The divorce clients who ask their attorneys lots of questions tend to be the best prepared for their divorces no matter what the most important issue in their divorce happens to be. In this article, we will discuss the types of questions individuals should focus on when they are concerned about child custody issues. By going over this type of information with your attorney, you will be well served and well prepared during your divorce process:
— Ask your lawyer about child support, whether you suspect that you will be the receiver or the payor. Child support and what your legal rights are in this space is an important topic to know about before going into the litigation or negotiation process.
— Ask your lawyer about what kind of custody is most important to you: physical or legal. With physical custody, your child will live with you. With legal custody, you will have decision-making authority over important issues in your child’s life. In many cases, parents will leave a divorce by sharing both types of custody equally.
— Ask about how child visitations will be planned if one of the parents will be “noncustodial,” meaning that one of the parents will not have physical custody. How will visits be arranged?
— Discuss important financial issues surrounding which parent will be responsible for the children’s dental and health insurance and uninsured health care costs.
— Be sure to ask which parent will have the ability to claim their children as dependents on their tax filings.
— If it could be an issue for you and your spouse, discuss your preferences for the religious upbringing of your children.
A Maryland divorce lawyer needs to be familiar with a parent’s preferences with regard to the above, and any other issues a parent feels is important regarding child custody. By gathering this kind of information a lawyer can begin to build a child custody strategy that reflects his or her client’s needs.
Source: FindLaw, “Checklist: Issues To Discuss With Your Divorce Attorney,” accessed Nov. 25, 2016