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When divorcing spouses disagree over which party should have physical and legal custody of their minor children, the law will focus on the arrangement that is in the children’s best interest. In north Florida divorce cases, an experienced and sympathetic St. Augustine child custody lawyer from the Law Offices of Jason K.S. Porter, P.A. can help define and clarify exactly what those interests might be.
Our experienced family attorneys have aggregated decades of experience in child custody disputes. They work tirelessly to achieve custody solutions that best serve our client-parents’ children and their concerns for the children’s health and well-being.
What Custody Issues Are Raised in Divorce Cases?
When child custody issues are part of a St. Augustine divorce case, the lawyers for the divorcing spouses will consider:
- Legal custody, which refers to each parent’s involvement and authority to make decisions about a child’s health care, education, and caregiving
- Physical custody, which addresses which parent the child will live with
- Joint custody, where the parents share aspects of both legal and physical custody
- Sole custody, where one parent has full legal and physical custody of a child.
By default, Florida law expresses a strong preference for joint involvement of both parents in the lives of their children following the dissolution of a marriage. Given this, joint custody arrangements are far more common than sole custody.
What Factors Affect Custody Decisions?
When divorcing parents have strong differences of opinion over child custody matters, a St. Augustine divorce court will apply certain presumptions, including a preference for joint and equal physical and legal custody to the extent that this arrangement is in the best interests of the children. A St. Augustine child custody attorney can argue for a different arrangement by raising facts that address:
- How one parent might be more mentally, emotionally, and physically capable of providing care for the children
- How the children interact and relate to each parent
- A parent’s financial ability to provide a stable housing situation for the children
- Whether either parent has a history of substance abuse or violent tendencies
- A parent’s demonstrated willingness to accommodate the other parent’s schedule and interests
- What living preferences older children might have
An experienced lawyer can also present supporting evidence, witness testimony, and expert evaluations to strengthen your case and help the court reach a custody arrangement that truly serves your children’s best interests.
Gathering Evidence to Strengthen Your Custody Case
Your child custody lawyer can best advocate for your rights and interests when you provide that lawyer with information that supports the child custody conclusion that you desire in your St. Augustine divorce case. Before you meet with your lawyer, consider preparing:
- A proposed parenting plan that spells out when and how you would like to care for your children; this plan should provide details of the children’s school and activity schedules, and any special medical conditions that they might have
- A collection of photographs and documents that support your preferred resolution
- A list of friends and family members who might be willing to provide testimony to support your case.
Your lawyer will review and analyze these materials to prepare arguments that will be presented to the divorce judge assigned to your case.
Pick Porter™ for Legal Help in Your St. Augustine Child Custody Case
Child custody issues are often more important to divorcing spouses than property divisions. You can best protect your desires for the best arrangement for your children when you hire a St. Augustine child custody lawyer who has the knowledge and experience to achieve the results you want.
The family attorneys in the law offices of Jason K.S. Porter, P.A., have the strongest ability to fight for those results. Please call our offices at any time to schedule a Zoom or in-person meeting with our legal team.