Marietta GA Child Visitation and Your Rights

Child visitation rights for divorced parents can be complicated and an ongoing point of contention. In Georgia, both parents generally share legal custody. Also known as joint custody, legal custody does not refer to where or with whom the child actually lives. It means both parents share decision-making responsibilities about matters of importance to the well-being or future of the child, such as religion, health care, and education.

Because the chief concern of Georgia divorce courts is the welfare of the children, all divorcing parents with dependent children are required to have a written parenting plan. At SSmith, Schnatmeier, Dettmering & Kilgo, LLP, your Marietta visitation rights attorney understands the importance of family. We work diligently to ensure that the visitation arrangements in your parenting plan adopted by the court suit your needs and those of your children. When your circumstances change, such as a new job in a different city or state, we petition the court to modify visitation arrangements.

Your Marietta Visitation Attorney Ensures Your Parenting Plan Is Complete

Your parenting plan details how you and your spouse intend to share parenting time. The parenting plan must acknowledge the importance to the child of continued close relationships with both parents and that both parents are aware that the needs of the child will evolve over time.

Though joint custody means that both parents share critical major decisions, the parenting plan should also specify that the parent with physical custody would make the day-to-day and emergency decisions affecting the child. 

Your Marietta visitation lawyer can help with the critical wording of your parenting plans and makes sure visitation details like the following are spelled out:

• That both parents have access to important records related to the health, education, and religion of the child
• How disputes about the issues decided jointly will be resolved
• Where the child will be each day of the year, such as holidays and vacations
• Any special transportation arrangements, such as required flights or bus trips

Once the court reviews the parenting plan and a child custody and visitation decree is issued, if either parent fails to honor the terms of the order he or she can be held in contempt. Our visitation rights lawyer in Marietta represents clients alleging and defending visitation violations.

The law firm of Smith, Schnatmeier, Dettmering & Kilgo, LLP, in Marietta, GA, is qualified and experienced in all aspects of family law and offers superior legal service to clients throughout Georgia.