Child Custody & Parenting Time Lawyers in Morristown, New Jersey
Time With Your Children
If you have a child custody or parenting time issue, you need to look out not only for your own interests, but also those of your children.
Our attorneys have more than 45 combined years of experience handling child custody and parenting time cases. We have negotiated and litigated custody cases throughout northern New Jersey, including counties such as Morris, Somerset, Union, Essex, Passaic, Bergen, Sussex, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Warren. We find creative solutions for our clients, which balance your needs with your children’s best interests.
Child Custody and Parenting Time Basics
When a couple with children divorces, there needs to be arrangements regarding who cares for the children, and when and under what conditions the other parent visits the child. There also needs to be an agreement as to how decisions regarding the children are to be handled.
Custody
There are two types of custody:
- Physical Custody: This refers to the child’s residence. Usually the parent with the majority of physical parenting time is considered the primary caretaker.
- Legal Custody: This is the right to make important decisions regarding the child’s health, education and welfare, including school choice, and invasive medical procedures. Usually both parents share joint legal custody.
Parenting Time
This refers to the sharing of time between the primary caretaker and the secondary caretaker.
The Process
Working with the lawyers at Pallarino & Bogan, L.L.P., the process generally looks like this:
- First, we listen to what considerations are important to you concerning custody and parenting time with your children. We will then determine whether these issues can be resolved between you and your spouse and try to negotiate an agreeable arrangement on your behalf.
- If custody and parenting time will not be resolved, the parties will attend custody and parenting time mediation at the court house which is a free service.
- If after mediation the custody and parenting time issues are not resolved, the parties will usually retain a mental health professional who will evaluate what custody and parenting time arrangements are in the children’s best interest and will make recommendations.
- After the mental health professional issues a report, the parties can agree to the recommendations, or may mediate issues of custody and parenting time. This can avoid the extra cost and stress of trial.
- If there are still unresolved issues, we will prepare your case for trial, and the court will determine the parenting time and custody arrangements.
Throughout the child custody and parenting time proceedings, we will educate you about your case, what the law says about your situation, and what you can likely expect.
If your child custody and parenting time dispute can be settled amicably, we will assist you in negotiating. If it cannot, we will strongly advocate on your behalf at trial. Contact our Morristown office today.
