Connecticut Child Custody & Visitation Attorney

Protect Your Parental Rights During & After Divorce

When children are involved in a divorce, the issue of custody is often highly emotional and a source of contention. In fact, child custody is often the most contested aspect of a divorce and, therefore, frequently causes the whole process to drag on longer than normal. This is why it's so important that you have a skilled attorney on your side.

Happy Even After Family Law can help you protect your rights and resolve your child custody dispute as quickly and painlessly as possible. To learn more about CT custody laws and how our Hamden family law firm can help you, call us today.

Call Happy Even After at (888) 410-3562 for help with your child custody matters today or contact us online.

Understanding Factors That Determine Custody

The judge will determine child custody based on the best interests of the child.

There are various factors to consider when thinking about what is in the child’s best interests. Some of these include:

• Which parent can best meet the child’s physical and emotional needs
• Which parent can take responsibility for the child
• Which parent has a greater bond and relationship with the child
• How the parents cooperate with each other

If you have further questions about how child custody is determined in Connecticut, do not hesitate to contact our CT family law firm.

Exploring Types of Custody in Connecticut

The legal terms used to define custody are often confusing to people, but the distinction between "legal custody" and "physical/residential custody" is not as complicated as it seems.

Let's take a closer look at the two types of child custody:

• Legal Custody – The right of a person to make major decisions on behalf of the child, such as decisions regarding the child's education, health, and religion. Sole custody is when one parent is the primary decision maker.
• Physical Custody – The parent or parents with whom the child will live. This can include joint physical custody, where the child splits their time living between the parent's homes.

If you have questions about child custody, then call (888) 410-3562 to speak with a Connecticut custody attorney at Happy Even After Family Law!

Understanding Custody Rights in Connecticut

Traditionally, courts have favored the mother in custody cases. However, in modern times, this is not necessarily the case.

In Connecticut, both the mother and father have equal standing before the court to gain custody of the child. The court will decide using various factors what is in the best interests of the child, but it will not favor the mother by default.

Is 50/50 Custody Common in Connecticut?

While the courts in Connecticut often favor a 50/50 split for joint legal custody, it does not necessarily favor a 50/50 split for joint physical custody.

Moving back and forth between each parent’s home can be disruptive for the child; the lack of stability could prove harmful. Instead, the courts might order sole physical custody for one parent, and appropriate visitation rights for the other parent.

The parents are not the primary factor here—rather, it is the best interests of the child.

Strategies to Avoid Child Custody Conflicts

Although the divorce or custody process often raises feelings of bitterness and resentment toward the other person, it is in everyone's best interest to reach an amicable agreement regarding custody and visitation. Once your relationship has deteriorated, you and the other parent still need to raise your children together, even though you now reside in different houses.

Your children should not feel like they need to choose sides. To help alleviate this burden that children often assume, it is important that both parents work together to make the end of their marriage as minimally disruptive to their child's life as possible.

Consult a Local Child Custody Attorney Today

Reaching an agreement, however, is not always an option. In this situation, the child custody lawyers at Happy Ever After are prepared to vigorously and aggressively litigate the issue of custody.

A child's interests are paramount to the issue of custody. Those interests are represented, not by the child, but by their own appointed counsel referred to as a guardian ad litem.

Find out more about what to expect. Contact us online now for an initial consultation. Or visit our reviews to see why clients choose our Hamden law firm when they need top-rated local child custody lawyers in Connecticut.