Caring, Skilled Child Custody Lawyer in Maryland
Good Listening Is the First Step Toward Mutually Agreeable Child Custody and Parenting Agreements
Every family is unique, and a good parenting plan needs to reflect that. Maryland divorce attorney A. Stafford Hearns, Esq., listens closely to client's goals and concerns to help them structure custody agreements the courts can approve and parents and children can live with.
It is important your child custody agreement be detailed enough to provide clear direction for schedules, vacations, and decision-making. It also needs to be flexible enough to accommodate children's and parents' changing needs. You don't want to wind up back in court unnecessarily.
- Joint legal custody: Joint legal custody enables both parents to share in making important decisions and the upbringing of the child. The parents must be capable of coming to agreement on issues such as schooling, health care, and other important decisions. In a joint legal custody arrangement, the child lives primarily with one parent and the other parent has ample visitation/parenting time to spend with the child.
- Shared physical custody: Shared physical custody also enables both parents to share in the important decision making and upbringing responsibilities. However, in a shared physical custody arrangement, the child has two homes, living with each parent for at least 35 percent of the time. Dual residence does bring with it challenges, however. For example, the child may suffer from a sense of instability in moving back and forth between homes. This type of custody arrangement is usually only workable if the parents live in the same school district.
In most child custody cases, we are capable of negotiating a child custody agreement that involves a combination of joint legal custody and shared physical custody. We work closely with clients to ensure that the agreement is in the best interests of the child, that our client's parental rights are preserved, and that we reach a solution that is practical for everyone involved.
Modification of Custody and Child Support
No matter how flexible the arrangement is on custody and visitation rights or schedules, life happens. Children grow up. Parents relocate. Incomes fluctuate. When there is a significant change in circumstance, it may be necessary to revisit child custody agreements and child support orders in order to bring them up to date with the family's current situation.
Contact us if you have questions about child custody or would like to learn more about our family law services.
Law Offices of A. Stafford Hearns & Associates, LLC
5303 W Court Drive Suite 2
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Phone: 301-627-8899 ▪ E-mail ▪ Fax: 301-627-8898
Toll free: 1-877-202-6516