Inverness Child Custody Attorneys

When your rights as a parent hang in the balance, it is an important legal matter, and having an experienced Inverness child custody attorney in your corner is always in your best interest. Better understanding the process can also help you move forward with increased confidence – while making the right choices for you along the way.

Your Parental Responsibilities

As parents, we are required to make important decisions on behalf of our children, and the state of Illinois refers to this decision-making authority as parental responsibilities. The kinds of decisions involved include all the following:

• Decisions about your children’s schooling
• Decisions about your children’s healthcare needs
• Decisions about your children’s extracurriculars and travel
• Decisions about your children’s primary residence
• Decisions about your children’s religious upbringing

One of you can have sole parental responsibility and, thus, make these primary decisions on your own, but there are other options, including:

• You and your children’s other parent can negotiate each of these decisions between yourselves.
• You and your children’s other parent can negotiate each of these decisions between yourselves, but one of you has the ability to break a tie (after you’ve exhausted every avenue of negotiation)
• You and your children’s other parent can split this decision-making authority between you according to the category of decision that needs to be made. 

For those decisions that have to do with the matters of daily living, the parent who is with the kids at the time is responsible for making them. Further, in emergency situations, whichever parent is available is responsible for making the emergency decisions at hand.  

Your Parenting Time

Illinois refers to what you likely consider physical custody as parenting time, and it determines the schedule by which you and your children’s other parent will divide your time between the kids. One of you may become the primary custodial parent, and the children will spend the majority of their overnights with this parent – while having a visitation schedule with the other parent. Or you and your children’s other parent may divide your overnights with the children more equally. 

Best Interest Factors

If you and your ex can negotiate parenting time terms between yourselves, the court is almost certain to include them in your final divorce decree. If you’re unable to manage this, however, the court will intervene on your behalf and will look to factors related to your children’s best interests in the process, including:

• Each parent’s preference
• Each child’s preference (if the child is mature enough to weigh in meaningfully and reasonably)
• Each parent’s level of involvement in caring for the children to date
• The unique relationships each parent has fostered with each child
• Each child’s unique needs, including any special needs

Don’t Wait to Consult with an Experienced Inverness Child Custody Attorney

The compassionate Inverness child custody attorneys at the SAM LAW OFFICE, LLC, take great pride in their impressive track record of helping clients like you successfully resolve their child custody cases. For more information about how we can also help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.