South Jersey Child Visitation Lawyers
Moorestown Child Visitation Lawyers Provide Compassionate Legal Representation for Parents in Child Visitation Determinations
The many casualties of a divorce can be difficult to accept—the breakdown of a formerly loving relationship and the financial burden of maintaining two separate households undoubtedly create an emotionally overwhelming situation. A breakdown in your relationship with your child should not be counted among those often unavoidable consequences of divorce. Each parent’s relationship with his or her child is precious—the New Jersey courts have even recognized this by changing the terminology of “visitation” to “parenting time”. Despite this, the reality of a divorced parenting arrangement inevitably reduces the amount of time that each parent will spend with the child.
One parent will be deemed the custodial parent, and a parenting time, or visitation, plan will be constructed so that each parent is able to maintain a meaningful relationship with the child. In some cases, agreeing on the plan is simple and the attorney’s only role will be to draft and finalize the agreement that the parents reach. Other parents will require the assistance of a reputable South Jersey child visitation lawyer in coming up with a creative solution that each parent can accept. In other cases, the lawyer’s role may be critical in resolving conflicts to protect each parents’ rights.
If you are a parent who is divorcing or need help enforcing an existing child visitation arrangement, contact our offices for guidance today. Our full-service family lawyers are skilled in successfully helping our clients find a fair and equitable arrangement that always keeps the interests of the child at its heart. Contact Cordry Hartman, LLC today to schedule a free consultation!
Child Visitation Arrangements in New Jersey
Child visitation, or parenting time, typically refers to the time that a non-custodial parent spends with the child, although the term “parenting time” has been introduced to reflect the fact that time with the child is always parenting time, whether or not the parent is the custodial parent. Child visitation, or parenting time, plans can be voluntarily negotiated between the parents in order to ensure the smoothest possible transition for the child or can be ordered by the court in light of the circumstances of the case. When attempting to reach an agreement to share parenting responsibilities, parents must first realistically evaluate their schedules, lifestyle, and preferences, which includes considering:
- Any special needs that the child may have,
- The child’s education schedule, including the location of the school and any school-related events,
- The child’s extracurricular and social activities,
- Each parent’s work schedule, and anticipated future fluctuations in that schedule,
- Vacation time that the parent has available to maximize time spent with the child,
- How the parents shared their parenting duties prior to separating,
- Childcare needs, including whether extended family members of either parent will provide assistance, and
- Ways that the parents can ease the transition for the child, including potentially spending time as a family at certain intervals.
A parenting time or visitation plan should be specific and as detailed as possible to avoid future conflicts—even if the parents believe that their relationship is amicable enough to allow flexibility. Contingencies should be well-thought out: for example, who will care for the child if a work-related emergency arises during one parent’s parenting time and the other parent is unavailable? Visitation plans also should address:
- How holidays and birthdays will be shared,
- Changes to the plan that will be implemented during school vacations and holidays,
- How out-of-state or international travel situations will be handled,
- How the child will be transported to implement the visitation plan,
- Detailed information regarding the formal custody arrangement, including each parent’s legal and physical custody rights, and
- Detailed information regarding the plan’s allocation of parenting time.
How Can Family Law Lawyers Protect My Parental Rights in a Child Visitation Case in New Jersey?
The child visitation lawyers at Cordry Hartman, LLC, understand that life happens and not every parenting time or child visitation plan will be perfect. We aim to provide as many options as possible to our clients so that these potential visitation scenarios can be built into a plan to provide the most detail possible. If an amicable agreement that fairly divides parenting time cannot be reached, our seasoned child visitation lawyers are ready to argue on your behalf in front of a judge. We have decades of experience obtaining favorable results from our clients in complicated child visitation cases and are ready to put our skills to work for you.
Contact Our Burlington County Child Custody and Visitation Lawyers for Your Claim Today
If you have a question regarding New Jersey child visitation laws or need to retain a skilled attorney to advocate on your behalf, contact our offices to set up a free consultation for your child visitation claim. All consultations with our lawyers remain confidential regardless of whether you choose to retain our services in your case. Our office is conveniently located at 505 S Lenola Rd Suite 224, Moorestown, NJ 08057. We serve clients throughout New Jersey, including in Moorestown, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Marlton, Voorhees, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Cumberland County, Cape May County, Salem County, and Atlantic County.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Visitation
The courts will evaluate the entirety of the circumstances to determine whether it is in your child’s best interests that you have primary physical custody of your child. The reality is, in many cases some type of shared physical custody arrangement will be ordered if it cannot be agreed upon. Our experienced lawyers can help evaluate your situation and build a strong case for primary physical custody, but there are never any guarantees because every case is different. We are skilled in handling child custody cases and can present many defenses to the award of physical custody to your former spouse if they are warranted.
The New Jersey courts favor implementing parenting plans that provide roughly equal parenting time to each parent if at all possible. However, they may look to the fact that your child does not yet have his own space in your home as a negative factor in deciding whether to award increased overnight parenting time. An experienced child visitation lawyer can help you evaluate how this living situation might affect your odds of winning a motion for increased parenting time, including by evaluating the age of the child and the totality of the facts. We can also help you put a plan in motion to improve your living environment so that success is more likely.
