Protecting the Parental Rights of Our Clients

As you prepare to divorce your spouse, your main concerns likely revolve around the children you share. More specifically, you might worry about how the divorce will affect their lives and how much time you’ll get with them once you’re no longer living with their other parent.

You deserve prompt answers to your questions and quality legal advice, and that’s what you can expect when you hire a skilled White Plains child custody attorney for your case. Call the Law Offices of David Bliven today if you’re ready to seek representation from a family law firm you can trust with your legal needs.

What Are the Types of Child Custody in New York?

Your case will be focused on determining legal and physical custody arrangements. It’s essential to understand the differences between these options before entering your case, so you can decide whether to pursue sole or joint custody.

Legal custody gives you the right to make major decisions about how your child will be raised. When you have this type of custody, you can decide where your child will attend school, which religion they’ll practice, what medical treatments they get, and any other important details about their upbringing.

You can pursue sole legal custody if you want to be the only parent who makes these decisions, or you can share this right with the other parent. Judges tend to prefer the latter option so both parents are involved in the child’s life.

On the other hand, physical custody determines which parent primarily provides daily care for the child. If you seek sole physical custody, the child will live with you and get visitation with their other parent. If you pursue joint custody, the child will split their time between both parents. Skilled Westchester County family law attorneys can help you decide which custody arrangement you should pursue, so call our firm today for legal guidance.

How Are Custody Arrangements Determined?

It’s important to know the details the Family Court or Supreme Court Judge will consider before making a custody decision. Generally, they should prioritize the child’s best interests when deciding whether the parents will share custody. This requires them to carefully review:

• The physical and mental health of each parent
• Each parent’s ability to meet the child’s needs
• Each parent’s parenting skills
• The stability of each parent’s home
• Each party’s ability to get along with the other parent when coparenting
• The child’s relationships with the parents, siblings, and other relatives
• Any history of child abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Which parent was the primary caregiver before the divorce
• The child’s preference, if they’re old enough to express one

Skilled New York attorneys know what evidence Judges tend to look for when deciding custody cases. So, if you want to prove your proposed custody arrangement would be in your child’s best interests, you should hire attorneys who will fiercely advocate for you. Contact our White Plains office today to speak with a knowledgeable lawyer about your case.

What Is Visitation?

When one parent is given custody of their child, the noncustodial parent typically receives visitation, also known as parenting time. This ensures both parents have the opportunity to be involved in their child’s life.

The court usually encourages parents to agree to a visitation schedule that works for their family and is in the best interests of the child. The frequency of visits will likely depend on how close you live to your former spouse and what your work and school schedules can accommodate.

If you live near each other, you might agree to let the noncustodial parent spend time with your child once or twice per week and/or every other weekend. If you live farther apart or the other parent’s work schedule doesn’t allow for frequent visits, you might agree to longer visits during summer break. A Judge can decide for you if you cannot come to an agreement without court involvement.

If you’re concerned about your child’s safety while visiting their other parent, you can request supervised visitation, ensuring someone else is always present to supervise during visits. A skilled lawyer can assist with any requests you want to make in your case, so call our office today for a consultation with a team that can represent your interests effectively in court.

Why Should You Hire a White Plains Child Custody Lawyer?

As a parent, getting thorough, accurate answers to your questions about custody, child support, and other legal matters can bring you peace of mind during your case. That’s why you should hire the Law Offices of David Bliven to represent you as you pursue the custody arrangements that you feel are in the best interests of your child.

When you hire our team, you’ll get personal attention from a trusted lawyer who has successfully represented clients throughout Westchester County and surrounding counties in New York. Our caring, committed team will take your concerns seriously and advocate for you every step of the way. If you’re ready to talk to an experienced lawyer about your concerns regarding child custody, child support, and more, contact us at 917-938-7827 today.