Child Custody & Visitation

Protecting Your Parental Rights

No issues create more stress in a divorce, or in a breakup of a relationship than those involving your children. Our first priority in any case will always remain the long-term best interests of your children. The ultimate objective of all of our actions is to minimize the impact on the emotional well-being and peace of mind of your children.

Securing a child custody arrangement, whether agreed upon by both parties or through court proceedings, requires a careful individualized approach. Cookie-cutter strategies do not work, and fast, loose answers end in bad results. Each parent needs to think about the needs of the child and how these needs relate to each parent. At Robert L. Isaacs & Associates, we spend the time necessary to discover the important issues and use them to find agreement. We take our responsibility as your family law/child custody lawyers seriously so you keep your custodial rights when filing for divorce. We have been assisting the families of Henrico and the greater Richmond area since 1995.

How Does Child Custody Work In Virginia?

We understand that dealing with a custody and/or visitation dispute may be one of the most difficult times in your life as a parent. Whether your custody issue has arisen as part of a divorce or you have never married the other parent, we can provide the guidance, counsel and representation you and your family need. In Virginia, we consider two definitions of custody.

• Physical custody refers to the physical amount of time spent with the child or children. Parents with joint physical custody will each enjoy a significant amount of parenting time. If the child spends more time with one parent, that parent generally will be designated as the primary custodial parent. Noncustodial parents are granted parenting time according to a visitation schedule based on the parents’ circumstances.
• Legal custody involves the ability to make decisions regarding religious upbringing, schooling, health care and other matters of particular importance regarding the child or children.

*Also of note is sole custody, which is just like it sounds—only one parent can make decisions regarding the child, but the other parent keeps visitation rights. While most situations favor joint care of children after divorce, it can sometimes be necessary to denote a sole guardian when it's in the best interests of the child.

It's possible to arrive at child custody agreements without court litigation (see also separation agreements), but there are many disagreements that can come up during divorce steps. It that's the case, the court will consider a host of factors to determine what motion would make the best custody arrangement for the child. The physical custody order can affect the child support calculation, as well. Often, the noncustodial parent pays child support to the custodial parent to help cover the child’s financial needs.

In many cases, parents are able to create their own custody and visitation agreement. This can have many benefits for the entire family and studies have shown that they often work better for both the parents and the children involved than custody orders created by the court. Our attorneys are skilled negotiators who can help you with this process.

As the child matures, or people relocate to different states and experience other life changes, a modification to the custody agreement may become necessary. We assist with modifications of those existing orders too. As long as the child is under the age of 18, a court may consider the present needs of the family to make a decision regarding custody or visitation.

Put Our Experience To Work For You

For more information, call 804-297-0763 or send us a secure email to schedule a meeting. Robert L. Isaacs & Associates, is conveniently located by all major highways.