Working Out the Details of Co-Parenting
You will be sharing custody and parenting responsibilities for a long time. You and the other parent may not be on the best of terms, but for the sake of the children and your own sanity, it is better to come to a sensible agreement now than spend the next umpteen years in a custody tug-of-war.
At the Shaw Law Firm, LLC, we help clients come to terms with custody, visitation and parenting plans. Our Georgia family law lawyer will stand up for you in contested proceedings, but we will also give you honest advice about how a judge would likely rule and how to put your children foremost in the equation.
Attorney Scott W. Shaw practices in divorce and custody law in the Metro Atlanta area. Contact us today for advocacy and individualized solutions to your custody dispute.
Child Visitation and Parenting Plans
Even if you agree on who will have primary custody and visitation, it is easy to get hung up on the details of the parenting agreement. With 15 years of experience in custody litigation, Scott Shaw can help you anticipate the inherent problems and guide you through to a workable schedule that is in the best interests of the kids. His philosophy is to anticipate as many details and scenarios as possible to avoid future conflicts that will land you back in court:
- Parenting time (amount of visitation)
- Pick-up and drop-off schedules
- School and extracurricular activities
- Holidays and vacations
- Religious instruction and church activities
- Family gatherings
- Communication between visitations
It is rare that parenting time is split 50/50, mainly because switching so frequently between households is stressful for children. The key is to strike a balance between stability for children and maintaining a close bond with both parents. If you are not part of the solution, a judge may determine that you are part of the problem and grant concessions to the other parent.
We know that finding common ground is easier said than done, especially if you are barely on speaking terms with the other parent. But the alternative is a visitation schedule imposed by the court. We can help you negotiate the details if you can "agree to reach agreement," but we can also assert your interests in court if the other parent is being vindictive or unreasonable.
Contact an Experienced Atlanta Visitation Attorney
You can fight shared parenting or make the most of it. Whatever you do will be the blueprint for the next several years of your life and your child's life.
If you are interested in scheduling a confidential, in-person consultation to discuss parenting plans in more detail with Sandy Springs parenting plan attorney Scott Shaw, please contact our Atlanta firm at (770) 594-8309.
