Caring, Experienced Livonia, Michigan, Child Custody Lawyer
For many divorcing mothers and fathers, decisions about children are the single most important area of concern. Much soul-searching and worry goes into whether to and how to "fight" for child custody, the time and care each parent can provide, and what is best for the kids.
For help understanding your options and sorting through issues specific to your family, please contact me, attorney John R. Rinn.
The best interest of the child is paramount from a legal perspective. This complex issue — not gender or the personal judgments of one parent by the other — is the crux of any custody dispute and court ruling on parenting time (sometimes called visitation). To reach a determination on custody, the court considers 12 different factors; but it is not just a mathematical calculation. The factors do not all get equal weight. Different factors are more important in certain cases. It takes experience to know this; and that is one of the ways in which I can help you.
Defending Your Parental Rights and Important Relationships
Over the past three decades, I have represented many mothers and fathers, both in negotiations that led to a favorable outcome and in tough child custody battles that went all the way to court in Wayne or Oakland County.
I am equipped to counsel you on decisions involving:
- Your likelihood of success in seeking sole physical custody — typically with the other parent receiving specific, designated parenting time — or joint physical custody, an arrangement where children stay in each parent's home approximately half the time
- Defending your right to joint legal custody, providing both the mother and father with equal participation in major decisions about the children
- The impact of your child custody and parenting time arrangement on the child support you will be ordered to pay or receive
Working Toward Positive, Practical Solutions for You as a Parent
Equally important, I am ready to put significant energy into identifying the precise, detailed parenting time schedule that will work best for you. People's lives in our modern world are complicated, and diligence in this area often determines how well things go in this part of your life after divorce.
Don't get hung up on the terminology of whether an arrangement is called joint physical custody or not. The important thing (both legally and as a practical matter) is what the parenting time schedule is. If we can reach agreement on that, then it doesn't really matter what we call it. There are an infinite number of possibilities between sole physical custody and "50/50" time sharing. Based on your needs, we can work together to target a solid solution that keeps you close to your kids. To start the discussion about how you might proceed in your divorce, I encourage you to call today and request a brief free consultation.
