Springfield Ohio Child Custody Lawyer

A child custody order is a court order that creates the guidelines divorcing parents will follow regarding their child’s care until the child becomes an adult. A child custody order is often created alongside a child support order, a legal requirement that one parent regularly make payments to the other parent to help offset the expenses of being a primary parent, or the parent who has a larger share of the child’s physical custody.

Developing a Child Custody Order

When the court develops a child custody order for a divorcing couple, it keeps the child’s best interest in mind. To determine the child’s best interest, the court may seek recommendations from an outside source like a child custody evaluator or ask the parents to submit documentation and testimonies that show their relationships with the child.

Under Ohio law, the court uses a set of factors to determine an appropriate custody arrangement for a child. These factors include the following:

• The child’s current routine and how a specific custodial arrangement would alter that routine and how the change would impact the child;
• The child’s relationship with each parent and other members of each parent’s household;
• The child’s personal needs, such as the need for regular therapy or access to specific academic resources;
• Any history of domestic violence in either parent’s household;
• Each parent’s age and health status; and
• The child’s preference if he or she can articulate a well-developed, rational opinion.

The parents’ genders are not considered when developing a child custody order.

Legal and Physical Custody

Ohio custody orders have two components:

• Legal custody. This is the right to make important decisions on a child’s behalf, such as whether the child will be raised with certain religious or cultural traditions, where the child will attend school, and the child’s medical care; and
• Physical custody. This refers to where the child lives. The home where the child spends most of his or her time is known as the child’s primary home.

Either type of custody can be held jointly or solely. When parents have joint legal custody, they must work together to reach agreements about the child’s care. Having joint physical custody means the child spends time in both households regularly, as determined by the schedule set by the court. It is possible for the parents to have joint custody in one category and for one parent to have sole custody in the other or for one parent to have sole custody in both categories. In this last scenario, the other parent may have court-ordered visitation with the child.

Work with an Experienced Springfield Child Custody Lawyer

Contact our team of experienced child custody lawyers at Comunale Law Office today to schedule your initial legal consultation and discuss your divorce and child custody order in greater detail. We can answer any questions you have about child custody orders in Ohio and help you feel empowered to work through the process of developing an appropriate custody arrangement for your child.