Stillwater Child Custody Attorneys

Stillwater Child Custody Attorneys

Child custody concerns between parents who are no longer married, who are divorcing, or who were never married are common, and protecting your parental rights throughout the process is key. When it comes to your children, the matter is serious, which makes seeking the legal counsel of an experienced Stillwater child custody attorney one of the most important first steps you can take.

Legal Custody

In Minnesota, child custody breaks down into both legal custody and parenting time (or physical custody). Legal custody is the legal determination of who will be making the primary parenting decisions in relation to your shared children as you move forward, including decisions related to the following:

• Their healthcare
• Their schooling
• Their religious upbringing
• Their extracurricular activities and travel

You and your ex can continue making these decisions together – the way you did while you were a couple – but there are other options, including:

• You and your children’s other parent can divide the decisions between you according to category.
• You and your children’s other parent can make the decisions together, while one of you is afforded the authority to break a tie if your genuine efforts fail to produce a mutually acceptable decision.
• One of you can take on sole legal custody and make these decisions on your own. 

Physical Custody

Physical custody in Minnesota is referred to as parenting time, and it sets the schedule by which you and your ex will divide your time with your shared children. In Minnesota, courts make all child custody determinations in response to the involved children’s best interests, and as such, parents are rarely left without at least some form of parenting time. The primary options when it comes to parenting time schedules include one parent becoming the primary custodial parent or both parents having parenting time schedules that divide their time with the kids more evenly. 

Best Interest Factors

Some of the factors Minnesota courts turn to when making decisions regarding the children’s best interests in relation to child custody include:

• Each child’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural needs
• Any special needs any of the children have
• Each parent’s child custody preferences
• Each child’s reasonable child custody preferences – when deemed appropriate by the court
• Each parent’s prior level of participation in raising the children
• Each parent’s desire and ability to continue providing the children with the care and attention they require
• The desirability of maintaining the status quo in relation to the children’s current home, school, and community
• The benefits associated with maximizing each parent’s parenting time
• Any other factors deemed relevant by the court

Seek the Legal Counsel of an Experienced Stillwater Child Custody Attorney Today

The trusted Stillwater child custody attorneys at Atticus Family Law have a proven track record of guiding complex child custody cases like yours toward favorable outcomes that honor our clients’ rights and best interests. We’re here for you, too, so please don’t delay contacting us for more information about how we can help today.