Child Custody Law

Emergency protection orders, or EPOs, are court orders designed to protect parties from domestic violence. Generally, they include provisions barring you from contacting, approaching or harassing...

If you have temporary relinquished guardianship of your child due to illness, homelessness or financial problems and wish to regain physical custody of your child, you will need to submit a...

To obtain custody of a non-biological child, you will need to file a custody petition with the court and attempt to obtain written consent from the child's natural parents. If you are not able to...

Each state has established guidelines as to how and when termination of parental rights occurs. For many jurisdictions, a substantial reason to terminate parental rights---such as an adoption or...

When the parents of a child no longer live together, courts become involved to develop a plan or set of rules regarding what each parent's role will be in the life of the child.

Altering child custody arrangements is one of the most complex areas of family law. Absent an appropriate agreement between the parents of a minor child, a parent must demonstrate what legally is...

When deciding on child custody issues, the court, in conjunction with a trained evaluator, will try to determine what visitation and custody arrangement is in the child's best interest. Your child...

Child support is intended to help the custodial parent provide for the child. However, child support can become misused. A 2007 child support case in Florida shows just how wrong a child support...

If you are sharing custody of a child and wish to deny the father visitation rights, you will need to seek the court's permission to do so. You will need to show the family court judge that...

Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) was first identified in the 1980s by the late forensic psychiatrist Dr. Richard Gardner, co-author or "The International Handbook of Parental Alienation...

Children under the age of 18 are reported to make up 27 percent of the homeless population in the United States. When a minor child is homeless anywhere the United States, the state government is...

Situations that lend themselves to an emergency change of child custody are some of the most difficult with which to deal. Circumstances that would prompt such action are usually of a serious...

Divorce and paternity cases involving child custody issues represent some of the most complex and emotional of all legal proceedings. Courts across the country prefer that the parties to such...

According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, emotional child abuse may involve verbal put-downs, withholding affection, taunting a child, threatening physical harm to the child, or...

Obtaining or modifying child custody agreements requires multiple forms and the ability to navigate complex rules and procedures. In most cases, parents consult an attorney. However, if you decide...

Child custody issues present unique challenges during the course of a divorce or paternity case. At the heart of these matters is the calculation of how much time each parent is allocated with a...

If you are falsely accused of abuse, neglect or other wrongdoing within the context of a child custody case, you will need to use concrete evidence and logical arguments to show that the claims...

When making child custody determinations, family courts evaluate what arrangement will be in the best interest of the child. Although it is up to the family court judge to evaluate the case, in...

Obtaining full physical custody of a child or children will vary in difficulty depending on each individual situation and on the laws of the court in your particular area. If the other parent is...

Once a name is given at birth it will require legal action to have it changed. You must go through the proper channels of your particular state to facilitate that change. Code 8.01-217 defines the...

Preparing a disputed child custody appeal can be a complex process. Appeals courts will not review a child custody decision unless the lower court has made a procedural or legal error. In other...

Guardianship papers are used to legally designate a party to care for a minor child. In most jurisdictions, guardianship papers are not used to transfer custody between legal parents. They are,...

Pursuing a child custody case is a challenging and emotionally charged endeavor. In the end, one of your primary goals is to seek an order from the court that is in the best interest of your...

Often when parents are going through a divorce, early in the proceedings, a temporary order of child custody is entered into the record. The temporary order of child custody temporarily gives...

When unmarried, divorced, or separated parents are in dispute about who their child should live with, Family Court is called upon to determine the best arrangement for the child. Custody disputes...

When a child custody battle proceeds to litigation, it takes a toll on the families involved. Courts decide the physical and legal custody of a child based on statutory factors and on the child's...

In order to apply for visitation or custody of a minor child, you will need to fill out a set of forms specific to the state where the custody case is taking place. These forms may include...

To apply for custody or visitation of your children, you will need to petition the court in the child's home state. After you prepare your petition and file it with the court, you will need to...

Mediation is used to resolve child custody disputes in divorce and paternity cases. The ultimate objective is to develop a child custody mediation agreement signed by both parents. The agreement...

Family courts do not change custody orders unless there is a very compelling reason to do so. In fact, the legal standard courts use is known as a "material change of circumstances." This standard...

"Fathers' Rights" refers to the legal rights and allowances that a father has with respect to his children. In courts, many fathers find themselves getting the short end of the stick on alimony...

How to Get Child Support. The number of absent fathers in the United States is reaching appalling levels. Despite a father’s lack of interest in being part of their children’s lives, they are...

Get Custody of Your Child in the Event of a Divorce. Child custody is a huge topic in any divorce proceeding, particularly if both parents are bent on getting custody of the children or if one...

With the economy in a downturn and jobs disappearing every day, it has become more difficult to keep up with child support payments. We also have more time to spend with our children. If you are...

Fathers involved in divorce and custody situations still have a very difficult experience facing them in family court. Biases in society and in family court do exist within the family law system....

Although there are no guaranteed methods for winning a child custody case, you can increase your chance of success by following current orders, keeping detailed records, learning laws and court...

Although joint custody is preferred under Texas law, there are instances in which one parent is granted sole custody of a minor child. The ramifications extend beyond custody issues when a parent...

West Virginia courts utilize a "parenting plan" approach to allocate parental rights and responsibilities for care of children.

When parents of a child divorce, or end their relationship, the custody of a child can take months or even years to decide. A temporary child custody order then comes into play, in which the...

get a warrant for non payment of child support

If you are unable to get the minor's current guardian to give you full custody, you will need to obtain a court order. To do so, you must make a formal written request to the court and have your...

Child custody involves two components: legal custody, or rights and responsibilities afforded to parents; and physical custody, or where the child lives. Full custody generally refers to both of...

A minor child is sometimes entitled to Social Security benefits. When that is the case, child custody laws play a role in the manner in which Social Security payments are made on behalf of a child.

In Egypt, detailed and specific laws regulate the custody of children. Egypt continues to change the way it views child custody. Over the years, the country has introduced legislation to protect...

Texas law states that fathers have the right to visit with their children. Courts will allow fathers to visit with their children, even over the objection of the mother, absent compelling evidence...

Child support can become one of the most contested issues during divorce proceedings when a child is involved. In addition to the emotional stress placed on all parties, the reality of splitting a...

In a divorce, parents often hotly contest the issue of child custody. Assuming both parents' fitness and desire for custody of the children, the courts face tough decisions to make in the child's...

Child custody laws in Utah are not very conservative and outdated. Instead, they are very progressive, modern and fair to all parties involved.

In a divorce or other type of proceeding involving child custody, the law establishes certain rights of each parent. Mother's rights for child custody set forth parameters through which the family...

One of the best situations that can arise is if the parents of the Minor Children are in agreement over such things as parenting time, amount of support, custody terms and rights of the non...