Whenever
child custody is a topic of debate or a contested issue, several factors will be considered.
If you are a parent who is going through a
divorce and you have minor children with your spouse, child custody will need
to be determined and memorialized in a court order.
Who will the children live with most of the time? Will the children spend
equal time with both of you? Who will make the educational, medical, and
legal decisions for the children? Ideally, divorcing parents are able
to reach an agreement over child custody with the assistance of their
divorce attorneys or divorce mediators.
When a divorcing couple is able to reach an agreement over child custody
and visitation, the agreement is put into a court order as a part of the
final divorce decree. If the couple cannot agree on child custody, a judge
will have to step in and decide for them.
What Factors Does a Judge Consider?
When a divorcing couple has a dispute over child custody, the judge will
consider a number of factors before rendering a decision. These factors
include but are not limited to:
- The age and health of both parents
- Each parent’s income and assets
-
Any history of
domestic violence (e.g. child abuse and spousal abuse)
- Any history of drug or alcohol abuse
- Any criminal record history
- Who has been caring for the children predominantly
- If either parent has been a stay-at-home parent
- The children’s desires, especially if they are old enough to communicate them
- The children’s ties to their school, friends, family, and community
- Each parent’s willingness to encourage frequent and ongoing contact
between the child and the other parent
- The demands of each parent’s job
When a judge has to decide on child custody, he or she strives to make
a decision that is in the best interests of the children, considering
the totality of the circumstances. For example, a father may be richer
than a mother. Perhaps the father earns six figures and lives in a nice
6 bedroom home in a gated community while the mother is living in a two-bedroom
condo and bringing in a modest teacher’s salary.
Just because the father can buy the children “more things,”
it doesn’t mean he’ll be the one to get custody of the children.
Since the mother has been caring for the children a lot more than her
husband, she would likely be the one to have the children more often,
especially because the father travels frequently for his job.
On the other hand, if the mother was recently arrested for DUI, lost her
teaching job because of it, and had a habit of drunk driving, the father
would probably get custody of the children. At least until she was able
to kick her substance abuse habit and become financially independent.
The courts want to ensure children are safe and protected, even if it
means from their parents’ destructive behaviors.
Child Custody for Unmarried Parents
As far as unmarried parents are concerned, the courts cannot make orders
for child custody or child support until
paternity is established. Until paternity is established, a father has no legal
rights or responsibilities towards his child, and this includes the right
to child custody and visitation, or the legal obligation to pay
child support.
Establishing paternity means to establish who a child’s legal father
is. Paternity can be established through a voluntary
Acknowledgement of Paternity, which is usually signed by both parents at the hospital after the child
is born, or by a court order.
If a mother is not sure of who the father is, or if a presumed father is
not 100% sure that he is a child’s father, the voluntary
Acknowledgement of Paternity should not be signed. Instead, the family court should order a DNA test
to confirm paternity.
Once paternity is confirmed through a DNA test, the father’s name
can be placed on the child’s birth certificate and the court can
make orders for child custody and child support.
It’s important to note that after paternity is established, a father
has every right to ask for primary physical custody of his child, especially
if the mother cannot properly care for the child due to a history of substance
abuse, violence, mental illness, or criminal behavior.
Guardianship in Los Angeles
Sometimes, both parents are incapable or unable to properly care for a
child. This can happen for various reasons. Perhaps both parents are in
jail, or perhaps one parent has abandoned the child and the other parent
is addicted to illegal drugs.
Perhaps one parent is disabled and the other is physically abusive to the
child – there are many reasons why someone other than the child’s
biological parents is better suited to care for a child. In these cases,
a guardianship case may be opened in court.
What is guardianship? It’s when the court orders someone, who is
not the child’s parent, to have custody of a child or manage a child’s
property, or both. Often, it’s a grandparent, an aunt or uncle,
an adult sibling, or even a close family friend who petitions for guardianship
of a child.
If Child Protective Services (CPS) is involved in a child’s case
due to neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse, the person applying for
guardianship may need to go to juvenile court. If you are in this situation,
we encourage you to contact our firm to receive legal advice from one
of our experienced child custody attorneys.
Los Angeles Child Custody Lawyers
If you are dealing with a child custody issue that is tied to a divorce
case, a paternity case, a guardianship case, or a post-judgement modification
(post-divorce case), you are encouraged to speak with a Los Angeles child
custody attorney from our firm.
Child custody is important; you want to ensure that your legal rights are
fully protected from the outset. We have the knowledge and experience
you need to navigate the legal process –
give us a call today.