Skilled Maricopa County Joint Custody Attorney
At Clark Family Law, P.C., we understand the emotional hardships you may be facing due to family law issues. Divorce, especially, can be difficult for your children. Our goal is to help you and your family heal from the painful effects of divorce.
Our Phoenix child custody attorney, Richard W. Clark, has been practicing law for 40 years. His in-depth knowledge of Arizona divorce laws helps him provide solutions tailored to your needs. He can discuss your goals for custody in relation to the law to help ensure you maintain realistic expectations at every stage of your case.
Custody Basics
We understand the basics and complexities of child custody. In Arizona, custody breaks into:
- Sole custody: One parent has decision-making authority.
- Joint custody: Both parents make decisions together.
In terms of custody arrangements, the courts follow a standard of the best interest of the children. The goal is to establish a custody arrangement that minimizes stress on the children. When both parents can maintain a civil and mature relationship, the court typically chooses:
- Joint physical/legal custody: This preferred situation allows both parents to determine what is best for their children. It also helps to ensure that each parent has equal or mutually beneficial access to the children.
Joint custody arrangements typically involve parenting plans. These plans outline in great detail which parent will be involved in different areas of a child's life. For instance, your parenting plan could illustrate where the children would spend the holidays. With older children, parenting plans can also help outline parental responsibilities for sporting events, social events and other extracurricular activities.
We also provide representation to help you revise your custody or visitation agreement. If you have an existing child custody or visitation order that needs to be changed to reflect your current needs, please see our page on post-decree modifications.
Child Custody for Military Families
Arizona child custody lawyer Richard W. Clark was a lieutenant serving as an Airborne Ranger in Vietnam. His firsthand understanding of military personnel relocation procedures helps him provide custody and visitation guidance to military families across the country. He has firsthand knowledge of the statutory requirements to relocate children out of Arizona. He can evaluate your concerns and goals and determine the best course of action.
Free Initial Consultations
To discuss your joint or primary custody issues with our Arizona child custody attorney, please call us at 602-639-4545 or toll free at 888-312-3859. For your convenience, we also accept e-mail inquiries.
