Child Custody Lawyer Bloomington
Answers to Common Questions About Child Custody
Contact us today at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols to find a child custody lawyer Bloomington IL offers who can help you during this difficult time. Divorces, legal separations, and child custody concerns are often emotional and stressful. Our experienced attorneys understand how difficult it can be to deal with these issues.
A Bloomington child custody lawyer from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols can answer any specific questions you may have. The following are some of the most common questions our lawyers get about child custody.
What’s the difference between sole custody and joint custody?
Joint custody is when each parent has a significant amount of time with the children. It doesn’t mean the parents have an equal amount of time, however. A child custody lawyer Bloomington IL residents rely on for legal representation can draw up a fair custody arrangement that will likely meet the wishes of both parents.
Sole custody doesn’t mean one parent has the children all of the time. In most situations, the non-custodial parent will have the right to visit with their children. However, the parent with sole custody has the authority to make decisions that affect the child and without consulting the other parent. This can vary somewhat depending on the circumstances. If you have specific concerns it’s best to bring them up with a trusted child custody lawyer Bloomington IL families recommend in similar circumstances.
Parents have joint custody under the following circumstances:
- When a joint parenting agreement is in place.
- When a court order has specified the rights and responsibilities of each parent for their children’s education, health, and other matters. A child custody lawyer Bloomington IL parents turn to during divorce proceedings can address your unique circumstances.
At what age can children legally decide which parent they want to live with?
There is no specific legal age for when a child can make such a decision or have their wishes followed. That said, the older the child the more likely an Illinois judge will take the child’s wish into consideration when making their determination about custody arrangements. A judge’s primary consideration should be what is in the best interests of the child. Additional factors are:
- The wishes of each parent
- The child’s comfort level with the community, their school, and home life
- Their relationships with siblings and others
How long does child support last?
Under most circumstances, the parent who does not have custody is obligated to pay support until the child reaches 18 years of age. However, there are exceptions:If the child is still in high school, then payments continue until the child turns 19.
- If the child is still in high school, then payments continue until the child turns 19.
- If the child is physically or mentally disabled the payments may continue indefinitely.
- A judge may order the non-custodial parent to contribute to the child’s costs for college. A child custody lawyer in Bloomington IL from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols can review your case and may be able to tell you the likelihood of a judge ordering this in your situation.
Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Child Custody Case
A child custody lawyer Bloomington IL trusts has likely witnessed parents do things that complicate their child custody cases further. They may allow their emotions to affect their judgment and act irrationally. Let’s take a closer look at some of the common mistakes parents have made in child custody cases:
- Talking Badly About Other Parent in Front of Your Children: If you and your ex-spouse ended things on bad terms, you may feel resentful and angry. That’s normal. However, you should not use your anger to talk poorly about your ex-spouse in front of your children. It can upset your children and make the child custody battle that much more difficult.
- Withholding Visitation Rights to Other Parent: Unless there is an urgent reason, a child custody lawyer in Bloomington IL may advise against keeping your ex-spouse from seeing the children. If you believe that your ex-spouse should not have visitation rights anymore, you may talk to the judge about granting a court order.
- Not Following a Court Order: If you disobey any court order during your child custody battle, the judge probably won’t take it lightly. However, before you sign any court order, you may want to consult with your child custody lawyer Bloomington IL respects. He or she can review the court order to make sure there are no errors.
- Taking Your Children on a Trip Without Your Ex-spouse’s Consent: There may come a time in the future when you want to take your children out of town for a trip. A child custody lawyer Bloomington IL offers may recommend that your tell your ex-spouse about your plan and ask if it’s alright. If you take your kids on a trip without telling your ex-spouse, the court may believe you tried to purposely take them away and penalize you for it.
- Being Late for Visits With Your Children: Another mistake a Bloomington child custody lawyer might see is that some parents are late to visits with their children. Being late on occasion is one thing, but frequent tardiness may put you in a negative light. Your ex-spouse might bring up your tardiness at the next court date, which may impact your visitation rights. If you know you are going to be late for a visit, call your ex-spouse as soon as possible to let him or her know.
- Not Hiring a Child Custody Lawyer: A child custody battle may involve a mountain of paperwork and many court dates. This can get very overwhelming if you are dealing with it on your own. An experienced child custody lawyer Bloomington IL depends on can help you fill out all the paperwork correctly, make sure that you are being treated fairly, and come with you to all your court dates. If you ever have any questions or concerns during your custody case, your child custody lawyer Bloomington IL relies on is just a phone call away.
Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols Can Help
When you’re faced with the difficult situation of coming to an agreement with your soon-to-be former spouse regarding child custody, contact us. Our skilled attorneys have years of experience helping caring parents who are struggling with the challenges of child custody arrangements. Call us today at (309) 467-3213 to arrange for a free case review with a trusted child custody lawyer Bloomington IL provides.
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