Few relationships in life are more important than your relationship with your children. But a legal separation or divorce can threaten your ability to participate in your child’s life and development. When your rights as a parent are on the line, you need an aggressive advocate who will put your and your child’s needs first.
In Cullman County, that advocate is Shelbie Hankey and the Hankey Law Firm. Our child custody attorney has significant experience representing fathers and mothers on custody issues before the 32nd circuit court and in the surrounding counties.
When parents divorce or legally separate in Alabama, the court must enter orders regarding their child’s physical and legal custody. These orders can be temporary, expiring after the case or at another time set by the court. Or these orders can be permanent, in which case they will remain in force until the court modifies them based on a change in circumstances.
Physical custody refers to the parent with whom the child resides at any given moment. The parent with primary physical custody will be the one with whom the child primarily lives.
Legal custody refers to the parent who is responsible for making significant decisions for the child, such as what medical care the child should receive.
The court enters child custody orders that it believes are in the child’s best interests. In many cases, you and the other parent will share custody of the child. Each parent will exercise physical custody over your child according to a court-approved schedule, and each participates in major decisions affecting your child’s life.
Although Alabama courts presume joint custody is in children’s best interests, this may not be the case in your situation. Speak with Hankey Law Firm about your circumstances and what child custody arrangements may be possible.
A court will modify existing child custody orders when there has been a material change in circumstances and the existing orders are no longer in the child’s best interests. Examples of situations that might lead a court to modify child custody orders include the following:
To be successful, a modification request should be well-documented and presented effectively. Our Cullman County family law attorney can assist you in presenting your request for custody modification in a compelling light.
When it comes to your child’s welfare and your right to parent your child, the Hankey Law Firm is committed to helping safeguard these critical interests. Upon retaining our firm, we will get to work immediately, pursuing a legal strategy to help minimize disruptions in your relationship with your children.
Contact our firm today to learn more about how we can assist with your child custody concerns.
