Child Custody Arrangements Lawyer
Child custody arrangements are an emotional issue for any parent. None of us wants to fight a legal battle with our child in the center. Family law attorney Maddy Shalhoup is a skilled negotiator who encourages clients to use mediation and collaborative law to come up with their own workable solutions to custody, visitation schedules, parenting plans, and child support. However, if it becomes necessary to litigate, she has the experience and legal skills you need.
Maddy Shalhoup, Attorney at law
Our family law firm has been providing family law services to clients for over 12 years. She went to law school later in life after years as a criminologist, and has the real-world experience in addition to the legal knowledge to help you and the other parent of your child create a workable solution. Our goal is to provide caring, effective legal services for you, while passionately representing your vital interests.
A Child Custody Law Overview – Shared Parenting (“Visitation”)
West Virginia is a follows a “shared custody” model in which each parent is allocated approximately the same amount of time with the child as they had during the marriage (or another arrangement). An evenly split “50/50” child custody arrangement for each parent does not occur unless that was what was happening during the marriage. Joint custody for legal purposes is preferred by the courts.
Custody is also divided into three types: temporary custody, physical custody, and legal custody. “Physical custody” is a parent’s right to be with the child and is usually used to mean the parent with whom the child lives most of the time. “Legal custody” means a parent’s right to make medical, educational, and child-rearing decisions, and is usually shared by the parents. “Temporary custody” can mean simply the parent who has the child with them at the moment, or it may be court-awarded while issues are worked out.
No matter who you are, you have a right to some sort of visitation with your children. In cases that are extreme, such as drug use and child abuse, the visitation may have to be supervised.
Mediation of Child Custody Arrangements
In general, it is advantageous for parents to determine child custody arrangements among themselves rather than rely on a court to do so. Maddy Shalhoup is experienced in using mediation tools to establish and modify child custody. When appropriate, mediation can serve as a cost-effective alternative to litigation that also can foster good relations between the parents of a child.
If you need help making changes to child custody arrangements, you can contact an experienced family law attorney at her office. To find out more about family law issues in general, please see our Family Law Information Center or our Frequently Asked Questions About Family Law.
