Passionate Advocacy For Your Child’s Best Interests
How a skilled child custody attorney can help you & your family
Going through a divorce or a separation where children are involved is a challenging situation that no parent wants to approach. However, when the end of a partnership is inevitable, each parent must take responsibility for continuing to provide for their child and maintain a meaningful relationship with them. Working with an experienced Ohio child custody lawyer can help you protect and advocate for the best interests of your child.
Dissolution of Marriage
Child custody matters can often be resolved quickly if the marriage is being amicably dissolved. Both parents will work together to agree on sole or shared custody, who will be the residential parent for education purposes, and how visitation will be handled. Child support, on the other hand, may simply follow statutory guidelines based on the income of both parents, as well as how much time the child spends with each parent. All of these matters can be agreed upon outside of court, and only the final parenting plan that is authorized by both parties will need to be filed.
Contested Divorce
Child custody, support and visitation become significantly more complex in a contested divorce. Temporary custody must be awarded soon after the divorce is filed, and how custody is permanently awarded often depends largely on that initial temporary filing. Ohio courts are hesitant to change the status quo or revoke shared custody unless there is an obvious threat to the child’s well-being, such as drug use, alcohol abuse or a history of domestic violence. The state of Ohio recognizes that a relationship with both parents is usually in the child’s best interests. If you face a contested child custody fight, it is imperative to have a compassionate, aggressive attorney on your side.
Never Married Parents
When parents who were never married make a decision to end their partnership, the mother automatically has default custody of the child. Paternity must be established in order for child support to be awarded to the mother, or for the father of the child to obtain parenting rights and shared custody. Instead of being filed through domestic relations court as with divorces, child custody issues relating to unwed parents are processed through Ohio’s juvenile court. As with a dissolution of marriage, if the parties can come to an amicable agreement regarding child custody matters, it will save a tremendous amount of time, money, and stress. However, in situations involving abuse, neglect, or dependency, or where the parties cannot agree, it is important to have a dedicated child custody attorney to protect your rights.
Parental Kidnapping
Parental kidnapping occurs when one parent takes a child and doesn’t inform the other parent of their whereabouts and/or denies the other parent visitation with the child. In cases of parental kidnapping, it is imperative that action is taken immediately. An experienced, skilled attorney is a critical asset in a child abduction case, especially if there’s a chance that the child will be taken out of the country. In these cases, do not wait to hire an attorney – every minute counts.
Post-Decree Custody Matters
Although a divorce decree or custody agreement remains in effect until certain milestones have passed, such as the child’s 18th birthday, circumstances may necessitate a change to the current documents. The most common reasons parents seek out a modification of a custody order is if one parent is refusing to abide by the order, one parent is moving, or a life change requires visitation and/or child support to be re-evaluated. An attorney can assist parents in gathering necessary evidence and petitioning the court for a modification to the custody order.
Putting Your Child First
Contact an experienced Franklin County child custody lawyer for assistance
A custody war often results in a significant emotional impact on children. As a child of divorce herself, attorney Jennifer Nielsen understands the importance of protecting children during a divorce and passionately advocates for their best interests. Columbus family law attorney Jennifer Nielsen can work with you and any guardian ad litem to determine what custody arrangements and shared parenting plans are best for the child, and will work tirelessly to follow through with them.
While the end of a partnership can be exceptionally difficult for a child, it is also a chance for a new beginning. Attorney Nielsen will fight for the most positive outcome for you and your child, in order to give you both the best fresh start possible.
Contact Nielsen Miller Law Today for a Consultation
Contact us today for a 30-minute consultation to discuss your Ohio child custody case in detail, and to learn how our experience and resources can work for you.
