Child Custody

Farmington Hills Child Custody Lawyer

Compassionate Legal Support in Farmington Hills and Southeast Michigan

In the aftermath of a difficult divorce, most parties simply want to part their separate ways and start afresh. This is much more challenging to accomplish when children are involved. Despite their marital differences, parents ultimately want to protect their children’s best interests. This is where having a compassionate child custody lawyer in Oakland County is just so crucial.

When you are worried about your children’s future, you need to know that their security and well-being is the primary goal. By getting in touch with The Law Office of Michael E. Thomas, PLLC, you can feel assured that you will be gaining superior advocacy for the entire legal process. Whether you are creating a new child custody agreement or are seeking modifications to a prior plan, trust our team to make sure that you are getting a fair and just hearing.

What are the Types Child Custody in Michigan?

When it comes to child custody issues in Michigan, courts generally determine which parent gets legal custody on the basis of all the factors that serve the child’s best interests. The hope is that parents would be able to negotiate a mutual parenting plan, but if they cannot agree, it becomes essential that your advocate is able to use mediation or legal representation in court to achieve the most favorable outcome for you and your family.

In the state of Michigan, there are two primary divisions of child custody that could be applied to your situation, including:

• Legal custody: This term refers to a parent’s responsibility in caring for all the critical decisions of a child’s daily life, whether concerning education, health, insurance, religious upbringing, and other key matters. Usually, it is in the child’s best interests for parents to share legal custody, also known as joint legal custody, but in certain circumstances, a judge might determine that one parent should possess sole legal custody.
• Physical custody: This kind of legal custody refers to where a child actually lives, which is why “primary residence” is the term that is increasingly being utilized within legal processes. While parents may share legal custody, usually the children will spend the majority of their time living in one location of the parents, with the other parent having opportunities to visit during the weekends or the evenings.

Parenting Time Arrangements in Michigan

If you live in the state of Michigan, the court will tend to organize schedules of the specific amount of time that each parent is able to spend with children, in order to ensure that both sides of the family maintain strong and healthy relationships.

To decide the frequency and length of parenting times allotted to each party, courts will make schedules based on a number of distinct factors, including:

• The current custodial status of each parent
• The age of each child
• The physical location and driving distance between the parents’ homes
• Any background of domestic abuse, violence, or other forms of criminal history

Does Michigan Favor Mothers in Custody Cases?

Although mothers favor winning primary custody cases in Michigan, the Child Custody Act is gender-neutral; it supports parenting plans in which the child will continue to have relationships with the mother and father.

Reach Out for Child Custody Assistance Today

For any parent who is concerned for the well-being of their child’s future after a separation or divorce, it is critical to get in touch with our child custody attorney in Oakland County as soon as possible.