Marietta Child Custody Attorney Upholds Your Parental Rights

Experienced lawyer helps Atlanta-area parents maintain relationships with their children

Though parents may come to disagree on almost everything, one thing they usually agree on is that it’s important to have a relationship with their children even after their own relationship ends. Georgia courts agree, operating on the presumption that it is in the best interests of a child to spend time with both parents. Of course, there are exceptions. At The Law Offices of Daryl L. Kidd, P.C., in Marietta, we understand the emotional nature of child custody proceedings, and we’re experienced in guiding clients through the process in negotiations and through litigation when necessary.

What are the types of child custody in Georgia?

There are two types of child custody: legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody is the authority to make important decisions about the child’s upbringing such as those affecting the child’s healthcare, extracurricular activities, religious exposure and education. Physical custody refers to which parent the child will live with most of the time. Both types of custody in a family can be sole or joint.

In all custody decisions, judges have a duty to do what is in the child’s best interests. They base their decisions on a number of factors, such as the child’s emotional ties to each parent and to any siblings, the capacity of each parent to meet the child’s needs, and each parent’s history of involvement with the child’s educational and social life. Once children reach 14 years of age, they may decide which parent they want to live with.

Courts prefer parents to share legal custody because it allows both parents to have equal rights and responsibilities for their child and stay involved in the child’s life. Even if a court awards primary physical custody to one parent, the court will typically award joint legal custody.

Physical custody arrangements can take these forms:

• Primary custody — One parent has the child for a majority of the time, and the noncustodial parent usually has visitation rights.
• Joint custody — Both parents share roughly equal amounts of parenting time.
• Sole or “full” custody — The child is with one parent nearly all of the time, and the other parent may not have visitation rights, for a number of reasons.
• Split custody — In split custody, where a couple has more than one child, one of them spends most of the time with one parent while the other child spends most of the time with the other parent.

We will advocate for your child’s best interests and your parental bond in advising on custody issues.

Seasoned lawyer helps establish visitation rights

Parents without primary physical custody typically receive visitation rights. A parenting time schedule can be negotiated between the parents and then approved by the court or determined by the court as part of litigation. In some instances, a parent who suffers from alcoholism, abuses drugs, or has a history of violence may be denied visitation.

Grandparents can seek legally enforceable visitation rights under Georgia law. Grandparents can intervene in the parents’ divorce case or file a separate action for visitation or guardianship. Grandparents cannot seek visitation rights if the child’s parents are still together, however. Our Marietta family law firm has significant experience in grandparents’ rights matters, so if you are a grandparent seeking visitation or guardianship, we are ready to help.

Contact a determined Georgia child custody lawyer to protect your family

Issues of child custody and visitation are too important to leave to an inexperienced attorney. Reach out to The Law Offices of Daryl L. Kidd, P.C. for the thoughtful advice and powerful advocacy you deserve. Call our Marietta office today at 888-532-8543 or contact us online. We offer a reduced rate for initial consultations and flexible office hours to fit your schedule.