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Child Custody Lawyers

Child Custody and Parenting Time

child and parentChild custody and parenting time issues are often the most important facets of a family law case. There are two distinct elements involving parenting. The first is legal custody. Legal custody is the authority to make decisions for the children regarding schooling, healthcare, religion and lifestyle. Legal custody may be joint or sole. Joint legal custody means “shared decision making”. It exists only if the parties agree to share joint legal custody. The Court cannot order joint legal custody over the objection of one parent. If the parents cannot agree on legal custody, the Court must designate one of the parents as the sole legal custodian of the children.

The second issue is parenting time. Parenting time is the schedule of contact that the children have with each parent. If the parties cannot agree on a parenting time schedule between themselves or through mediation, the Court is required to impose a schedule consistent with the children’s best interest.

Call Us Today at 503.649.6333 for an Initial Consultation. Our initial consultation is $200 for the first hour, which is due at the time of the consultation.

Do You Need to Petition for Custody of Your Children?

If you were married to your child’s other parent, custody arrangements are made as part of the divorce settlement. You can be awarded full custody, joint custody, or visitation. Where there are multiple children, some families even have a split custody arrangement where some of the children are in the custody of each parent (though this is not ideal in the eyes of the court). Modifications to custody arrangements can be made over time as circumstances change. In a situation where the parents were never married, paternity must be legally established before the father can petition for custody and/or parenting time of the children.

Hobson / Oram Law

Hobson Oram Law