Child Custody Lawyer in Cary, NC

When a Cary couple going through a divorce has children, their decisions can be complicated by determining who will be awarded child custody. In most cases, one parent takes custody of the children, and the other is granted visitation rights. Parents may also arrange joint custody of their children.

Acrimony between the divorcing couple can complicate child custody issues. But child custody and visitation decisions have a direct and often lasting effect on your children’s welfare, and they affect your family as a whole. They should be carefully considered.

At Charles R. Ullman & Associates, we help parents develop child custody arrangements by taking the time to learn and understand your family’s priorities. We can help you as you develop a plan, including working to mitigate any emotional roadblocks that are keeping you and your spouse from coming to an agreement. We can also represent you when you seek final court approval of your agreement or modification to an existing agreement.

Call us today or use our online contact form to schedule a consultation. We serve clients throughout Wake County.

Child Custody Agreements in a North Carolina Divorce

Custody of underage children after a divorce in North Carolina takes two forms:

• Physical custody – Providing a home and living with the child(ren)
• Legal custody – Assuming the authority to make decisions about the child’s welfare.

Physical custody is usually awarded to one parent. Legal custody is typically shared. A visitation arrangement will address the non-custodial parent’s rights to see and spend time with the children.

A child custody agreement takes into account the affected children’s general welfare, education, religious needs, and medical care. Because each child is unique, and every family is different, a child custody agreement should not be a cookie-cutter arrangement. It needs to clearly and specifically address your family’s existing and future needs.

Even parents who develop a child custody arrangement without the court’s intervention must have it ratified by the court. For Cary residents, this is the Wake County District Court.

If child custody is contested by one of the divorcing parents and an agreement cannot be reached, North Carolina law directs the court to decide the matter based upon “the best interests and welfare of the child.”

Expanded N.C. Custodial and Visitation Rights

North Carolina family law does not give one gender preference over the other, and it grants unwed fathers eligibility to obtain visitation rights.

Grandparents may seek custody of underage grandchildren in North Carolina if they can demonstrate that the parents are unfit or have neglected the child(ren). Grandparents may also obtain visitation rights if they can show that the parents are in an ongoing custody dispute and the grandparents’ presence would serve the child’s best interests.

Our Cary Attorneys Can Help With Your Child Custody Arrangement

It is unfortunate but common for child custody to become a major sticking point in a divorce. The emotional issues involved hardly need to be explained.

At Charles R. Ullman & Associates, we have helped families in Cary with divorce and all over Wake County to develop satisfactory child custody agreements, from facilitating discussions to successfully presenting plans for approval in court.

Our child visitation lawyers seek to develop plans that fit your family and each individual child. A child custody agreement can be general, but we have found that specific agreements minimize disagreements down the road.

Factors to be considered in a child custody arrangement may include but by no means be limited to:

• Ensuring that both parents have an active role in the child’s life, including developing a specific visitation schedule for the non-custodial parent.
• Reducing change or losses in the child’s life regarding school, church, family friends, pets, and participation in sports, scouting, or other activities.
• Ensuring continuity among the separate households in such matters as family rules (Internet/cell phone use, curfews, R-rated movies), and religious and school activities.
• Ensuring the child’s medical and developmental needs are met and continue to be met as the child ages and needs change.
• Requirements for either parent to notify the other in a timely manner if changes in his or her schedule will affect visitation or participation in planned activities.
• How the parents will address future conflicts.

If child custody is contested in your divorce, and an agreement cannot be reached, your Charles R. Ullman & Associates child custody attorney will be at your side in court. By then, we will know you and your family, and we will have compiled evidence to clearly demonstrate how your child’s best interests are protected and promoted by you retaining sole physical/legal custody or sharing joint physical/legal custody of your underage child(ren).

Our child custody lawyers can also assist you if an existing custody agreement no longer fits your child’s needs or if the custodial parent can no longer meet his or her obligations under the agreement. North Carolina law allows the court to modify child custody agreements if it can be shown that changed circumstances adversely affect an underage child’s welfare.

We can also assist grandparents who should have custody or visitation rights regarding their grandchildren.

Let Our Cary Child Custody Lawyers Serve Your Family

The dedicated and compassionate child custody lawyers of Charles R. Ullman & Associates can work with you to ensure that arrangements for custody of your children after divorce meet your family’s needs.

We are skilled negotiators who understand the implications of the rights, protections, and obligations of our state’s child custody laws, and we know how to put them to work for our clients.

Contact us today by phone or through our website to set up a confidential initial consultation.

About Charles R. Ullman & Associates

Charles Ullman & Associates provides you respected, experienced and knowledgeable divorce and family law attorneys. You can trust us to help you through the legal process efficiently and effectively so you can transition to the next phase of your life. Our community involvement reaches beyond charitable support of important causes. We launched our own movement in Fraternities4Family and provide scholarships to able students in need.