Child Custody
Parenting time and your child's best interest are vitally important when it comes to divorce, separation, and child custody. We will help guide you through determining the legal decision-making and parenting time arrangements that will be in your child's best interest.
Under Arizona law, legal decision-making, often referred to as child custody, is the ability of a parent to make decisions for their child regarding healthcare, education, religion, and any major life decision.
Parenting time, often referred to as visitation, is the amount of time the child spends with each parent.
The court will assume that it is in the child's best interest to spend equal time with each parent unless determined otherwise.
When considering the best interests of the child, courts will take into consideration a variety of factors, including:
1. The past, present and potential future relationship between the parent and the child.
2. The interaction and interrelationship of the child with the child's parent or parents, the child's siblings and any other person who may significantly affect the child's best interest.
3. The child's adjustment to home, school and community.
4. If the child is of suitable age and maturity, the wishes of the child as to legal decision-making and parenting time.
5. The mental and physical health of all individuals involved.
6. Which parent is more likely to allow the child frequent, meaningful and continuing contact with the other parent. This paragraph does not apply if the court determines that a parent is acting in good faith to protect the child from witnessing an act of domestic violence or being a victim of domestic violence or child abuse.
7. Whether one parent intentionally misled the court to cause an unnecessary delay, to increase the cost of litigation or to persuade the court to give a legal decision-making or a parenting time preference to that parent.
8. Whether there has been domestic violence or child abuse pursuant to section 25-403.03.
9. The nature and extent of coercion or duress used by a parent in obtaining an agreement regarding legal decision-making or parenting time.
10. Whether a parent has complied with chapter 3, article 5 of this title.
11. Whether either parent was convicted of an act of false reporting of child abuse or neglect under section 13-2907.02.
We will provide effective and efficient representation to advocate for the best interest of your children.
Child Custody Modifications
Life happens, and circumstances change. In some cases, these changes might warrant a modification of your legal decision-making and parenting time orders.
Changes that may lead to a modification might include:
Parenting time violations
Relocation
Abuse or neglect
A medical emergency
We can help you understand your rights and provide guidance and professional representation if you need a modification of orders or need to stop an unfair modification.