Child Custody
EXPERIENCED COMPASSIONATE WASHINGTON, D.C. CHILD CUSTODY LAWYER
During a divorce involving children, who retains custody can be a contentious issue. Divorcing spouses always want what is best for their children. However, emotions sometimes get in the way and cloud the judgment of the parties involved. If you are facing a divorce and have children, you need a skilled family law attorney in your corner that has particular experience with child custody issues.
At Law Offices of Tina Sharma, we represent clients for divorce, child custody and other family law issues in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. We have in-depth knowledge of these issues, and we put our experience to work to give our clients the skilled representation they deserve. We understand that every family has a unique set of dynamics, and we take the time to thoroughly understand your circumstances and work toward a resolution that best fits your goals.
Types of Child Custody
There are two general types of child custody:
- Legal Custody: The parent with legal custody has the right to make major decisions regarding how the child will be raised. These may include religious upbringing, which school they will attend, health care treatments they will receive, extracurricular activities they can be involved in, and many others. In some cases, one parent retains the right to make all important decisions for the children. In many other cases, the parents have joint legal custody and equal decision making authority.
- Physical Custody: The parent who the child lives with primarily has physical custody (with a visitation schedule for the non-custodial parent). In past years, sole physical custody with visitation was the norm. In recent years, an increasing number of couples are using more creative joint physical custody arrangements.
Today, child custody arrangements are not always as cut and dry as in the past. For example, there are some couples that opt for giving one parent sole physical custody while retaining joint legal custody, other arrangements give one parent sole physical and legal custody, and still others give parents joint legal and joint physical custody. Visitation arrangements can also vary depending on the circumstances. In some cases, fixed visitation schedules work best, while other cases call for more flexibility to schedule around work hours and/or to accommodate a non-custodial parent that lives out of the area.
To come to an arrangement that works for all parties, it is best for parents to make an effort to work cooperatively and focus on the best interests of their children. When that occurs, child custody arrangements can often be reached mostly without the involvement of the courts. There are times, however, when working amicably is not possible. In such cases, it is important to have a strong advocate fighting for the best interests of you and your child(ren).
For skilled guidance with child custody and other family law issues, contact our office today at (202) 329-6556 for a personalized consultation.
Law Offices of Tina Sharma represents clients for child custody arrangements in the Washington, D.C. metro area and Maryland; including the communities of Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, College Park, Germantown, Hyattsville, Bowie, Annapolis, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
