Helping Families for 25+ Years

Granite Bay Child Custody Lawyers

Serving Sacramento & the Surrounding Areas

Often the most emotional and stressful element of a divorce is determining child custody. It can be a battle that demands the skill of an aggressive and compassionate Granite Bay custody attorney to get through. Our team is highly experienced legal professionals who can be trusted to guide you to a favorable resolution that allows your family to maintain peace and happiness as you move to a new chapter of life.

  • What Makes Myers Family Law Different?
  • Over 25 years of legal experience working for your case
  • Certified Family Law Specialist and Certified Mediator devoted to you
  • Specialize in high conflict custody & divorce matters
  • Your family is treated personally as we pursue the best possible outcome
  • Passionate and responsive legal advocacy from beginning to end
  • Experience in dealing with family law matters that involve personality disorders

We strongly believe that your parental rights are important. We understand that there will be a complex and overwhelming web of emotions to get through while discussing custody and coming to an agreement regarding the custody of your children. We also believe in preserving the integrity of your family’s dynamic and protecting the best interests of your children.

Contact our Granite Bay child custody lawyers at (916) 634-0067 and request a low-cost and confidential consultation to get started on your new future.

What is the Difference Between Physical and Legal Custody in California?

Physical custody and legal custody outline where the child will live, how much time is spent with each parent, and who should be allowed to make important decisions for the child’s life.

  • Legal custody: This type of custody determines which parent has the right to make decisions regarding the child's education, healthcare, and other issues.
  • Physical custody: Physical custody determines who the child lives with.

The court will also determine sole or joint custody.

  • Sole legal custody: If sole legal custody is granted, only one parent has physical custody of the child and the sole responsibility to make decisions on behalf of the child.
  • Joint legal custody: Typically this is the scenario that the court favors if possible. Joint legal custody grants both parents decision-making rights as well as physical custody rights.

How Do I Fight for Child Custody in California?

What is most important in settling a custody matter is ensuring the child’s health and safety remain intact. The courts will also look to maintain a close relationship between the child and both parents. The courts will also consider if either parent can encourage a positive relationship between the child and the other parent. To fight for child custody, the courts must evaluate the factors that make sure that the situation can meet these policies.

Factors that can also influence the court’s decision:

  • Each parent’s ability to communicate and co-parent
  • The desire to maintain consistency and stability for the child
  • Whether or not the parent has had issues with drugs or alcohol
  • Whether or not the parent has been abusive towards the spouse or any children
  • The child’s preferences

A child who can reasonably express his or her wishes will be able to voice those in court as well, and these wishes are given considerable weight. If you have a custody matter that you would like to settle, please do not hesitate to contact Myers Family Law. We serve clients in Placer County, Sacramento County, and El Dorado County.

How to Prove a Parent Unfit

When a judge is to decide custody, there are occasions where a parent may be investigated for being “unfit” to raise or protect the child. These claims are usually brought up by the other parent who is filing for sole custody due to it being in the child’s best interests. Someone who is ruled as unfit may be limited to supervised visitation. Some of the factors that a judge may examine before ruling on this issue include:

  • Is the parent actively involved in the child’s life?
  • Is the parent suffering from a mental illness that restricts their ability to carry out their role as guardian and provider?
  • Does the parent have an alcohol or substance abuse problem?
  • Are age-appropriate limit settings put into place? For example, are mature television shows restricted from viewing?
  • What is the living environment that the parent has in place for the child?

If the court still needs additional information to help decide, they may request the services of an evaluator to observe and inspect. These evaluators may also interview close friends of the family, teachers, and even therapists if applicable.

what are Complex Child Custody Cases?

Complex child custody cases refer to issues that do not result in an easily-determined shared parenting schedule. Whether due to drug abuse, child neglect or abuse, a criminal record, or another factor, Child Protective Services may be involved, and more intense legal issues may be present.

In cases like these, it is critical to retain the help of Granite Bay custody attorneys as quickly as possible. No matter what side you are on, your rights as a parent are important and we work tirelessly to defend our clients and the best interests of their children.

What about Contested Custody Cases?

Contested custody cases require in-depth knowledge of family law as well as skilled and aggressive advocacy in the courtroom. If you are seeking to contest a child custody decision, there are several factors to take into consideration that our Granite Bay child custody lawyers can educate you on right away.

HOW ARE VISITATION ORDERS DETERMINED?

Children are assigned visitation schedules based on the best interest of the child, and considerations are made regarding age, health, their emotional ties to each parent, each parent’s ability to care for the child, and their school, home, and recreational schedules.

The court may award reasonable visitation, where there is no set schedule for when the children will be with each parent and parents are able to work out visitation on their own; scheduled visitation, where there will be a detailed visitation plan to prevent conflicts between parents; or supervised visitation, where the children’s well-being requires that one or both parents are supervised during visits, or when a parent hasn’t seen his/her children in a while and they need to become more familiar with each other.

Don't Wait Another Day. Call (916) 634-0067 Schedule a Low-Cost Consultation.

At Myers Family Law in Granite Bay, we have decades of experience representing families in Placer County, Sacramento County, and El Dorado County just like yours who are facing the daunting task of determining child custody. As with every case, by maintaining open communication and preparing each case thoroughly, we continually find the best possible results for our clients.

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Schedule your low-cost 30-minute consultation today. Contact our Granite Bay child custody lawyers at (916) 634-0067 for help through your child custody case.