Your Child Custody Issues Are Our Concern

Undoubtedly, the most difficult and anxious decisions parents make involve their children, and custody issues are among the most highly contentious. Whether you are an unmarried parent fighting for your rights or you are concerned that your divorce will damage your relationship with your children, the law firm of De Ita, Lowe & Wald, LLP, knows that the decisions ahead will not be easy.

We have been advocating for English and Spanish-speaking parents and children in Northern California for over 25 years. Let us work with you during this time of transition to a more positive outcome.

Understanding Child Custody

Child custody disputes include two factors:

Legal custody: The parent with legal custody has the right to make all decisions about the child’s upbringing, including:

• Residence
• Education
• Medical and dental care
• Counseling and mental health treatment
• Religious upbringing
• Travel
• Extracurricular activities and sports

The court may grant joint legal custody or delegate one parent to make the important decisions for the child’s wellbeing. Typically, the courts will work to give both parents a say in how their child is raised unless there is some serious reason not to.

Physical custody: The parent with whom the child resides has physical custody. As with legal custody, the court may order joint physical custody, which means both parents will have the children about half the time. On the other hand, a parent with primary physical custody has the children most of the time, and the other parent will have scheduled visitation.

Depending on your family situation, you may prefer visitation to be strictly scheduled or more open-ended. The best child custody settlements come about through patient and cooperative negotiation between parents. Agreements reached outside a courtroom often result in more flexible, workable solutions. Our attorneys have successfully assisted parents in an advisory capacity, through mediation, during collaborations and litigation to reach child custody agreements that preserve the integrity of the family.

We Are Here To Answer Your Questions

If you are concerned about the way your child custody dispute will turn out, you don’t want to face the stress without solid and compassionate counsel. Because every court handles these cases differently, the experience of your lawyer matters. We have worked in courtrooms in San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara and are well-prepared to handle your case. Call our offices at 650-918-4999 for a free consultation or use our online form.