Parenting Time Attorneys in Los Angeles CA
Couples that get divorced face additional challenges when they have children together. When it comes to determining parenting time, it is critical to have a skilled lawyer who understands parenting coordination on your side. This can make all the difference for you and your family. Working with experienced Los Angeles parenting time lawyers helps you negotiate a fair parenting plan and support your child’s needs.
Parenting time decisions and a functioning parenting plan are based on the physical and legal custody of a child. This parenting plan is the basis for a long-term co-parenting or parallel parenting relationship, ensuring that basic matters like travel and vacations are planned in advance. This gives parents something to refer to in case of disagreements and will exist as a court order if parents deliberately refuse to follow the agreement.
Exceptional Family Law Attorneys at Zitser Family Law Group, APC
For any family, privacy and compassion are crucial when dealing with child-related family law cases. These are incredibly sensitive matters, where both parents are focused on their children’s interests but may disagree on what those interests are. Having a professional supporting you as you negotiate a parenting plan can ease the process, help you find creative solutions to complications, and ensure the draft you present to the court is complete.
At Zitser Family Law Group, APC, our family law attorneys have over 20 years of experience helping parents across Los Angeles navigate the complexities of custody and parenting time. Contact our office today to learn if parenting coordination is right for you and your family. Our attorneys understand that every determination of parenting time is unique. We take the time to understand your needs and goals for a parenting time case, and listen to your concerns.
We want to leverage our skills and experience to help you secure the ideal outcome. The specifics of a parenting plan can significantly affect your day-to-day life, so it is important that each aspect is carefully considered. Our attorneys will focus on your children’s interests, and help you support your goals.
What Is a Parenting Plan and Parenting Time?
Parenting time is how the state refers to visitation or the time a parent spends with their child. It often refers to the time a child spends with their non-custodial parent, but can also refer to time spent with either parent. Parenting time is determined by the custody arrangement and set by the court. Even when custody is determined, parents must outline the specifics of that parenting time in a parenting plan.
Custody determines legal custody, or if one or both parents have the ability to make important decisions for a child. It also determines physical custody and parenting time, or whether the child spends equal time with their parents or more time with one parent. A parenting plan details when a child lives with each parent, how parents will make decisions for their children, and how a child will be transported between homes.
A parenting plan must be in your child’s interest. In most situations, the court prefers it when parents work together to create a parenting plan that works for their children and their family’s own schedule. This can also help parents establish a basis for their co-parenting relationship.
Factors to Consider When Creating a Parenting Plan
The state of California refers to parenting plans as custody or visitation agreements. The parents will work together to determine when each parent will spend time with the children and how decisions will be made regarding their daily lives. A written parenting plan is important because it makes co-parenting much easier after a divorce. Some of the many factors that should be taken into consideration when it comes time to draft your parenting plan include the following:
- Ensuring that your children’s basic needs are being met
- Outlining the specifics of what days a child spends at each parent’s home
- How will the child’s medical needs be met daily and in the event of an emergency?
- Try to mold the parenting plan around your children, not the other way around
- Try to maintain some sort of consistency in your child’s life so they can feel that their routine is reliable
- Stating important decisions in advance, such as decisions about the child’s medical care, religious upbringing, and education
- Determine how parents will reach decisions together that must be made in the future
- Determine how holidays, vacation time, birthdays, weekends, and other special occasions will be handled
- Remember to remain flexible throughout the process of determining parenting time, as difficult as this might be
- Ensure regular communication regarding schedules
- Openly communicate about transportation and any associated costs
- Be sure to consider both physical and legal custody throughout the planning period
- Listing how to address disputes prior to going to court
Parenting plans are most effective when parents use negotiation, mediation, or collaborative methods to find solutions and compromises. When a fair agreement is reached and both parents agree, it will be submitted to the court. If the agreement is in the child’s interest, the court will approve. Then, it is a court order, and enforceable.
If the court determines the agreement is not in the child’s interests, then parents may have to start over, or the parenting plan will be created by the court.
Determining Your Child’s Best Interests
The California family court prefers that parents work together on a parenting plan. However, if that is not possible, then the court will decide the parenting plan for you. You and your co-parent may be unable to reach an agreement or communicate effectively, or you may not be safe around your co-parent. Taking a parenting plan to the court to decide can help protect your rights and your interests.
When the court determines a parenting plan, or when they review a parenting plan presented to them, the primary concern will be the child’s interests. In order to determine what the child’s interests are, the court will consider:
- The child’s health, age, and maturity
- The welfare and safety of the child
- Each parent’s capability and willingness to care for the child
- The emotional connection between the child and their parents
- The child’s connections to their surrounding community, home, and school
- Whether there is a history of family violence from one parent or another party seeking custody
- Any habitual and continued substance abuse by either parent
This, and other information specific to the child and your family’s circumstances, will be considered. Based on these factors, the court will determine what custody arrangement and parenting plan is in your child’s interests.
Legal Help During the Planning Process
The experienced legal team at Zitser Family Law Group, APC. can help you establish a parenting coordination agreement that works best for your family’s needs. Although the underlying principle of parenting coordination is an unwavering focus on the children’s best interests, we always keep sight of the fact that your relationship with your children will be lifelong and your children’s memories throughout these moments will shape them for a lifetime.
At Zitser Family Law Group, APC, we can use parenting coordination to help you:
- Construct a parenting plan that’s workable for everyone involved
- Comply with court orders and parenting plans in a way that is healthy for the children
- Make timely decisions that address the children’s needs
- Reduce the amount of damaging conflict between other adults to whom the children are exposed
- Diminish the pattern of unnecessary court appearances over child-related issues
The support of an experienced attorney helps you focus on what is important: your children. These cases can be overwhelming, but professional support can help you remain on track and fight for the outcome that is in your child’s interests.
What Are the Types of Parenting Time Orders?
The court is likely to award one of the following types of parenting time orders:
- Set schedule. The court may predetermine the set schedule that parents must spend with their children, addressing important dates, holidays, and vacations.
- Reasonable. This is an open-ended form of parenting time, which then parents can determine themselves. Amicable and communicative parents can find this type of parenting time easier. When disputes arise, however, it can be more frustrating.
- Supervised. Supervised parenting time is often necessary when there are concerns about a child’s health and well-being around one parent. Supervision may be done by the other co-parent, another individual acting as a third party, or an agency.
- No parenting time. This is used in extreme cases when even supervised visitation would cause physical, psychological, or emotional harm to the child.
Modifying Parenting Time and Parenting Plans
While parenting plans are enforceable court orders, they can also be changed if your family’s life circumstances have changed. Parenting plans may need to be modified if a child’s health needs have changed, or if either parent is unable to provide sufficient care for their child. An attorney can help you with the modification process.
Contact an Experienced Parenting Coordinator
The parenting time coordination process will differ from case to case depending on factors that include court orders and instructions, level of attorney engagement, and parental cooperation. Our firm can work with both parents to find a process and parenting time plan that works best for your family. If you are considering parenting coordination, contact Zitser Family Law Group, APC today to set up an appointment for a consultation.
