Minnetonka Child Custody Attorneys

Minnetonka Child Custody Attorneys

If you’re facing a divorce involving children, your child custody arrangements are naturally of utmost concern. If you already have child custody orders, the passage of time may leave you in need of a child custody modification. Whatever your child custody issue, an experienced Minnetonka child custody attorney can help.

Your Child Custody Arrangements

Child custody arrangements in Minnesota involve the following basics:

• Legal Custody – Legal custody refers to the parental right to make important decisions for your children, including decisions about education, religious education, extracurriculars, and health care. Divorced parents often share joint legal custody and collaborate in this arena. Sometimes, however, one parent is awarded sole legal custody and has the authority to make these decisions on his or her own (without stripping the other parent of all parental rights). 
• Physical Custody – Physical custody refers to whom the children live with, and this is also broken down into sole physical custody and joint physical custody. Joint physical custody means the children live with each parent about half the time. Sole physical custody, on the other hand, refers to when the children live with one parent the majority of the time and have a visitation schedule – or parenting time – with the other parent. Parenting time can range from a considerable amount of time (nearly half) to very little time (or none) depending upon the circumstances at hand. Finally, many people prefer the term primary physical custody to indicate that the children live primarily with one parent and have a visitation schedule with the other. Parents can get quite creative with their parenting schedules – to suit their family’s unique needs – but when parents are unable to hammer out terms that they’re both willing to sign off on, the court will hand down its own parenting terms. 

Child Custody Modifications

As you and your children move forward with your lives post-divorce, your child custody arrangements may no longer suit your needs or your schedules, and a child custody modification may be in order. The courts understand that orders addressing your scheduling needs when your children were younger may no longer apply when your children are in their teens and driving themselves between school, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs (for example). This is where child custody modifications come in, and the judge involved in your case will carefully consider the basis of your modification request in relation to the best interest of your children, which always guides the court’s decisions in matters related to child custody. 

Discuss Your Case with an Experienced Minnetonka Child Custody Attorney Today

If you have a child custody concern, it’s important, and the dedicated Minnetonka child custody attorneys at Atticus Family Law have the experience, commitment, and compassion to help. Our legal team understands exactly how important this issue is to you, and we’re committed to applying our considerable experience to tirelessly pursuing child custody arrangements that work for you and your children. We’re here for you, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.