Child Custody Attorney in Amarillo, TX
At Northern Law Firm, we understand that for parents, maintaining a close relationship with their child is highly important. Whether you and your partner are going through relationship issues or are in the process of settling a divorce, determining who retains custody of a child can be one of the most difficult obstacles facing parents who are separating.
Van Northern is an experienced child custody attorney in Amarillo, TX, who will fight to protect your parental rights and work tirelessly to help you settle child custody arrangements in Amarillo and Lubbock.
Child Custody
Agreeing on a satisfactory child custody arrangement can be a long and complicated process. The state of Texas makes it a priority to give both parents access to their children following a divorce. It can happen in one of two ways. One parent can be given sole custody, or custody can be shared jointly.
Joint Custody
With joint custody, parents share custody of their child. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the child’s time is divided evenly between each parent. Instead, joint custody means the child lives part of the time with each parent rather than lives with only one and visits the other. Van Northern is an experienced joint child custody lawyer who will seek the most favorable arrangement for parents who want to maximize time with their children.
Modification of Child Custody
In some cases, the initial terms and awards of custody may not work out. In those situations, the court has the ability to modify the child custody order. In order to be able to modify a custody order, one of three circumstances must have occurred:
- Material and substantial change of circumstances with respect to the child or either of the parents
- A child who is at least 12 years of age may request a change in custody by privately telling the judge where the child would like to live
- The conservator who currently has the exclusive right to designate the child’s primary residence has voluntarily relinquished the primary care and possession of the child to another person for at least six months
When a parent petitions the court for a modification in a child custody agreement, representation by a family child custody lawyer is critical to ensuring that if the court agrees to a modification, the changes are as favorable as possible to the parent the lawyer represents. With Van Northern as your child custody attorney, you can be confident that your interests in preserving your relationship with your child or children and in spending the maximum possible time with them will be effectively argued to gain an outcome that will satisfy your parental interests.
Divorce or separation is always emotionally fraught, and it is particularly hard on children, who may not understand why their lives and their family have been disrupted. Maintaining a sense of normalcy and a similar lifestyle for the children is of paramount concern both to parents and to the courts, which place the interests of the children first in disputes between parents.
Understanding the dynamics behind each parent’s position in a child custody dispute can lead to breakthroughs in negotiating child custody agreements. But this won’t happen without the involvement of an experienced child custody lawyer such as Van Northern. Any parent who is in fear of losing contact with their children can be prone to desperate measures, which may include unfounded accusations of abuse or addiction, hiding or exaggerating assets, or, in extreme cases, refusing to return children to the other parent in accordance with an existing child custody arrangement. The emotional upset these types of disputes cause can work against a parent without the guidance of a child custody attorney such as Van Northern: he’ll aggressively pursue your parental rights but keep the emotion out of it to ensure a fair hearing and reasonable judgment by the courts.
As your child custody attorney in Amarillo, TX, the Northern Law Firm is committed to helping you and your family to the fullest extent of the law. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Northern Law Firm
3545 South Georgia
Amarillo, Texas 79109
(806) 374-2266
northernlegalpc@gmail.com
M-F: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm