How Does the Court Decide Sole Custody?

Despite only one in six sole custodial parents being fathers, according to the Census, the court does not favor the mother over the father, or vice versa. In fact, the court makes the decision in favor of the child only. It seeks to find a solution that is in the child’s best interest. According to the North Carolina Bar, “the court must find that the custodian is a fit and proper person to have custody and that custody with that person is in the best interests of the children.” If the best interest is to grant sole custody to the mother, the court made that decision based on objective criteria, such as who the child’s primary caretaker was leading up to the divorce or separation, work schedules of either parent, care taking abilities of each parent, history of violence of each parent, home proximity to schools, proximity to grandparents or other potential caretakers, etc. In order to ensure that you are given a fair chance to show that your child’s best interests lay with you, do not hesitate to contact an attorney at once.

The Court has the Final Say

While the legal assistance of an experienced attorney is unparalleled in terms of importance to your case, a judge will make the final decision regarding your child’s custody care. Because of this, it is vital to show how living with you or allowing you to have legal decision making capabilities is in the child’s best interest. What do North Carolina courts look to when deciding custody matters? All of the following criteria are thoroughly examined, in regards to each parent’s:

• Physical health;
• Mental health;
• Work constraints;
• Care taking abilities;
• Care taking history with the child;
• Domestic violence or abuse history;
• Alcohol or drug abuse history;
• Home proximity to schools and other family members; and
• Much more. If the child is old enough, the child can have a say as well.

What Can an Attorney do for You?

The difference between an experienced attorney and a sub-par attorney is vast, and not something you want to experiment with in something as important as child custody. A good attorney can provide honest answers to your questions and help you achieve high but realistic goals, all the while by keeping up excellent communication. It is important that your attorney has dealt specifically with cases like yours before. For example, are you ending a same-sex marriage, or is there anything else that presents a potentially more complex child custody case than normal? Be sure to ask each attorney you meet with about these questions and more before you agree to let them represent you.

Call a Charlotte, North Carolina Child Custody Attorney Today

Divorce and separation are tough on everyone, especially children. The possibility that they will no longer see one parent as much as the other can be especially traumatic. During this difficult and tumultuous process, it is imperative that your legal counsel has vast experience dealing with all types of child custody disputes. Nothing will catch our attorneys off guard during their pursuit to grant you the custody or visitation rights that you desire. Make an appointment with one of our Charlotte, North Carolina child custody attorneys today with Powers Landreth PLLC and learn more about we can help you.

Resources:

census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/P60-255.pdf

ncbar.org/media/209956/child-custody-visitation-and-child-support.pdf