Dayton Child Custody Attorneys

Dayton Child Custody Attorneys

Child custody is often one of the most challenging divorce terms to resolve. Because child custody issues directly affect your parental rights, it makes working closely with an experienced Dayton child custody attorney from the outset an excellent idea. 

Legal Custody

Ohio addresses both legal and physical custody. Legal custody determines who will be making the major parenting decisions on behalf of your children going forward, including those decisions related to the following:

• Your children’s healthcare needs
• Your children’s education
• Your children’s extracurriculars
• Your children’s religious upbringing

You and your children’s other parent can make each of these decisions together (with the option of granting one of you tie-breaking authority in the event of a complete stalemate), one of you can take legal custody on as a sole responsibility, or you can divide this parenting responsibility between you according to the kinds of decisions that need to be made. 

Physical Custody

Physical custody determines how you and your children’s other parent will split your time with your children. While your scheduling options are nearly limitless, the basic categories of division include one of you becoming the primary custodial parent (while the other has a visitation schedule) and both of you sharing your parenting time more evenly. 

The Best Interests of the Children

The State of Ohio bases every child custody decision on the children’s best interests, which means that if you need the court’s intervention regarding your child custody arrangements, the following factors will be taken into consideration by the judge in your case:

• Each parent’s preferences
• Each child’s related concerns and preferences (if he or she is interviewed by the judge in chambers)
• The mental and physical health of both parents and each child
• Each child’s current level of adjustment at home, at school, and in the community
• Each parent’s willingness to facilitate and honor the child custody terms
• Each parent’s willingness and ability to facilitate each child’s ongoing relationship with the other parent
• Each parent’s willingness and capacity to cooperate in the decision-making process
• Each child’s interrelationships and level of interaction with every other family member (and relevant third parties)
• Whether either parent resides in another state (or intends to move to another state) and the proximity of both parent’s households
• Whether neglect or abuse of any kind is a concern
• Any other factor that the court deems relevant

All told, the court believes that children’s best interests are best served when they are able to spend a considerable amount of time with both parents, and this basic tenet will guide the overall process of determining your child custody arrangements. 

It’s Time to Consult with an Experienced Dayton Child Custody Attorney

If you are facing a child custody concern, the savvy Dayton child custody attorneys at The VanNoy Firm dedicate their practice to helping clients like you resolve their cases favorably – in ardent support of our clients’ parental rights. We are here to help, so please don’t wait to contact us for more information today.