Protecting You And Your Children In Custody And Visitation Matters
When spouses with children decide to divorce, a whole new set of questions must be answered before the divorce can be finalized. Who will have primary custody of the children? What type of visitation agreement or parenting plan best meets the needs of the children and the parents? What will happen if one parent wants to move out of the state?
It is usually best for everyone concerned if divorcing spouses can reach an agreement about child custody issues without the need for a custody trial. High-conflict child custody cases are expensive for the parents and difficult for the children.
If you are considering divorce and worried about child custody or visitation arrangements, an experienced and compassionate family law attorney can offer practical advice and help you reach a negotiated agreement acceptable to everyone.
Contact our Concord office to arrange a consultation, or brief us on your situation here.
Call For Action! 704-788-3262
At Billick Rogers Family Law, in Concord, North Carolina, family law is the only focus of our law practice. We provide efficient and practical legal representation to parents involved in child custody disputes.
Helping You Make Intelligent Choices
Our primary role in divorce cases involving children is to help our clients make intelligent choices about child custody and visitation arrangements. We use our understanding of North Carolina law to explain the likely outcome of a child custody dispute if it reaches a trial, and we help our client create acceptable compromise agreements regarding custody and visitation. If we are unable to reach an agreement with the other side, then we aggressively represent our clients in custody trials in order to seek a court decree specifying the custody and visitation rights of the parties.
In especially high-conflict cases where agreement seems impossible, we can ask the court to appoint a parenting coordinator. A parenting coordinator can provide additional help in crafting an acceptable custody and visitation plan and in assisting parents in communicating effectively about custody and visitation.
Mediation is generally required in child custody cases — any child custody case that is not resolved by agreement is generally referred to a custody mediation program. If the parties are unable to resolve their custody dispute in mediation, then the matter may proceed to a hearing or trial.
As circumstances change, a custody and visitation agreement may have to change too. Sometimes, these changes are agreeable to both parents, and it is a relatively simple matter to file a child custody modification agreement with the court. However, if only one parent wants the modification, then the disagreement can quickly turn into a high-conflict case that may take a long time to resolve.
If you are facing the possibility of a child custody modification, early advice from an experienced custody lawyer can help you understand your options and the best way to proceed.
Grandparents’ Rights To Visitation, Custody
In North Carolina, grandparents, aunts and uncles, adult siblings or other relatives have standing to request custody/visitation to a child in need of care. If the natural parents died, abandoned the child, or are deemed legally unfit, we help family members step in to avoid the child’s placement outside the family by a state agency.
The court can award custody to the grandparents or relatives if the child is not safe in the parent’s care. These are especially sensitive situations. Many times, the parent has an addiction, abusive relationship, jail sentence or other dysfunction, but hopes to regain custody in the future. We work closely with families to find a solution, but we are prepared to go to court to protect the child, including actions for termination of rights and adoption.
Contact Billick Rogers Family Law For Help
Questions about child custody issues? We encourage you to schedule a confidential consultation to get advice from our knowledgeable child custody and visitation lawyers. To make an appointment, contact our office in Concord by calling 704-788-3262 or by sending an email online.