Child Custody Lawyers Pekin IL

Issues Child Custody Lawyers in Pekin IL Can Handle

Cases involving custody rights are emotionally stressful and include complex legal issues. Consult Borsberry Law as soon as you are aware of a child custody issue. Don’t delay: protect your rights and that of your children by working with Borsberry Law, the child custody lawyers of Pekin IL.

Usually, both parents have equal rights to custody of their children.

When making a decision based on the “best interests of the child,” courts consider:

• child’s age
• child’s emotional and physical health and development
• evidence of abuse or domestic violence

If children do testify or give their opinions about their custody choice, judges tend to give more weight to older teens.

Making Decisions on a Child’s Behalf

Legal custody gives a parent the right to make all decisions on behalf of the child, including:

• health and medical care and treatment
• education
• religion
• discipline

Different Types of Custody

Physical custody gives a parent the right to have a child live with them. Note: a parent with physical custody does not have the right to make decisions on behalf of the child if legal custody was awarded to the other parent.

Joint custody, or shared legal custody, is where the parents divide legal and physical custody between them. These arrangements can be complicated because they require a great deal of cooperation between the parents.

Joint physical custody assigns where the child will live daily. In a joint custody arrangement, the children live with both parents. Parents who are interested in winning joint physical custody should be clear about what kind of joint physical custody arrangement is requested. Some examples of joint physical custody arrangements are:

• Alternate weekends
• Days during the week
• Summer vacations

A family court will expect the arrangement to work for both parents as well as the child, considering such things as sporting activities and after-school programs.

Talk Before Your Move?

Did you know that a parent who has sole custody of a child cannot move to another state if doing so will interfere with the rights of the non-custodial parent? These are just some issues our child custody lawyers of Pekin IL can assist you with. Our team has extensive knowledge of family law, especially child custody cases.

What About Seeing a Therapist?

A mental health professional can work with you and your family during the divorce and custody process. Useful topics can include (for individual or family therapy) help with couples’ communication, co-parenting assistance or treatment for your children.