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If you are facing a divorce or separation involving children, you should be aware of the different types of custody in Seattle. Your parental rights are paramount, meaning it is important to seek support from skilled legal counsel. Always address your physical and legal child custody needs with a seasoned child custody attorney at Twyford Law Office.
If you are facing the child custody process, whether as part of a divorce or a standalone case, you should know that professional help is available. Obtaining child custody orders that work well for you and your children is important, so consult with a custody attorney near me.
In child custody cases, Washington courts are always guided by the best interests of the child. This means making decisions that support their physical and mental health and well-being.
Whenever possible, the state’s preference is for both parents to continue playing a significant role in their children’s lives. While every Seattle child custody case is unique, this principle always guides the outcome of this type of case.
The state addresses child custody in terms of legal custody and physical custody, and both are reflected in the resulting parenting plan.
Legal custody, or decision-making, addresses how you and your children’s other parent will make key decisions regarding their upbringing moving forward. The kinds of decisions addressed break down into primary categories, including the following:
You and your co-parent can share legal custody, which involves making these decisions between yourselves, or one of you may be assigned sole legal custody. If shared, known as joint-decision making, you may have to set up a way to break a tie, such as by attending mediation or arbitration, or asking a third party to assist you. When legal custody is sole, the assigned parent makes these key decisions on their own.
Physical custody (parenting time) determines when a child will be with you and when they will be with their other parent. The basic options are dividing visitation with your child between you equally (or nearly equally), or one of you taking on the primary custodial role and being with the child the majority of the time.
While dividing visitation relatively equally is considered ideal when it upholds the child’s best interests, it is not always possible in terms of logistics. Discuss your concerns about this type of custody with our dedicated Seattle child custody lawyers right away.
Your parenting plan will reflect both your legal and physical custody orders. This means it will guide your child custody arrangements into the future. Under the right circumstances, however, modifications can be made. Regardless, our custody lawyers could draft a parenting plan that reflects your custody arrangement.
As mentioned, state courts base child custody orders on the best interests of the children. In the process, they consider certain key factors. These can include the child’s safety and well-being, as well as each parent’s ability to effectively address the child’s needs. Our Seattle lawyers could answer any further questions about the factors affecting a court’s decision or the different types of child custody.
A trusted attorney at Twyford Law Office is available to help you understand the types of custody in Seattle and explore your best options. We have decades of experience successfully handling complex child custody cases for our valued clients, and we welcome the opportunity to help you.
To learn more, please reach out by contacting us online or giving our firm a call today.
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