Family Law Attorneys Helping Parents Facilitate Child Custody Disputes
Child custody can be one of the most emotional components of divorce. Establishing how you will parent and bond with your children in this unfamiliar landscape may leave you feeling anxious. However, you can facilitate an agreement and establish a dynamic that works for you, your spouse and your children as you navigate this new chapter of parenthood.
At Gantt Family Law, we understand custody law; as parents, we know how important your relationship with your kids can be. Our lawyers can advocate for you in court and at the negotiation table. We are here to listen, support and advise you throughout these deliberations.
Understanding North Carolina Child Custody Laws
Judges determine custody by what is in the child’s best interest. They usually consider factors like your physical, mental and financial ability to care for your kids; who has been their primary care taker; and whether or not there is a history of domestic violence or emotional distress. In some cases, North Carolina parents can claim emergency custody of their children. This typically happens when the child’s safety may be at risk. Parents can get emergency child custody when issues like violence, sexual abuse or parental abduction significantly threaten a child’s well-being.
In North Carolina, you can settle child custody disputes by agreement or in a court order. There is no presumption that one parent would be better suited to have possession and courts prefer both parents to be involved.
What Are Our Options For Child Custody?
No family is the same, and these options can address their unique scenarios:
- Physical custody: Determines who the kids live with and where they live after the divorce.
- Legal custody: Determines who can make decisions about the children’s health care, education and religion after divorce.
- Sole custody: One parent has exclusive custody of the kids. They can either have full legal custody, full physical custody, or both.
- Joint custody: When both parents share custody of the kids – that can be legal custody, physical custody or both. Parents can establish joint custody specifics in a parenting plan.
- Visitation: When a parent gets the right to visit their kids. You can establish or advocate for visitation guidelines through a parenting plan.
- Split custody: Each parent takes full custody of one or more of their kids. Parents may choose to do this if one of their kids requires additional support and one spouse has more capacity to give that support than the other.
- Grandparent visitation and custody: Can establish if/when grandparents can visit their grandkids, as long as it serves the children’s best interests.
We can help you evaluate which options fits the needs of you and your children.
Child Custody For Fathers
Fathers have the same rights as mothers in North Carolina child custody disputes. Courts typically evaluate individual scenarios and make custody determinations on what are in the children’s best interests.
Gantt Family Law can advocate for fathers seeking physical and legal custody of their kids. We understand how stressful these matters can be and can offer emotional support and effective representation to keep your and your kids’ needs front and center amid negotiations.
Grandparents’ Rights In North Carolina
Grandparents in North Carolina and other states nationwide are increasingly involved in child custody disputes. Here, we provide information to help you understand how grandparents’ rights work in North Carolina and how state family courts may view certain situations.
Does North Carolina Recognize The Rights Of Grandparents?
North Carolina currently does not recognize grandparents’ rights in child custody disputes. However, state family courts still allow grandparents to advocate for visitation and, in some cases, custody of their grandchildren if it’s in the children’s best interests.
Can Grandparents Still Get Visitation Rights In North Carolina?
Grandparents can still request visitation time with their grandchildren. However, they may have to seek approval from the court and demonstrate that their presence in their grandchildren’s life is in the children’s best interests. In other instances, if one parent does not want the grandparents to see their children, the grandparents may have to prove to a judge that the parent is not able or qualified to deny visitation rights.
Whether you are a parent or a grandparent, navigating North Carolina’s child custody laws alone can be difficult. Seek help from an experienced Wake County child custody lawyer today. We provide families throughout the Triangle area with guidance on child custody laws in North Carolina.
Child Custody For Raleigh Business Owners
Owning and running a business takes considerable time and effort. In these cases, you may need specialized custody agreements that account for these commitments.
Our lawyers can help business owners like you facilitate workable child custody agreements with your spouse, allowing you to remain part of your kids’ lives while running your enterprise. Tell us more about your scenario, and we can help you seek a workable and amicable agreement. Call 919-518-9540 to set up a consultation with one of our attorneys today.
Advocate For Your Kids’ Best Interests – Call Now
The attorneys at Gantt Family Law work with child custody clients in the Triangle area and beyond. We understand the importance of your custody case. We can advise you on protecting your rights as custody decisions get made. If you are thinking of getting a divorce and you have minor children at home, it is vital to consult with a knowledgeable family law attorney who can advise you of these critical rights. Our attorneys have over two decades of experience and lead attorney Richard Gantt is in North Carolina Magazine’s Legal Elite Hall of Fame.
Visit our contact page to get started today.
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