A divorce marks the end of one phase of your life and the beginning of the next. How you deal with the issues that need to be resolved during the divorce process can make a difference in your life for many years to come. This is particularly true in the areas of child custody and visitation.
If you have children, the attorneys at the law firm of Singer Pistiner, P.C., in Phoenix, Arizona, will devote a large part of our efforts to obtaining a successful resolution of child custody and visitation arrangements. We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
In most cases, our lawyers can negotiate a workable and fair solution that can enable you to continue a meaningful parental relationship with your children. However, if the other side is unreasonable, we will litigate aggressively to protect your rights and the best interests of your children.
Two Types of Child Custody in Arizona
There are two types of child custody in Arizona:
- Legal custody, which is the right to make major life decisions for your child. Joint legal custody is the default arrangement unless there are reasons why one parent should not be involved in decision-making (such as domestic violence, drug addiction or alcohol abuse).
- Physical custody, which is where the child will reside. Under Arizona custody law, judges will provide frequent and meaningful contact with children to both parents. In the past, one parent would typically have primary child custody while the other parent had visitation every other weekend and one evening during the week. The trend today is to provide as even a sharing of parenting time as possible.
Negotiating a fair child custody and visitation arrangement during your divorce can help set the tone for how you and your ex will resolve child custody issues that arise in the future. Rather than letting emotions rule your decisions, it's important to look at custody issues from the perspective of your children and to do what is best for them.
If the parents cannot reach an agreement, the court will decide based on the best interests of your children. Recent Arizona statutes provide that it is in the best interests of the children that they spend as much time with each parent as possible. On this basis, your judge will likely start with the notion that each party should spend equal time with the children. If you do not believe that equal time-sharing is in your children's best interests, it is important to convince the court otherwise by providing evidence of such factors such as who has been the children's primary caretaker.
Learn more about child support and grandparents' rights.
Child Visitation Agreements in Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler and Mesa
For more information, please feel free to call our Phoenix child custody attorneys at 602-910-2642, 623-239-4610, or send us an e-mail to schedule a free attorney consultation. From our office on Camelback Road, we represent clients throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona.
