Raising children while living apart from your co-parent is challenging. Numerous issues can arise, and you may need help resolving them. The experienced child custody attorneys at Dolan Divorce Lawyers help with all the common custody issues in New Haven. Our firm can assist you in meeting co-parenting goals while always focusing on your children’s well-being.
While many unmarried couples raise children together, unmarried fathers are sometimes surprised to learn that unless they take affirmative steps to establish their paternity, the mother is their child’s only legal parent and the only one with custody rights.
Parents can sign an Acknowledgment of Parentage in the hospital when the baby is born, or later. Both parents must sign the document for it to be effective.
Fathers seeking parental rights over the objection of the mother must file a court petition to establish their paternity. If the mother contests the petition, the father can then ask the court to order genetic testing to prove his biological relationship with the child. A New Haven attorney can represent either parent in common custody disputes, including contested paternity actions.
Connecticut law favors both parents retaining an active role in their children’s lives after divorce and separation. Courts typically grant joint legal and physical custody unless there is evidence that joint custody would not serve the children’s best interests.
Joint legal and physical custody means that parents share decision-making responsibilities and that each parent spends significant time with their children. Parents must collaborate on major issues, such as education and healthcare, and on practical tasks, such as transportation, scheduling, and setting rules for the children. Cooperation for the children’s benefit is necessary, but can be difficult to achieve when parents are in conflict.
Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-69b requires parents of minor children with a custody issue before the court to take a parenting class focusing on healthy co-parenting. Although these classes have value, parents may also need to work with a mediator or family therapist to help them resolve challenging parenting issues. A New Haven attorney can recommend capable practitioners to help with difficult issues that commonly arise when parents share custody.
A tragic situation that arises too often is when one parent poses a danger to the children, and the other must seek an emergency custody order. The law allows a parent to seek a change in the custody order if they can demonstrate that the children are at imminent risk of physical or emotional harm, including at risk of abduction. Numerous situations can justify a request for an emergency order, including:
A New Haven attorney will explain whether a specific situation merits a request for an emergency change in custody. The court may grant an initial ex parte order, which means without notice to the co-parent. The court will hold a hearing within a few weeks, during which both parents can present testimony and evidence about whether the ex parte order should be vacated, modified, or made permanent.
Contact Dolan Divorce Lawyers if you are parenting your child under a custody order and have a problem you cannot solve alone. We have the knowledge to handle common custody issues in New Haven. Contact our firm today to schedule a consultation.
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