Colorado Springs Child Custody Lawyers

Protecting the Legal Rights of Parents Going Through Family Law Cases

If you’re getting a divorce from the mother or father of your children, your main concern likely involves child custody. After all, this decision determines how often you can see your children and how much influence you’ll have on their lives after divorce. Whether you want to pursue sole or joint custody of your children, you should get legal advice from Colorado Springs family law attorneys before your case begins.

When you hire The Lux Law Firm, PLLC, you’ll get legal representation from a Colorado Springs family law attorney who understands how important it is for you to remain involved in your children’s lives after divorce. Regardless of the child custody arrangement you’re thinking of pursuing, you can count on our experienced child custody lawyers to provide you with quality legal advice every step of the way. Contact our Colorado Springs family law firm today for a free initial consultation with compassionate family law attorneys.

What Are the Child Custody Options in Colorado Springs, CO?

As you prepare for your case to go through the family court system, it’s essential to understand the terms used for child custody cases in Colorado Springs. The family courts in this state refer to child custody as parental responsibilities, which are divided into parenting time and decision-making responsibilities. Parents in Colorado can pursue joint or primary arrangements for both types of custody.

Parenting time is also known as physical custody. This determines which parent the child will live with. If you want your child to live with you after the divorce, you can request primary physical custody. If the judge grants this arrangement, your home will be your child’s residence, but their other parent will likely have visitation rights to give them parenting time.

If you and your spouse wish to share custody after divorce, your child will alternate homes depending on the parenting schedule you agree to. For example, your child might live with you on school days and with their other parent on weekends, or they might alternate homes more or less frequently than this. The judge will expect you and your spouse to work out a schedule that’s in the child’s best interests. Otherwise, they will make this decision for you in court.

The other type of custody in Colorado is called decision-making responsibilities, also known as legal custody. The parent with this type of custody has the right to make important choices for their child, such as what medical procedures they get, where they enroll in school, and what church they attend. The decision-making responsibility usually extends to other elements of their upbringing, as well, such as when they can start driving or dating.

The courts usually grant shared legal custody to allow both parents to have continued involvement in their child’s life, but this is unlikely to happen if one parent is deemed unfit for this role. If you need guidance on what type of custody arrangement to pursue, you should hire a skilled Colorado Springs child custody lawyer to help you navigate your case. Contact our firm today to discuss your child custody options with caring family law attorneys.

What Factors Are Considered in Colorado Springs Child Custody Cases?

Family court judges strive to put the best interests of the child first when making decisions on custody arrangements. Their goal is for the child to be in the care of a parent who will keep them safe and happy after the divorce, whether this means one parent gets parental responsibilities or both parents share them. When considering the best interests of the child, judges usually review several details, including the following:

• The relationship between the parent and child
• The relationships the child has formed with siblings, grandparents, and other members of the family or household
• Each parent’s wishes regarding custody
• The child’s preferences, assuming the child is mature enough to communicate them clearly
• The physical and mental health of each parent
• The ability of each parent to provide a safe, stable home for the child
• Any history of child abuse or domestic violence from either parent
• The child’s comfort level in their current home, school, and community
• The ability for the parents to communicate and cooperate with each other when sharing custody
• The proximity between the parents’ homes if they plan to share custody or create a visitation schedule
• The ability of each parent to put the child’s needs before their own
• The ability of each parent to encourage and support the child’s relationship with the other parent

In most cases, judges prefer that both parents be involved in the child’s life after the divorce. So, if you and your spouse agree to share custody, the judge is likely to approve of this arrangement, as long as you have a strong bond with your child and no history of abuse.

However, if you plan to request primary custody, be prepared to prove that the child’s mother or father is an unfit parent who cannot provide a safe, caring home. An experienced Colorado Springs family law attorney can provide legal assistance with this step, so contact our team if you’re ready to discuss your legal strategy.

How Should You Prepare for Your Colorado Springs Child Custody Case?

If you’re going through the divorce process and want to protect the safety and well-being of your children, the issue of child custody is likely on your mind. From the start of your divorce case, you might have a strong sense of what type of custody arrangement is in the best interests of your children. If you and your spouse agree on this, you can sign the court paperwork together, streamlining the case so you can avoid going to court for a trial.

Of course, parents rarely agree on the custody details right away, so if you’re struggling to come to a compromise on this family law matter, you’re not alone. This is why you need a skilled family law lawyer to guide you through your Colorado Springs custody case. You will have to complete and file several court documents regarding parental responsibilities so the other parent can be served and have the chance to respond. Experienced child custody attorneys can offer assistance with these tasks.

Most importantly, they can help you navigate your family law case so you can prove to the courts why giving you primary custody is best for the child’s physical and emotional well-being. You can start this process by presenting evidence that you’ve been involved in your child’s life for years and can continue to provide a safe, stable home. If you have proof of your involvement with their education, healthcare, afterschool activities, and other aspects of their upbringing, you should start collecting it as you begin your family law case.

Proving that you have your child’s best interests in mind is only the start of your case. You also need to show why you’re concerned about your child’s well-being while in the care of their other parent. If your former spouse committed child abuse, spousal abuse, neglect, or other dangerous behaviors that could put your child at risk, let your Colorado Springs family law lawyer know. They can help collect proof of this, such as police reports and medical records, which can be submitted to the family law court with your petition for primary custody.

How Can Colorado Springs Child Custody Lawyers Help You?

At The Lux Law Firm, PLLC, we understand how life-changing child custody decisions can be. You shouldn’t have to deal with them alone, and you won’t when you hire our team. Our family law attorneys have spent years assisting Colorado Springs parents with complex, emotional legal cases involving divorce, child custody, child support, and other family law disputes. You deserve support from lawyers in Colorado Springs who are known for their compassion and legal knowledge, so we invite you to contact us for a free consultation.

When you reach out to our team for legal representation, you’ll learn more about your custody options after a Colorado Springs divorce, as we’ll use our years of experience to advise you on the right path for you and your children. We realize how crucial it is for you to know you can continue to care for and protect your children in the years after your divorce, so you can rest assured we’ll work hard to prove to the court that your custody preferences are in the best interests of your family. If you’re ready to speak to caring, skilled family law lawyers about divorce, custody, and visitation, call our Colorado Springs family law office at 719-451-7469 for an initial consultation.