Establishing a Parenting Plan for Minor Children
Omaha, Nebraska Child Custody Lawyers
Child custody laws help define how two parties will share the responsibility of parenting their minor child. Whether you were involved in a divorce involving minor children or you were never married to the other parent of your child, you will need to establish what is referred to as a Parenting Plan which addresses custody, parenting time, communication, and other important matters relating to your child’s upbringing. A good Parenting Plan will help set expectations and help to both define and clarify the sharing of duties between the two parents.
Put Experience on Your Side
Regardless of your specific situation, the Parenting Plan you and your child’s other parent come up with will affect your day-to-day life and your relationship with your child for years to come. Make sure that your interests are represented and that you come to the best possible outcome for you and your family.
Who Decides How Custody is Arranged?
Every case is unique because every family’s situation is unique. In some low-conflict cases, the two parents simply work together to create a Parenting Plan and then submit it to the court for approval. There are also more highly contested cases where if the two parents cannot come to a decision, the Court will make that decision for them following a trial. What an experienced child custody lawyer can do in addition to helping to develop a Parenting Plan is help you review what’s important, explain what the courts will look at, and advise you on how to best proceed.
The Best Interest of the Child
Nebraska’s Courts, like most states, make decisions about child custody based on “The Best Interest of the Child”. The only assumption made about the child’s best interest is that it’s typically best for them to maintain a relationship with both parents. There is a fairly large range of roles for both parents that can be arranged based on what is best for your situation. A few examples include:
Legal Custody
Legal custody refers to the ability to make major decisions in a child’s life like their religious upbringing or where they go to school. Joint legal custody requires that both parents discuss and agree upon major decisions regarding their child. Sole legal custody requires that both parents discuss major issues regarding their child, but in the event of an impasse, the sole legal custodial parent has the final decision-making authority.
Sole Physical Custody
Physical custody refers to the day-to-day upbringing of the children and where they live. Sole physical custody would give one parent primary custody with the minor child residing with that parent in his or her household more than the non-custodial parent with that parent having a parenting time schedule.
Joint Physical Custody
These are custody arrangements where parents aim to equally divide (or as close as possible to equal) the amount of time the minor child spends in each parent’s household. This requires a lot of coordination and is also made a lot easier if both parents live in close proximity to their child’s school.
Sole Legal & Physical Custody
This is when one parent is exclusively responsible for the decision-making and day-to-day care of the child. While many people refer to “Sole Custody,” in reality, it is extremely rare for the courts to grant sole custody even in cases where one parent plays an extremely limited role in the child’s life. Even in situations where one parent has sole physical custody, they do not necessarily have sole legal custody.
Testimonials
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Jason Troia is the best lawyer I have ever had. I was facing up to 50 years for some serious charges, and Mr. Troia was able to get my case completely dismissed within a matter of a couple months. He was very straightforward and honest up front and he was able to accomplish exactly what he said.
Mason Blythe
Tim J Anderson was absolutely amazing to work with!! Took his time to prepare a solid game plan and really listened to any concerns. Office setting was welcoming and comfortable. All around 10 out of 10 highly recommend Timothy!!!!!
Michaela Day
Timothy Anderson is very professional and got my charge completely dropped, closed and sealed. I was on a one year diversion program and got off after six months! Charges dropped. Clean slate. He is wonderful to work with he listens to you and advocates for you.
Jordy