Rockville Joint Custody Attorneys

Joint Custody Lawyers Creating Parenting Plans in Rockville, MD

In family law cases, parents will need to address and resolve a variety of child-related concerns. For parents who are going through a divorce or unmarried parents who have ended their relationship, decisions about child custody will affect their ongoing relationships with their children and other aspects of their lives. Most of the time, joint custody arrangements will be put in place, allowing co-parents to work together to provide for their children's needs and ensuring that children can maintain strong relationships with both parents. To ensure that these issues will be addressed correctly during a divorce or family law case, the assistance of a family law attorney can be essential. At Salvado Law Offices, we help parents create parenting agreements that will protect their rights while providing for their children's best interests and helping them avoid conflict or other issues in the future.

Sharing Legal and Physical Custody

In cases involving joint custody, parents will typically be able to share both legal and physical custody. Joint legal custody will provide both parents with the rights and responsibilities to make decisions about their children's lives. They will need to work together to address concerns about children's educational needs and the medical treatment that will be provided. They may also decide whether children will be raised in a certain religion, and they may determine what types of extracurricular activities will be appropriate. Parents will need to be able to communicate effectively and collaborate in making decisions that are in the best interests of their children.

With joint physical custody, children will spend time living with both parents. The exact schedule that may be used can vary depending on a family's circumstances, but each parent will have the right to have reasonable amounts of time with their children. The goal is to ensure that children have regular, meaningful contact with both parents that will ensure that they can maintain close, loving relationships and that their daily needs will be met at all times.

Creating a Parenting Agreement

Decisions about how parents will share custody will be set down in a legal document known as a parenting agreement or parenting plan. By including clear, understandable terms, a parenting agreement can help parents avoid confusion and ensure that ongoing issues related to their children will be addressed correctly. Key issues that need to be addressed in a parenting agreement include:

• Physical custody schedule: The agreement should include a detailed schedule stating when the children will live in each parent's home or spend time with them elsewhere. The schedule should include details about weekdays, weekends, holidays, school vacations, and special occasions. A well-defined schedule can help provide stability and predictability for children.
• Decision-making responsibilities: While both parents will have the right to participate in decisions about how their children will be raised, the agreement should outline how different types of issues may be addressed. It may specify which parent will take the lead on certain decisions or how disagreements will be resolved. Clear guidelines can help prevent conflicts and ensure that parents are focusing on the best interests of their children.
• Communication: Joint custody will require parents to stay in touch with each other and keep each other informed about important child-related issues. The parenting agreement may provide information about how parents will communicate about children's needs, schedules, and other ongoing concerns. Parents may agree to have regular meetings or phone calls, communicate through email, or use a shared online calendar.
• Relocation: The agreement should include provisions for what happens if one parent decides to move to a new home. Parents may set guidelines for how far a parent can move without modifying the child custody arrangements, and they can make decisions about how schedules or other issues may be adjusted based on a parent's relocation.
• Conflict resolution: Despite the best efforts to cooperate, conflicts can arise. The parenting agreement should include a process for resolving disputes, such as using mediation. This can help avoid prolonged legal battles and maintain a cooperative co-parenting relationship.

Contact Our Rockville, Maryland Joint Custody Attorneys

If you are going through the process of divorce, or if you need to address child custody issues as an unmarried parent, it is likely that joint custody arrangements will be appropriate in your situation. At Salvado Law Offices, our lawyers can help you understand the best ways to address and resolve issues related to child custody, and we will help you negotiate a parenting plan that will allow you to provide for your children in the years to come. Call us at 301-933-1814 or contact us online to set up a consultation. We can assist with Maryland child custody cases from our office in Rockville, and we also provide representation for clients in Virginia from our office in Falls Church.