Do I Need a Lawyer to Negotiate a Child Custody Arrangement in PA?

Establishing a custody arrangement when you and your child’s other parent are not in a relationship or married can be a challenge. Unfortunately, many parents are so busy fighting with each other that they fail to prioritize the best interests of their children, despite the fact that the best interests of the children are the primary area of concern for the family court system in PA.

Having a highly trained child custody lawyer by your side while attempting to negotiate a Pennsylvania child custody agreement would be to the benefit of all parties involved, as your lawyer will be able to ensure that you are able to formulate a plan that will help your child spend as much quality time as possible with each of their parents.

Continue reading to learn more about the different types of child custody in Pennsylvania and how a lawyer can help you put your children first.

Child Custody Arrangements You Might Seek

There are two main types of custody: legal custody and physical custody. Each of these types of custody can then be broken down as either sole, primary, partial, or shared.

Legal custody involves making major decisions regarding your children’s lives, such as where they will go to school, what religion they will be brought up in, and any medical decisions that may need to be made, to name a few.

If a parent is awarded sole custody, they will not need to work with the other parent at all when making these decisions, whereas a shared custody plan means that both parents will need to work together to make these important decisions on behalf of their children.

Physical custody can be devised in a number of ways, and refers to where the children reside.

In a sole custody agreement, one parent has no rights to the children but may be granted visitation under certain terms. This parent usually still contributes child support to assist with raising the children.

In a primary or partial physical custody arrangement, the children will spend some overnights with their other parent, but the children will primarily reside with the custodial parent.

Finally, in shared custody plans, the children will typically spend equal amounts of time with each of their parents.

Why You Will Want a High-Powered Attorney by Your Side

In instances where both parents are willing and able to care for their children, a shared custody agreement will be recommended, as this is usually in the best interests of your child.

However, if one parent is unfit to have their children reside with them a portion of the time, or if they have other issues that will prevent them from properly caring for their children, then a partial or sole custody plan may be a better fit.

It may be a challenge to convince your child’s other parent to agree to any arrangement where shared custody is not an option, but your lawyer will be prepared to fight for a custody arrangement that will ensure that your children are being cared for well at all times.

You will want to try to work out your child custody arrangement with your child’s other parent, as failure to do so will result in a Pennsylvania judge implementing a child custody order that may not align with your hopes for a custody, visitation, and parenting plan.

Speak with a PA Child Custody Lawyer

When you are going through a child custody dispute and need assistance implementing a plan that works for you and your children, reach out to an esteemed PA child custody lawyer at Taybron Law Firm, LLC You can give our office a call at (412) 231-9786 or fill out the brief contact form we have included below to schedule your no-obligation consultation today.