Child Custody Lawyer in Salt Lake City and Surrounding Areas

If you are facing child custody issues in Utah from a divorce or as a single parent, choose a skilled child custody lawyer in Salt Lake City to ensure both you and your children have a clear set of custody arrangements to help you move forward in a positive way. Contact Wasatch Defense Attorneys today for your FREE, no-obligation child custody consultation or give us a call at 801.980.9965.

There are many life-changing adjustments every family faces during and after a divorce, and because children can be affected in many ways, there are several factors to consider when determining child custody in Utah. There are many aspects of your child’s care that are negotiable during divorce proceedings, which makes choosing an experienced and compassionate child custody lawyer essential.

Determining Child Custody

In the state of Utah, after a couple with children divorces, both parents are still considered responsible for the care of their children. A parenting plan will determine the roles each parent will be responsible for, including the children’s residency and financial support in the form of child support. Like most states, Utah determines child custody within guidelines for ‘the best interest of the child’. Factors taken into consideration to direct child custody cases include:

• Child/Parent Bonding
• Physical, Emotional and Psychological Needs of the Child
• Both Parents Past and Present Ability to Reach Shared Decisions
• A Parent’s Willingness to Encourage Visitation
• Participation in Raising the Child Before the Divorce
• Parental Stability
• The Child’s Preference (Based on Age and Maturity Level)
• Geographic Location of the Parents’ Homes
• Parental Criminal History
• Other Factors Relating to the Best Interest of the Child

Defining Child Custody in Utah

Child custody issues fall into two very broad categories in the Beehive state. Legal custody determines either joint (shared) or sole rights and responsibilities for making important decisions in the children’s lives. Physical custody is where the children live. Here are the legal custody and physical custody definitions:

Legal custody can be either joint (shared) or sole custody to appoint the rights and responsibilities of making important decisions and choices in their children’s lives, like:

• Child Care
• School
• Religion
• Health Care
• Sports Participation
• Extracurricular Activities
• Travel

Physical custody can be joint custody, which means the kids live with both parents and sole or primary custody means the kids live with one parent with visitation with the other parent. Through child custody mediation and child custody litigation, the family law experts at Wasatch Defense Attorneys will help you achieve your child custody goals.

Choose a Skilled Child Custody Lawyer in Utah – Get a Free Case Review

The compassionate child custody attorneys at Wasatch Defense Attorneys understand that parents know that divorce is the best for everyone involved; and that for children, divorce can cause a loss of security and suffering from the loss of their family relationship. We encourage parents to manage the stress of the divorce for the sake of their children and spend time working together to acknowledge and set in place a parenting plan for the best interest of their children. Most parents will find that kids of divorce are resilient and can adjust fairly easily to new arrangements with the continued love and understanding of their parents. Call our experienced Utah family law attorneys at 801.980.9965 to schedule your no-obligation consultation to protect your children’s interests and your legal rights.