Stamford Child Custody Attorney
Families and children need stability in life. When a child’s life has the potential to be changed forever, you need a skilled Stamford child custody lawyer to advocate on your behalf. They’ll be able to work to protect you and your child’s legal rights throughout the entirety of your case.
Hire a Stamford Child Custody Lawyer That Connecticut Residents Rely On
The team at Reich & Truax, PLLC has over 136 years of combined professional experience. We’ve seen firsthand the stress our clients go through and know how overwhelming family law cases can be. Our new clients are never treated as just another case number.
Our attorneys put empathy at the forefront and pass no judgment on our clients’ needs or desired outcomes in their cases. We work tirelessly to help our clients take back control of their lives. Let us take care of the legal side of things so you can focus on you and your child’s well-being.
Connecticut’s Child Custody Laws
In 2023, there were around 21,794 residents in Stamford under the age of 18. With an average of 12,259 residents in the city being divorced, these children have to navigate their new family situation as much as their parents do. To make the transition easier for your children, it’s important to research Connecticut’s complex custody laws.
In Connecticut, courts typically assume that joint custody is in the child’s best interests, unless valid reasons otherwise can be provided. Joint custody means that both parents share:
- Legal custody of their child, which includes making important decisions together
- Physical custody of their child, which is where they live on a day-to-day basis
It’s important to hire a child custody lawyer to advocate on your behalf. The team at Reich & Truax, PLLC, can help fight for a fair outcome that puts you and your child’s needs at the forefront. You deserve to have someone in your corner during this difficult time.
The Importance of a Parenting Plan in a Connecticut Child Custody Case
In a child custody case, the court encourages parents to draft a parenting plan together. A parenting plan explains how the parents will share responsibilities and can be submitted to the Stamford/Norwalk Courthouse, located at 123 Hoyt Street. The parents must decide how to share legal decision-making responsibility for the children. They can choose:
- One parent to have sole legal custody, meaning that parent makes all major decisions about the children’s welfare
- Joint legal custody, meaning both parents participate in major decision-making together
The plan should outline where the children will live and detail each parent’s regular parenting time schedule. The plan can include topics such as:
- A schedule for holidays
- How summer months and vacation time will be spent
- Pick-up and drop-off times
In the plan, both parents must agree to first attempt to resolve disagreements about major decisions for the children on their own. If they can’t reach an agreement, they will seek a mediator’s help. If mediation doesn’t resolve the issue, the matter may go to court for a decision.
Connecticut’s Parenting Education Program
Connecticut courts run a parenting education program for parents and adults involved in family law cases involving minor children. This program teaches parents how family changes affect children. The course covers topics such as:
- Child development
- Helping children adjust to separation
- Conflict management
- Visitation guidelines
- Stress reduction for children
- Cooperative parenting
The court will usually require parents involved in these cases to attend the program unless the parents agree not to participate or the court decides it is unnecessary. However, courts may require participation in certain cases. Attending this educational program can help influence the outcome of your child custody case.
FAQs About Stamford, CT Child Custody Laws
When making decisions about child custody, the court considers the child’s safety, needs, and preferences. They’ll factor in the parents’ ability to meet those needs, the child’s relationships with parents, and how well parents encourage the child’s relationship with the other parent.
The court also considers the child’s home, school, and community stability, the mental and physical health of those involved, the child’s cultural background, any history of abuse or domestic violence, and whether the parents completed parenting education programs.
Mediation is an alternative to court that allows parents to work through their child custody issues together. During mediation sessions, a neutral third-party mediator oversees them. However, they don’t make any legal decisions for the parents.
Instead, they help both sides and their lawyers communicate to reach an agreement on child custody and support issues. An agreement can then be submitted to the court for final approval. This keeps control of the outcome in the parents’ hands.
If a parent who has custody of a child wants to move in a way that would significantly affect the existing custody order, that parent must prove that the move is beneficial. When deciding whether to allow relocation, courts consider the reasons each parent has for supporting or opposing the move, the child’s relationship with each parent, how the move would impact the child’s relationship with the non-moving parent, and the potential lifestyle benefits of the move.
An educational support order is a court order requiring a parent to pay for four years of a child’s higher education. It applies to children under 23. The court may grant this if the parents would likely have supported the child’s education if the family had stayed together. The child must enroll in an accredited school, take at least half of a full-time course load, maintain good academic standing, and provide academic records to both parents.
Choose an Experienced Family Law Firm in Connecticut
When dealing with life’s biggest stressors, you need a strong legal advocate on your side. Reach out to Reich & Truax, PLLC today to schedule your confidential consultation at our Southport office. Our lawyers are passionate about protecting the legal rights of our Connecticut neighbors and community. We can help guide you through your case and seek a brighter future.
