Ramsey County Parenting Time Lawyers

Ramsey County Parenting Time Lawyers

If you are facing a divorce, your parenting time arrangements are naturally paramount. Conversely, you may require a parenting time modification – as your children’s needs evolve. Whatever your parenting time concerns, an experienced Ramsey County parenting time lawyer can help.

The Court’s Role

When you obtain a divorce, you and your divorcing spouse will need to come to a mutually acceptable child custody arrangement – or the court will do so on your behalf. While the court’s motivation is always the best interest of the children, you are naturally better off if you and your children’s other parent can find middle ground on the matter. The courts believe that, except under the direst circumstances, children’s best interests are upheld when they are allowed to forge strong relationships with both parents – by having parenting time with both. 

Physical vs. Legal Custody

Child custody is grouped into both legal and physical custody, and both can be either sole or joint. Legal custody refers to who makes important decisions related to education, health care, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities on behalf of your children. Physical custody refers to whom the children live with – or are staying with – at any given time. Even if one parent has sole custody, the other parent generally has visitation, which means that both of you will have a parenting time schedule.

Your Parenting Time Schedule

If you and your divorcing spouse can come to an agreement about your parenting time schedule (with the guidance of your respective parenting time lawyers), you are welcome to get creative with the matter – and to hammer out a schedule that works for your unique family. If instead, the court creates a schedule for you, it will take all of the following 12 factors into careful consideration in the process:

• The children’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural needs
• Any special needs that the children might have
• The children’s reasonable preference in the matter (if they are deemed mature enough to weigh in)
• Whether or not domestic abuse plays a role
• Whether either parent has a health issue (mental or physical) and/or a substance abuse issue
• Each parent’s level of participation in raising the children to date
• Each parent’s willingness and ability to care for the children
• The effect that a proposed schedule would have on each child’s relationships with other family members (including their other parent and any siblings)
• The benefits associated with maximizing parenting time with both parents 
• Each parent’s capacity and willingness to foster the children’s relationships with their other parent
• Each parent’s capacity and willingness to cooperate with the other parent in raising their shared children to adulthood

Consult with an Experienced Ramsey County Parenting Time Attorney Today

If you have parenting time concerns, they’re important. That’s why the dedicated parenting time attorneys at Atticus Family Law in Ramsey County are committed to using the full force of their experience, skill, and resource to help you obtain a parenting time schedule that works for you and your children. We’re on your side, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.