At Twyford Law Office, we represent clients in all aspects of child custody matters. We are proud to offer:
Professional attention to every case;
Decades of combined child custody legal experience; and
Aggressive child custody advocacy.
Our child custody attorneys are committed to providing knowledgeable and compassionate legal services for people facing even the most difficult family challenges. Twyford Law Office believes in intelligent, zealous, dedicated, compassionate, and hardworking representation.
If you are facing child custody litigation, let Twyford Law Office answer your questions and help you make informed decisions about the arrangement that best suits you and your child’s needs.
Our Child Custody Attorneys Are Ready to Help
While you need the sound advice and skilled representation a child custody attorney from Twyford Law Office can offer in any child custody case, their help is vital in the following situations:
You believe your children are in danger. Your child custody attorney will help determine the best course of action and may seek emergency relief from the court;
Your Ex has an attorney. When the other party is represented, it is wise to also have legal representation. Your attorney can speak for you and can negotiate with the other attorney;
Your case has become more complicated. Child custody encompasses issues of both physical custody and legal custody. Physical and legal custody issues are often intertwined and can make negotiating a suitable agreement difficult. Legal custody issues regularly impact the physical custody schedule;
To ensure fair treatment during the child custody negotiation process. An experienced attorney can ensure that the child custody result and process are fair. They can also anticipate future issues and put safeguards in place to eliminate or minimize the likelihood of these problems; and
Your case circumstances have significantly changed. Circumstances often change after an initial custody decision is entered and make it necessary to revisit a custody or support agreement. Your attorney will advocate for you as to why the changed circumstances should or should not result in a change to the custody arrangement.
To discuss these or any other child custody situations, contact a Seattle family law attorney at Twyford Law Office. Let us help to ease your concerns and answer your questions in a confidential case consultation.
Parenting Plans in Seattle
In Seattle, child custody is referred to as a parenting plan. A parenting plan entails the following:
Where the children live and with who;
How parents make decisions regarding the children; and
How future disputes between the parents are resolved.
Judges prefer that parents create their parenting plan since parents know what works best for them. If parents cannot agree, the judge will create a parenting plan on their behalf.
Best Interests of the Children
Judges consider the best interests of the child as the guiding principle in deciding custody issues. Even if both parents agree to a custody arrangement, the judge will review it and ensure it is in the children’s best interests.
In determining what is in the best interests of the children, the judge reviews each parent’s ability to do the following, and more:
Maintain a loving, stable relationship with the children;
Provide for the children’s basic needs, such as feeding, clothing, physical health, grooming, health care, and daycare;
Be involved with the educational needs of the children;
Exercise sound judgment; and
Financially support the children.
Additional Considerations
Any parenting plan schedule will include where the children will be during the weekdays, weekends, holidays, birthdays, and vacations. Parenting plans must be specific and include transportation arrangements.
Parenting plans can include joint decision-making, alternate decision-making, or sole decision-making. If a judge must decide decision-making powers, they may consider:
Which parent has made most of the decisions in the past;
How cooperative the parents can be in the future; and
How far the parents live from each other.
A parenting plan will include a process for resolving disputes when needed. In Washington State, parents cannot go back to court to resolve a contentious matter until they have tried an alternative dispute resolution to solve their problems.
Contact an Experienced Seattle Divorce Attorney
If you would like to learn more about child custody or parenting plans in Seattle, contact Twyford Law Office. Our Seattle child custody attorneys can help you with any stage of your child custody case. Contact us today to discuss an initial custody order, ongoing child custody case, or modification of an existing order.
At Twyford Law Office, we offer sound, practical advice you can trust and put into practice. We look forward to speaking with you at your earliest convenience.
