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Top Lynchburg, VA Child Custody Lawyers Near You

Child Custody Lawyers | Lynchburg Office

3311 Old Forest Rd, Suite 105, Lynchburg, VA 24501

Child Custody Lawyers | Forest Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

14785 Forest Rd, Forest, VA 24551

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

24 Church Ave. SE, Suite 202, Roanoke, VA 24011

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

25 Church Avenue SW, PO Box 2825, Roanoke, VA 24011

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

310 First Street, Suite 1100, Roanoke, VA 24002

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

2650 Electric Rd, Ste A, Roanoke, VA 24018

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

133 Salem Ave SW, Suite 100, Roanoke, VA 24011

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

10 Church Ave SE, Suite 103, Roanoke, VA 24011

Child Custody Lawyers | Danville Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

171 Piney Forest Rd, Danville, VA 24540

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

3351 Orange Ave NE, Roanoke, VA 24036

Child Custody Lawyers | Forest Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

300 Enterprise Dr., Suite D, Forest, VA 24551

Child Custody Lawyers | Moneta Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

13595 Booker T. Washington Highway, Moneta, VA 24121

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

5440 Peters Creek Road, Suite 104, Roanoke, VA 24019

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

114 Mountain Avenue Southwest, Roanoke, VA 24016

Child Custody Lawyers | Salem Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

103 South College Avenue, Salem, VA 24153

Child Custody Lawyers | Lynchburg Office

6000 Boonsboro Rd, Suite E, Lynchburg, VA 24503

Child Custody Lawyers | Danville Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

549 Main Street, Danville, VA 24543-8200

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

30 Franklin Road SW, Suite 200, Roanoke, VA 24011

Child Custody Lawyers | Roanoke Office | Serving Lynchburg, VA

5541 Florist Road, Roanoke, VA 24012

Lynchburg Child Custody Information

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Lead Counsel Verified Attorneys In Lynchburg

Lead Counsel independently verifies Child Custody attorneys in Lynchburg and checks their standing with Virginia bar associations.

Our Verification Process and Criteria
  • Ample Experience Attorneys must meet stringent qualifications and prove they practice in the area of law they’re verified in.
  • Good Standing Be in good standing with their bar associations and maintain a clean disciplinary record.
  • Annual Review Submit to an annual review to retain their Lead Counsel Verified status.
  • Client Commitment Pledge to follow the highest quality client service and ethical standards.
Visit our free Child Custody Resource Center.

Shared Custody and Visitation

When parents of a child are separated or get a divorce, they have to determine the child’s custody and visitation rights. Custody arrangements can include shared custody or sole custody. Joint legal custody and joint physical custody mean the parents both have the right to make legal decisions for the child and share physical time with the child. Even when both parents have shared custody, the parent who spends the most time with the child is generally considered the custodial parent. The other parent has visitation rights and can see the child based on the visitation schedule and custody order.

Legal Issues in Child Custody Disputes

When parents cannot agree on a child custody agreement that works for everybody, they may have to go to court to have family law matters decided. In most cases, the court will first have the parents go through mediation to work together on a schedule. If mediation does not work, the court may decide the custody and visitation arrangement.

How Do Judges Decide Child Custody

Family court judges must consider what is in the best interests of the child when determining custody. The court can consider several factors, including the child’s relationship with the parents, the parents’ work schedules, the child’s wishes, siblings and extended family, distance between parents, cooperation of the parents, safety and stability, and any other relevant factors. In most cases, judges emphasize making sure the child will spend time with both parents. To make this happen, a judge will likely want to know what each parent’s home environment is like, whether each parent will be able to give a child the proper attention, and in which situation the child will be most likely to thrive.

Taking Away Parental Rights

Parents can lose their parenting rights if the child is abused, abandoned, or in an unsafe environment. A parent or the state can petition for a termination of parental rights. The other parent will have a chance to respond in court to present their side of the story. Grounds for terminating parental rights include abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

Can I Change a Child Custody Order?

If both parents are unhappy with the current custody arrangement, you can negotiate a change to your agreement or modify the child custody order. If a family law judge feels that the changes are in the child’s best interests and benefits outweigh any negative impacts, then the court may modify the child custody order. If you want to change a child custody order and the other parent disagrees, you may need to show a substantial change in circumstances to justify the change. This could include one of the parents moving out of state, suffering from a disability or illness that affects their parenting ability, domestic violence, exposing the child to an unsafe environment, or having a change in work circumstances that requires rescheduling visitation.

What If My Ex Isn’t Paying Child Support?

It can be very difficult for a custodial parent to take proper care of their child if the other parent isn’t paying their fair share. However, in most cases, a parent’s failure to pay child support or spousal support is not enough to deny visitation. If your ex isn’t paying support, you can contact your Virginia child support program to enforce child support orders.

How a Virginia Child Custody Attorney Can Help

A family law attorney can help you resolve your custody legal issue and guide you through the process. Child custody lawyers can help you navigate the legal system, while avoiding costly mistakes or procedural errors. For legal advice on your custody issues, you should look for a family law firm with a practice area that focuses on Virginia child custody cases like yours.

What do judges look for in custody cases?

In every state, family court judges must consider what is in the child’s best interests when determining custody. In most cases, judges emphasize making sure the child will spend ample time with both parents. To make this happen, a judge will likely want to know what each parent’s home environment is like, whether each parent will be able to give a child the proper attention, and which situation the child will be most likely to thrive in.

Who has legal custody of the child when the parents aren’t married?

If the parents are not married, the child’s biological parents both have parental rights unless the law says otherwise. An exception to this could be if no father is listed on the child’s birth certificate. In that case, the father would have to go through the legal process of establishing paternity to be able to assert his parental rights for visitation.

How can a mother lose custody of her child?

A mother can lose custody of her child in much the same way a father could. This could include abusing the child, abusing drugs or alcohol, providing an unsafe home environment for the child, or abandoning the child.

How can you change a child custody order?

If you or your ex are unhappy with the current custody arrangement, you can negotiate a change to your agreement. If a judge feels that the changes are still in the child’s best interests, then they may approve the order. If one of you is pressing ahead with seeking a change and the other parent is contesting it, you will need to prove a “substantial” change in circumstances. This could include one of the parents moving out of state, suffering from a disability or illness that affects their parenting ability, exposing the child to an unsafe environment, or having a change in work circumstances that requires rescheduling of visitation.

How an Attorney Can Help

An attorney can often resolve your particular legal issue faster and better than trying to do it alone. A lawyer can help you navigate the legal system, while avoiding costly mistakes or procedural errors. You should seek out an attorney whose practice focuses on the area of law most relevant to your issue.

Top Questions to Ask a Lawyer

  • What is the usual process to resolve my case? How long will it take to resolve this?
  • What are likely outcomes of a case like mine? What should I expect?

An experienced lawyer should be able to communicate a basic “road map” on how to proceed. The lawyer should be able to walk you through the anticipated process, key considerations, and potential pitfalls to avoid. Once you’ve laid out the facts of your situation to the lawyer, he/she should be able to frame expectations and likely scenarios to help you understand your legal issue.

Does firm size matter?

For most consumer legal issues, the size of the practice is much less important than the experience, competence, and reputation of the attorney(s) handling your case. Among the most important factors when choosing an attorney are your comfort level with the attorney or practice and the attorney’s track record in bringing about quick, successful resolutions to cases similar to yours.

Common legal terms explained

Affidavit – A sworn written statement made under oath. An affidavit is meant to be a supporting document to the court assisting in the verification of certain facts. An affidavit may or may not require notarization.

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