Hennepin County Parenting Time Lawyers

Hennepin County Parenting Time Lawyers

The State of Minnesota uses the terms parenting plans and parenting time to discuss child custody arrangements and visitation. Parenting time refers to the schedule by which your shared children split their time between the two of you. If you are facing a divorce that involves a parenting time concern or need a parenting time modification, having an experienced Hennepin County parenting time lawyer in your corner is well advised. 

The Court’s Position

When the court rules on issues related to parenting time and parenting plans, its position is always to protect the best interests of the children involved. If you and your divorcing spouse are able to come to an agreement about how to divide your time with your shared children, you can make whatever arrangements work for your unique family and your unique schedules – and the court is almost certain to sign off on this mutually acceptable plan. If you aren’t able to negotiate terms, the court will step in on your behalf.

Legal Custody and Physical Custody

Child custody addresses both physical custody and legal custody. Legal custody relates to who makes important decisions in the children’s lives, including those decisions related to the following:

• Their education
• Their religious upbringing
• Their medical care 
• Their extracurricular activities

Physical custody, on the other hand, relates to the parenting time each of you has with the children. Physical custody can also be either sole or joint. If you and your ex share joint physical custody, you will not necessarily split your time with them right down the middle. Instead, your parenting time will reflect a schedule that makes sense for you – given the circumstances. And even if one parent is awarded sole custody, the court will typically award the other parenting time in the form of a visitation schedule. 

Factors that Affect Parenting Time

If you and your ex aren’t able to find middle ground when it comes to how you will divide your time with your children, the court will take all of the following factors into consideration when making this determination on your behalf:

• Your children’s needs, including physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs
• If one or more of your children has special needs that require special care
• You and your ex’s relative health and whether either has a substance abuse issue
• You and your ex’s level of involvement in raising your shared children to date
• You and your ex’s ability and willingness to provide your children with the care they need
• Your children’s reasonable preference in the matter (if deemed appropriate)
• The relative benefits of maximizing both parenting time schedules
• Whether domestic abuse plays a role

An Experienced Hennepin County Parenting Time Lawyer Can Help  

Parenting time issues can become very complicated very quickly, but the dedicated parenting time lawyers at Atticus Family Law have impressive experience helping clients like you effectively and efficiently resolve parenting time issues while supporting your rights and best interests. We’re here for you, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.