Helping You With Decisions About Children When Marriage Ends
With more than 25 years of experience in helping guide parents through the difficult process of child custody, support and visitation, we know the welfare of your child is a top priority. Unfortunately, these issues are often the most contentious and difficult in a divorce, dissolution or legal separation. At the Mesaros Law Office, we provide legal strategies which take both your rights as a parent and the best interest of your child into account.
Child Custody
In making a decision on child custody, the court must make its decision based on what is in the best interest of the child. The Mesaros Law Office in Centerville, Ohio will work with you to balance the needs of your child with your parental rights. We will discuss your full range of options tailored to your unique circumstances and help you determine whether sole custody arrangements or shared parenting plans is best for your situation.
Shared Parenting
Shared parenting is intended to keep both parents as active participants in the raising of their children — financial, emotional and physical responsibility are shared between the parents on an essentially equal basis. The terms of a shared parenting arrangement must be included in a detailed and specific document which will then specify the co-parenting authority of each parent.
What Shared Parenting Is Not
By definition, shared parenting depends on agreement and cooperation. Both parents must be willing to keep lines of communication open. If they cannot, shared parenting may not be their best option. It is important to know shared parenting does not guarantee:
- Automatic equal time with the children
- An equal split on child support payments
- The ability to make significant decisions without conferring with the other parent
- Elimination of child support
Child Visitation
It is almost always in the best interest of your child to have a nurturing relationship with both parents. We encourage parents to find a way to give their child the benefit of spending valuable time with both parents. We will work with you to help collaborate on a mutually agreeable visitation schedule. We will also work with a parent who feels his or her rights have been unfairly denied or curtailed. There will also be situations where unsupervised or unrestricted visitation is NOT in a child's best interest and we can assist in these cases as well.
Schedule an Initial Consultation
When you need legal guidance, turn to the law firm that offers experience and compassionate, ethical counsel. Contact us by e-mail or call 937-528-1779 to discuss your needs and schedule a confidential consultation with our lawyer. From our office in Centerville, Ohio, we assist clients throughout the Miami Valley.
