When to Call a Divorce Lawyer to Handle Your Child Custody Case

When parents divorce, it's good if they can work out child custody issues between them, but of course this isn't always the case. Very often parents will get territorial and possessive of their children, and may use the children as a way to hurt the other parent. While some minor insults and differences might be overlooked, in many cases it's better to have a divorce lawyer step in to protect your rights. Note when to call a divorce lawyer to handle your child custody case and why it's so important.

1. When child psychologists have been called

If the other parent has called a child psychologist, note that they may be trying to prepare a case against you for abuse, neglect, and the like. Most courts determine custody and visitation according to what they feel is best for the child, and if a child psychologist steps forward and even hints that you might be neglectful or hurtful to your child, this can be very difficult for you to handle on your own. Rather than assume that you'll be safe in court since you don't hurt your child, contact an attorney who can then recommend evaluations of the child as well.

2. When you think a child's mental or emotional welfare is being harmed

When a court determines what's in the best interest of a child, they don't look only at physical abuse when it comes to the harm of a child. A parent may be mentally or emotionally abusing a child, or otherwise damaging them. You might discuss this with a divorce lawyer to see if it would be best to limit the child's exposure to the other parent, and ensure you do this legally rather than trying to handle the matter yourself.

3. If you may need to travel with your child

There may be legal limitations on travel with your child when you're sharing custody, but if you need to travel regularly on business or have family that lives out of the country, you would do well to discuss this with a divorce lawyer. You want your rights to travel to be protected during the course of the custody hearing and don't want to take your child away without the court's permission or in a way that may make the court think you won't return the child. To protect yourself from such accusations, have a divorce attorney work out travel arrangements in the custody agreement upfront.