There is nothing more important to parents than their children. When a marriage dissolves, both parents usually want what is best for their children, but they often don’t agree on what that looks like.
If you have a child custody dispute, you need an experienced Bristow child custody lawyer to help protect your rights and the well-being of your children. At Collins Family Law, our team of attorneys has extensive experience helping protect parental rights while achieving the best custody plan for your children.
To schedule a confidential consultation and case evaluation with one of our Bristow child custody attorneys, call (703) 755-7343 or visit our contact page now. Please be advised that there is a $300 consultation fee for new clients as part of our intake process.
Why Choose Collins Family Law?
- We have over ten years of experience handling divorce cases in Bristow, protecting parental rights, and helping resolve child custody disputes.
- Our mission is to help ground parents and guide them through challenging times by delivering level-headed, empathetic, and strategic advice.
- We understand that your children are your top priority, and we work tirelessly to help ensure your children and your parental rights are protected.
- Our Bristow child custody attorneys are committed to providing each client with the highest level of legal services.
Types of Child Custody in Virginia
In Virginia, custody is broadly divided into physical custody and legal custody. A parent with physical custody has the child residing with them most of the time and makes decisions about the child’s day-to-day needs.
A parent with legal custody can decide on the child’s religious upbringing, discipline, medical care, education, and other matters.
A temporary custody order dictates where a child will live until the court can hear full evidence and determine a permanent custody schedule. Temporary orders are usually issued in a preliminary hearing or at the parents’ agreement.
There are several ways the court can divide legal and physical custody. Many times, the court awards joint legal custody. In this situation, parents have an equal right to make decisions regarding the child’s medical care, education, religious upbringing, and other essential matters.
Sole legal custody may be awarded if the court deems it is in the child’s best interest. In sole legal custody, one parent has the right to make decisions regarding medical care, education, religion, and discipline, and the other parent has no input on these issues.
If the court awards sole physical custody, the child will reside solely with one parent, but the other may have visitation or legal custody rights.
The court could also award primary physical custody or shared custody. In primary physical custody, the child resides primarily with one parent subject to visitation with the other. A shared custody arrangement allows the parties to share equal time with the child.
In rare cases, a court may order a split custody arrangement. In split custody, one parent will have custody of one or more children, and the other parent will have custody of the other child or children.
How is Child Custody Determined in Virginia?
If the parents can agree on child custody issues, they may present their custody arrangement to the court. However, when they can’t agree, the court will have to decide custody.
Virginia courts determine custody issues on what is in the child’s best interest. The factors the court considers when determining the child’s best interest are outlined in Virginia Code § 20-124.3 and include:
- The age and physical and mental condition of the child.
- The age and mental condition of the parents.
- The current relationships between each parent and child, considering the positive involvement with the child’s life, the ability to accurately assess and meet the child’s emotional, intellectual, and physical needs.
- The role each parent has and will play in raising and caring for the child.
- Whether a parent is likely to actively support the child’s contact and relationship with the other parent, including whether a parent has unreasonably denied visitation to the other parent.
- The willingness and demonstrated ability of each parent to maintain a close and continuing relationship with the child and the ability of each parent to cooperate to resolve disputes that impact the child.
- The reasonable preferences of the child if the court deems the child to be of reasonable age, experience, and intelligence to express a preference.
- History of any domestic abuse, child abuse, or acts of violence.
- Other factors the court deems necessary and proper to determine child custody.
Our experienced Bristow child custody lawyers at Collins Family Law will help you present strong evidence surrounding these factors to the court.
Do I Need a Bristow Child Custody Lawyer?
You will have a significantly better outcome in almost every situation when an experienced Bristow child custody lawyer represents you.
Your attorney will keep track of all deadlines and file all necessary documents to help you pursue the desired outcome. They will conduct discovery to identify and collect strong evidence to support your case.
They will help you understand the relevant laws and how they apply to the facts of your child custody case.
An experienced Bristow child custody lawyer will be a calm and steadying guide who will help protect your rights and lead you through the challenging legal process of a child custody dispute.
Contact Our Bristow Child Custody Lawyers Today
If you are facing a child custody dispute, we want to help you. We have the experience and resources to help protect your rights and help achieve the best child custody plan for your children.
To schedule a confidential consultation, call (703) 755-7343 or complete the short form on our contact page. Our Bristow child custody lawyers will listen to you, answer your questions, and help you get the resolution you need.