Vail, Colorado Child Custody Lawyer
Divorce can be overwhelming, especially if you share children. Sometimes parents are able to work together to determine what is best for their kids, but if you find yourself disagreeing with your spouse, you may want to consider getting a child custody lawyer. At Zweig Law PC, Attorneys at Law, our child support custody lawyers in Vail, CO can help you get the outcome that is best for you and your children. We have over 30 years of experience helping parents like you navigate the legal system. Call us today to set up a consultation with our experienced team.
Reasons To Hire A Child Custody Lawyer
There are a number of reasons you may want to consider hiring a child custody lawyer such as:
You or Your Former Spouse Plans to Move | Child custody becomes a lot more complicated when one of the parents decides to move to another area. A lawyer will help you understand what laws apply to your case and provide advice on how to deal with visitation rights based on their experience with similar cases where ex-spouses moved.
Your Spouse Was Abusive | If your former spouse was abusive, you don’t want to risk allowing them to have custody of your children. A lawyer knows how to gather evidence of abuse and present it to a judge. Hiring a lawyer will also allow someone to negotiate on your behalf so you don’t have to deal directly with the abusive person.
You Have A Complicated Past | Most people have things that happened in the past that they aren’t proud of. If a child custody case becomes embattled, the other parent may be tempted to reveal things you did in the past to paint you as an undesirable parent. An experienced child custody lawyer in Vail, CO from a firm like Zweig Law PC, Attorneys at Law can argue that your past actions shouldn’t affect the custody decision.
The Other Parent Hired A Lawyer | Child custody lawyers understand the legal framework of child custody laws and court procedures. They often are familiar with the judges presiding over child custody cases and will understand how to best frame the case to them. If your former spouse hires a lawyer, then they will have the advantage of all of their skill and knowledge. Hiring a lawyer can ensure that you have fair representation in court.
You Want to Alter Your Custody Agreement | Life is ever changing. You may have been offered a job in a new city, your child may change schools or pick up a new sport that changes their schedule, or your former partner may have had to alter their availability because of work. A lawyer can offer advice on how to change the custody agreement so that it works best for all parties involved.
You may simply want to hire a lawyer for advice if you don’t agree with your ex-spouse about how to proceed. No matter your situation, speaking to a child custody lawyer in Vail, CO can provide you with a better understanding of your situation and how to proceed. Our experienced team at Zweig Law PC, Attorneys at Law are ready to help you. Call us today to set up a consultation.
4 Ways to Reduce Stress While Dealing With Child Custody Battles
After a divorce, you may find yourself feeling stressed and overwhelmed at the level of conflict you and your ex-spouse are experiencing. This can be particularly obvious when the topic of child custody comes up in your discussions.
Learning about how to reduce the amount of stress you feel can help you be more present and confident as you talk with your ex-spouse.
1. Set Your Limits
Being clear about how much you want to talk or when you want to talk to your ex-spouse can help him or her understand boundaries. Long-lasting arguments and drawn-out stressful discussions waste your time and make you both react negatively to each other. Contacting a child custody lawyer in Vail, CO like Zweig Law PC may also help you during this time.
2. Find Stressfree Activities
Whether you invest your time in exercising or attending painting classes, having a place to go or a hobby to do in your free time can help you deal with the stress you feel about child custody problems. Not only can this help you meet new friends to discuss your feelings with, but you can also come back to more formal discussions with your ex-spouse feeling renewed and relaxed.
Taking time to take care of yourself physically and mentally can help you make the best decisions possible while figuring out child custody. This can also help you to feel more energetic when talking to your child custody lawyer in Vail, CO.
3. Choose Effective Communication Strategies
If you find yourself getting into many arguments with your ex-spouse, you may need to try using a different format. Typing out texts or emails as your main form of communication can help you both to focus on the facts of what you need to discuss instead of extra information that can lead to hurt feelings and disagreements.
These written formats also give you time and space to edit and change your tone if you need to. This can help you spend more time talking with your child custody lawyer in Vail, CO, such as Zweig Law PC.
4. Look to the Future
Staying focused on all the struggles of the past can leave you unable to deal with the problems you are facing right now. Do not escalate the tension with your ex-spouse by bringing up old fights, but keep your mind focused on your new life. Discussing the details of your child custody arrangement with your child custody lawyer in Vail, CO can help you do so.
Is It Expensive to Hire a Child Custody Lawyer?
It is not free to work with a lawyer, but child custody issues are incredibly serious and it is crucial that you have someone experienced on your side to help you with your case. It can affect your entire life, as well as your child’s, and you need to always have their best interest at heart when making decisions with your ex spouse. A judge will always try to make the choice that will best suit the children as well. You need a lawyer on your team to make sure you can convey how you would be a fit parent for your child.
The cost of using a child custody lawyer will depend from firm to firm, but it is an investment that you want to make. You cannot leave something this important up to chance. Your lawyer will not only try to give you the best shot at getting custody, but he or she will also try to make sure that you are treated fairly when discussing child support issues. If you do not have someone good on your side fighting for your and your child’s rights, you may end up with many different expensive issues. We will do our best to make things affordable for you while still getting the service that you need. There are different ways to do this, and a child custody lawyer will understand what the best route to take will be.
What 5 Questions Should You Ask a Child Custody Lawyer Before Hiring One?
When your divorce involves young children, a lawyer can help you work out a custody arrangement with your spouse. Asking candidates these five questions will help you select the right person to represent you.
1. What Does Legal and Physical Custody Involve?
The court will consider two types of custody. Legal custody gives a parent the right to make decisions about a child’s:
- Education
- Religion
- Medical care
- Overall upbringing
Most courts prefer that parents maintain joint legal custody of their children, but you may wish to pursue sole legal custody depending upon the circumstances.
Physical custody determines where your children live and who is responsible for their daily care, including meals and transportation. A child custody lawyer in Vail, CO, must explain the difference between the two types of custody to ensure you understand what they involve and can make informed decisions.
2. Do You Have Trial Experience?
Your lawyer should have the skills to mediate a legal and physical custody arrangement with your spouse, but you will need the court to intervene if this proves impossible. In that case, the lawyers at Zweig law PC have experience performing well at trial and may convince the court that your wishes can benefit your child.
3. What Are the Potential Challenges?
It is essential to have a competent lawyer if you think something in your history may sway the court’s decision regarding the custody of your children. For example, an experienced child custody lawyer in Vail, CO, may know how to counter and offset the tactics your spouse’s lawyer may use to magnify minor incidents from your past that could paint a negative picture of you in the court’s eyes.
4. What Is Your Strategy?
Ideally, you and your spouse will settle on a custody arrangement without a trial. However, besides explaining a mediation strategy, your lawyer should detect the right time to go to trial. At that point, the lawyers at Zweig law PC can strategize ways to convince the court to rule in your favor and predict any circumstances that could impede the outcome you desire.
5. How Do You Set Your Fee?
If there is a chance that your case may move to trial, you can expect it to become costly, depending upon your lawyer’s fee structure. Therefore, it is essential to know the cost of your lawyer’s services in advance of hiring. If your lawyer’s fees and proposed strategy exceed your budget, you may want to consider a custody settlement.
Before hiring a child custody lawyer in Vail, CO, it is essential to prepare a list of questions to ensure you find an appropriate match.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Speaking to Your Spouse About Child Custody
The lawyers at Zweig Law PC know how difficult divorce can be on families, especially kids. It’s never easy to talk about child custody, but having a frank discussion ahead of time can be useful before your case ever reaches a judge. Each case is unique, and you should consider ultimately referring to your child custody lawyer in Vail, CO before speaking to your spouse about child custody, but here are some do’s and don’t for your discussions.
Do Speak Respectfully
This can be difficult for many couples to do, but it is essential if you want to hold a useful conversation. It’s also a good idea to speak respectfully about your spouse in general, since you never know what will be brought up in court. Don’t trash them on social media, and never speak disrespectfully about them around your kids.
Don’t Discuss Your Divorce Around Your Kids
Your children don’t need to know the details about your divorce, and you probably shouldn’t speak to them about it until you and your partner have figured out some of the finer details. It’s not a bad idea to ask your kids how they feel about custody splits, especially if some arrangements would make their lives more difficult. Some kids with divorced parents have to adjust their schedules and change activities or even schools, so their concerns deserve to be heard.
Do Discuss Custody Options
A child custody lawyer in Vail, CO can help you learn more about the standard child custody agreements. Knowing your options can help you build up an argument for one agreement over another in a calm and collected way. It’s also useful to get an idea of your spouse’s goals. They may decide it’s better to not have as much time with the kids for a while if they need to move out and find a new place to live, for example. If you and your spouse can decide on an agreement that works for both of you ahead of time, it can make divorce proceedings go much faster, and there will likely be less stress put on your kids.
Discussing child custody is almost never an easy task, but it is a necessary one for separating couples, and a child custody lawyer in Vail, CO can help you better navigate the conversation. The lawyers at Zweig Law PC can offer you more tips for communicating with your spouse throughout the process.
Common Misconceptions About Child Custody
If you and your ex-spouse have minor children together, you may be concerned about going through a child custody battle. These battles can get heated and bring a lot of stress into your life. Before you begin the process, it is important to get the facts straight. Here are a few child custody myths that you shouldn’t believe.
- Mothers always get custody. Some people still believe that judges always award child custody to mothers. However, gender is not a factor judges consider in these cares. In many cases, the judge will grant custody to the parent who was the primary caregiver during the marriage, whether that is the mother or father. The judge may consider additional factors, such as the physical and mental health of each parent and their financial situation.
- If there’s a custody disagreement, you must go to court. It is very rare to not have a single disagreement in a child custody case. However, just because you have a disagreement, doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to court. You still may be able to settle your disagreements through an informal negotiation or mediation.
- The custodial parent can move at any time. This is another common myth that a child custody lawyer in Vail, CO hears. The truth is that the custodial can’t just pick up and move with kids whenever they want. If the custodial parent is looking to relocate, he or she must seek a modification of their child custody agreement.
- Children get to choose which parent they want to live with. This isn’t true either. Children don’t get to just decide which parent they want to live with. However, that does not mean that the judge won’t take a child’s desires into consideration. The judge has to consider several other factors before deciding which parent to grant custody to, such as each parent’s financial and living situation, the child’s relationship with each parent and the physical and mental health of each parent.
- Only parents can get custody of children. Most of the time, judges will grant custody to a parent. However, certain circumstances can cause a judge to grant custody to a grandparent or other relative. For example, if both parents have drug addictions, a judge may not think they’re fit parents and award custody to someone else.
I’m Afraid I’ll Lose Custody Because Of My Criminal Record
Having a criminal record doesn’t mean that you’re an unfit parent. It doesn’t mean you’re a threat to your child. It also doesn’t mean that you’re a bad influence on your child’s behavior. However, a Colorado divorce or family court judge may not see it that way. If you’re concerned that your criminal record may interfere with your child custody rights, you have grounds to be worried. You should contact a knowledgeable child custody lawyer in Vail, CO immediately.
If you have a criminal record, a court will review several factors in deciding what to do about your custodial rights. But first, let’s remember that the United States Supreme Court held in Santosky v. Kramer that even a parent found unfit in an uncontested court proceeding has constitutional rights. The Court also held that parents have a fundamental right to control the care and custody of their children. Before a judge terminates your rights, a judge considers:
- How recent your last arrest and conviction were
- How much time you served and whether you maintained contact with your child during that time
- What you were convicted of
- Whether you have one or multiple arrests and convictions
- Whether your cases were dismissed or your charges dropped
In particular, what you were arrested for can affect your custodial rights. After all, a divorce or family court judge will look to what’s in the child’s best interest first and foremost. This means that even if you want to be involved in your child’s life, if a judge rules that engagement between you two is not in the child’s best interest then your rights will be restricted or terminated. Likewise, even if your child wants you around, that choice is left up to the wisdom and the discretion of the judge.
Sex crimes and violent crimes may result in a termination of your parental rights. Regular attendance of counseling and rehabilitation sessions may help your case, but it’s always in your best interest to hire a seasoned child custody lawyer from Zweig Law, PC to gain a better understanding of your future as a parent.
I’m Afraid I’ll Lose Custody Because I Lost My Job
People can go through hard times, and that doesn’t change just because you’re a parent. Unfortunately, you may lose your job. But that doesn’t make you an unfit parent. In fact, whether a judge will permit you to have any sort of custody (e.g., joint, primary) is not based on your employment. Rather, a divorce or family court judge considers your ability to provide for your child’s emotional, mental, and medical needs.
I’m Afraid I’ll Lose Custody Because I Don’t Live On My Own
Your child will live with whomever is the primary caretaker. You may be the primary caretaker even if others live with you. Of course, you can expect a social worker or court to acquire proof that the other residents of your home don’t have a criminal background or sex offender registration requirement that could put your child in harm’s way.
Contact a Child Custody Lawyer from Zweig Law PC Today
If you or someone you care about is going through child custody issues, you need to reach out to a law firm from Zweig Law PC as soon as possible. Your ex’s lawyer may use things that you tell him or her against you in court, so it is important to have someone on your side who will be looking out for your best interest. Your child is the most important thing in the world, so you need to invest in a lawyer who will protect him or her and your relationship. After all, once custody has been assigned it can be very hard to change. It is important to take charge from the very beginning so that you do not have to go through more than is necessary to have the rights to care for your child.
Set up a consultation with one of our experienced child custody lawyers in Vail, Colorado today. We will go over your family history to determine what a judge may think about your situation and how to best get set up for a hearing. We have been through this many times before with other cases similar to yours and will be able to be honest and upfront about what we are dealing with. Reach out to us today to learn more. Do not hesitate – you do not want to make any mistakes in a case as serious as child custody. Reach out to our firm today to get started and have both your best interests and your child’s best interests protected.