Custody and parenting time
A parenting plan your children can live with
Custody is decided around the children's weeks: school, sleep, the drive between houses and who signs the permission slip.
We start with what your children's days look like now and what you want them to look like. Then we write a plan that covers the ordinary weeks, the holidays and the hard cases, like a parent who moves or a schedule that stops working.
Many parents agree on a plan with our help. When you can't, we prepare you and your evidence for the hearing, and we tell you plainly what courts tend to weigh.
What this covers
Parenting plans and schedules
Decision-making for school, health and religion
Relocating with a child
Changing an existing order
Paternity
Grandparent and third-party cases
What a plan covers
The parts of a parenting plan
A good plan answers the questions before they turn into arguments.
The weekly schedule
Which nights at which house, and how the handoff works.
Holidays and summers
Who has the children for each holiday, birthday and school break.
Big decisions
How school, medical care and activities are decided, together or by one parent.
Moving away
What happens if a parent wants to move, and the notice it takes.
Talking to each other
How you'll share news, pickups and changes without the children in the middle.
When it stops working
How to change the plan as the children grow, by agreement or in court.
Questions
What parents ask us
Will the children have to talk to the judge?
Rarely. Courts can hear from children in some cases, often through an interview or a professional, not the witness stand. We'll tell you if that's likely in yours.
Can I move to another city with my children?
Usually not without the other parent's agreement or the court's permission, and there's notice to give first. Talk to us before you sign a lease or accept the job.
Our plan isn't working. Can we change it?
Yes. If you agree, we can write the change and file it. If you don't, the court can change the order when circumstances have changed and the new plan is better for the children.
What if the other parent doesn't follow the order?
Keep a simple record of dates and what happened, and don't hold back the children in return. We can ask the court to enforce the order.
Talk through your children's weeks
A first meeting is the place to start, before you sign anything or move anyone.