they could go for joint legal custody. However, in an acrimonious divorce when the parents cannot stand to be in the same room, much less sit down and talk in a civilized manner one parent should get sole legal custody.

Physical custody of the children

This refers to where the children will live after the divorce. If the two parents continue to live in the same area, they can come to an agreement under which the kids spend equal time with each of them. For instance, the kids could spend 2 weeks at their mother’s place and the next 2 at their father’s house. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. In most cases, the children should live with one of the parents while the other gets extensive visitation rights.
With the help of a knowledgeable Connecticut child custody lawyer, the parents can draw a parenting plan focused on the children’s best interests. Most of the time, the judge will endorse the plan as it is.

When should child custody be decided in court?

Sometimes, not even the most compassionate lawyer can get the two partners to sit down and talk and there’s no chance of drafting a parenting plan. The only solution is to leave it to the court.
As a rule, Connecticut judges will try to keep both parents involved in the children’s future. The question of physical custody will be decided based on what’s best for the kids. If the parents live 100 miles apart, going back and forth between the two houses is not a viable option. The children will live with one parent and the judge will dictate visitation and time-sharing rights for the other parent.
As for legal custody, the court will prefer a joint custody formula.
The court will favor one of the parents only in those situations when the other parent was accused of physical violence, neglect, drug or alcohol issues, etc. However, the charges need to be very serious for the court to completely cut out one parent from the children’s life.