Sterling Heights Child Custody Lawyers Protecting Your Relationship With Your Children

Emotions tend to run high in all family law matters, but this is especially true of child custody cases. No father wants to see their relationship with their child destroyed by divorce or separation. That’s why it is so important to have an experienced child custody attorney by your side to fight to protect your best interests.

The child custody attorneys at American Divorce Association for Men (ADAM) have exclusively represented men in family law cases in Sterling Heights for over 30 years. We understand the unique situation you are in as a father facing a child custody battle—and we know how to help you achieve the best results possible in your case. Learn more about our legal services and how we can help by scheduling a free phone consultation with us today. Call 248-356-2326 now to get started.

What Are the Different Types of Child Custody Arrangements in Sterling Heights?

There are two main components of every child custody agreement: legal and physical custody.

Legal custody is the right to make important decisions in a child’s life. For example, a parent with legal custody gets to make decisions regarding the child’s education, health care, and religion. Physical custody, on the other hand, refers to a child’s living arrangements.

A parent may be awarded joint or sole custody of their child. In a joint custody arrangement, both parents share legal and/or physical custody of their child. In a sole custody arrangement, one parent is given primary legal and/or physical custody.

If one parent is awarded sole physical custody, the other parent may still have visitation rights, also known as parenting time. This means the other parent will still get to spend time with their child despite the sole custody arrangement.

Who Makes Child Custody Decisions?

A custody agreement must be put in writing and approved by the court before it goes into effect. But who creates the agreement? The parents are given an opportunity to work together to reach an agreement on their own without the court’s help. If both parents are willing to cooperate, they may be able to reach a mutually agreed upon parenting plan. This plan must be submitted to the court for final approval.

But unfortunately, in many child custody cases, one or both parties are not willing to put their feelings aside in order to create a custody agreement outside of the courtroom. If this happens, the issue will be taken to court, where the judge will get to make these decisions on behalf of the parents.

Reaching a custody agreement outside of the courtroom is faster, easier, less expensive, and less contentious than taking the case to court. Our attorneys will work tirelessly to resolve your child custody dispute without the court’s help. But if your child’s other parent is not cooperating, we will aggressively protect your rights in court.

How Will the Judge Decide Who Gets Custody?

If your child custody case ends up in court, the judge will need to take a number of factors into consideration when deciding how to award custody. Some of the factors that the judge will consider include:

• The relationship that each parent has with the child.
• Each parent’s ability to provide for and care for the child.
• The living arrangements each parent would be able to provide for the child.
• Each parent’s mental and physical health.
• The child’s preferences.
• Each parent’s moral fitness.
• The stability that each parent is capable of providing.
• Each parent’s willingness to co-parent with the other parent.
• Any history of domestic violence or substance abuse.

The judge can consider any factor that is relevant to the case when making child custody decisions. Ultimately, the judge will make custody decisions based on what they believe is in the best interests of the child.

Schedule A Free Phone Consultation to Discuss Your Child Custody Case Today

If you are anticipating or already involved in a child custody dispute in Sterling Heights, it’s crucial to seek legal representation from the skilled child custody attorneys at ADAM. We know how important it is to protect your relationship with your child. That’s why our attorneys work tirelessly to help men in Sterling Heights preserve this special bond by winning their child custody case.

Don’t wait any longer to take action—contact our law firm now to learn more about how we can help. To schedule a free phone consultation, call 248-356-2326 or submit your information using the form on this website.