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(801) 254-9450 (801) 254-9450 Parents going through a divorce must resolve issues regarding how they will raise their children. While they can reach a mutual agreement on their own, disputes involving custody or visitation often go to court.
When you have questions or are dealing with a dispute regarding a parent’s right to spend time with their child, reach out to a South Jordan visitation lawyer. The highly experienced family law attorneys at Carr | Woodall could help with your case.
Child custody issues are divided into two categories: legal and physical custody. Physical custody refers to the parent the child lives with, while legal custody refers to the parent’s ability to make important life decisions on the child’s behalf.
Legal custody can involve decisions regarding a child’s medical care, education, and religion. The state allows parents to have sole or joint legal and physical custody.
This can lead to various custody arrangements for children, such as:
Parents with multiple children can also have split custody, in which each parent is awarded sole physical custody of a different child. A family law attorney in the South Jordan, Salt Lake County, and northern Utah County area could provide legal advice regarding a non-custodial parent’s rights to visitation.
Parents with joint legal or physical custody must draft a parenting plan filed with a state court. A parenting plan outlines how the parents will raise the child and handle making major life decisions.
The plan can include details such as:
A family law attorney can help develop a parenting plan, taking into account the factors that judges often consider.
A judge must decide if the parenting plan is in the child’s best interest. According to Utah Code Ann. § 81-9-206, the court will assess the following:
A South Jordan lawyer can assist with negotiating and drafting a parenting plan to outline visitation rights.
If the parents cannot agree on a parenting plan, a South Jordan lawyer could advise on the state’s minimum parent time limits. These schedules stipulate non-custodial parents’ visitation rights on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
The rules also outline protocols for extending parenting time, the notification a parent must provide to the other parent, and when a parent can reasonably communicate with the child via telephone or virtual communication.
The minimum parenting time rules are broken down into different categories based on the child’s age:
Courts will order the appropriate schedule based on the child’s best interest using the same factors from Utah Code Ann. § 81-9-206.
When a parent is denied sufficient time with their child, this can have a negative psychological and emotional impact on families. Our legal team at Carr | Woodall will work collaboratively to help develop solutions for visitation issues.
You or your loved one should contact a South Jordan visitation lawyer if you are involved in a dispute or need guidance about your legal rights to parenting time.