Child Custody Lawyers Stillwater

Child Custody Lawyers Stillwater

Child custody concerns can arise as a result of divorce, but they are also commonly associated with modifications after the fact and with breakups between parents who were never married. Because the terms of child custody directly affect your rights as a parent, it’s always in your best interest to have an experienced child custody lawyer in Stillwater on your side. 

Your Legal Custody Terms

Minnesota addresses the matter of child custody arrangements in terms of both physical custody – or parenting time – and legal custody. Legal custody takes on the matter of how you and your ex will address primary parenting decisions, such as the following:

• Decisions about where your children attend school or daycare
• Decisions about the medical care your children receive
• Decisions about your children’s participation in extracurricular activities and travel
• Decisions about your children’s religious upbringing

The fact is that you and your ex can continue making these decisions together, but in those situations in which you are unable to reach a mutually acceptable determination, one of you may be assigned the authority to break the tie. Further, you may divide these decisions between you according to their category, or one of you may have sole legal custody, which means making these decisions on that parent’s own.  

When an emergency decision must be made, the parent who is responsible for the children at the time is responsible for making the emergency decision, and for those decisions that arise regularly throughout the day, the parent who is with the kids makes them. 

Your Parenting Time Schedule

Parenting time sets the schedule by which you and your ex will divide your overnights with the kids. If one of you becomes the primary custodial parent, they will have the majority of overnights with your shared children. Otherwise, you and your ex will divide your overnights more evenly. 

The Court’s Decision

The court bases every child custody decision on the children’s best interests, and it’s generally accepted that children are better off when they maintain ongoing relationships with both parents. As such, it’s rare for a parent not to be awarded some parenting time. Courts consider best interest factors like the following when making decisions about child custody:

• The children’s physical and emotional needs, including any special needs 
• Each parent’s ability to address each child’s needs
• Each parent’s preferences on the matter
• The reasonable preferences of each child who is deemed mature enough to voice them
• Each parent’s ability and inclination to promote an ongoing relationship between the kids and their other parent
• The benefits associated with maintaining the status quo in terms of the children’s current living situation 

Experienced Child Custody Lawyers in Stillwater Are on Your Side

The focused child custody lawyers at Atticus Family Law in Stillwater dedicate their practice to skillfully supporting the parental rights of clients like you. Our well-established legal team is on your side and here to help, so please don’t wait to reach out and contact us for more information about what we can do for you today.