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In California, any parent can have sole custody, or the parents can share custody. A court is likely to approve the parenting plan that both parents agree to; however, the court makes the final decision on custody and visitation. If the parents are unable to reach an agreement, a judge will make a decision during a court hearing. After the parents have met with a mediator from Family Court Services, the court will usually make a judgment about custody and visitation.
If you are going through a divorce and children are involved, it is important to contact a Pasadena child custody lawyer and family law specialist. The family law attorneys at Baghdaserians Law Group, Inc. work throughout the Los Angeles area and have over a decade of experience dealing with child custody and visitation rights.
Types of Custody Orders in California
The rights and obligations of parents for the care of their children are referred to as “child custody.” In your instance, you’ll have to make a decision about custody. You must also determine “visitation,” or how each parent will spend time with the children.
California divides the type of custody a parent can get into two types:
- Legal Custody—which is assigned to the person or persons that are in charge of all important life decisions for the children, i.e., healthcare, education, and welfare.
- Physical Custody—where the children actually reside.
Legal and physical custody assignments can be either sole or joint custody. Parents who share legal custody of their children have the right to make decisions concerning areas of their children’s lives, but they are not required to agree on all of them. Either parent has the ability to make a decision on their own.
The children do not have to spend exactly half of their time with each parent if they have joint physical custody. Because it is impossible to divide the time evenly, the children usually spend more time with one parent than the other. When one parent has custody of the children for more than half of the time, he or she is referred to as the “primary custodial parent.”
Types of Visitation Orders
The plan for how the parents will divide time with their children is known as visitation. Visitation with the children is granted to a parent who has custody of the children for less than half of the time. In general, visitation can take the form of:
- No Visitation
- Reasonable Visitation
- Supervised Visitation
- Visitation according to a schedule
The best interests of the children, the parent’s situation, and other variables all influence visitation orders.
Contacting a Child Custody and Visitation Attorney Today
When it comes to divorce, custody, and visitation, it is crucial to have someone on your side who knows what they are doing. Our lawyers at Baghdaserians Law Group, Inc. have experienced Pasadena child custody attorneys and family law specialists who have handled a wide range of custody and visitation issues and cases.
Divorce and custody battles can be stressful and painful for families. Make it easier on yourself by scheduling a consultation with Patrick Baghdaserians at the Baghdaserians Law Group, Inc. Our attorneys help those throughout the Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-460-9525 for our Pasadena office or 310-299-4608 for our Beverly Hills office.
