Orlando, Florida Shared Parenting Plan Lawyers

Orlando Florida Parental Time Sharing Lawyer

The Orlando, Florida shared parenting plan lawyers at Timothy W. Terry: Attorney at Law can assist you and your spouse with developing a shared parenting plan (a process formerly known as child custody). Florida law has shifted away from referring to child custody matters as such given that the courts generally want to see both parents playing a role in their children’s lives. While the children may still primarily live with one parent, both parents retain custody under a shared parenting plan, and both parents play a role in decision-making for the children. Only in rare cases (like situations of serious domestic violence or legal issues) will the court generally award custody to just one parent.

Florida law has changed the way it treats parenting issues in divorce and paternity cases, but parents still face challenges and anxieties. It can be very difficult to change a parenting plan once it has been approved by the courts. The decisions you make during your divorce regarding your shared parenting plan in Orlando, Florida can affect you and your family for years to come. Are you concerned about how your parental rights or relationship with your child will be affected? The shared parenting plan attorney at Timothy W. Terry: Attorney at Law can work with you to help you create a parenting plan that works for your family. In most situations, taking a parenting plan to a judge should be seen as a last resort. After all, you don’t want a judge who knows nothing about your family making decisions regarding your parenting plan.

The law office of Timothy W. Terry, Attorney at Law, is available to answer your questions about the changes in Florida child custody laws, to explain how shared parenting plans work and to help you establish a shared parenting plan that suits your needs and the needs of your children. Our Orlando, Florida shared parenting plan attorneys can help you address your child custody issues. Matters of child custody can be among the most emotional aspects of your divorce. You don’t have to do it alone!

E-mail or call us at 407-495-2399 to schedule an initial consultation with an experienced family law attorney, free of charge.

Florida Law Shifts From Custody and Visitation to Shared Parenting

Florida law has changed the way it deals with the delicate issues involving children in a divorce, separation, or a paternity case. While the focus is still on achieving a solution that serves the best interests of the children, Florida no longer uses the term child custody or child visitation. Terms such as sole custody, joint custody, legal custody, physical custody and visitation have been written out of Florida law. Instead, Florida courts now focus on establishing a shared parenting plan that addresses three parenting issues: parental responsibility, time sharing and support.

Here are the issues that must be addressed in your Orlando, Florida shared parenting plan:

• Parental Responsibility: Parental responsibility refers to responsibility in the upbringing of the children. The shared parenting plan will need to clearly lay out how parents will share in making important decisions affecting the children, what religious upbringing they will have, what school they will attend, how health care needs will be met, etc.
• Time sharing: Rather than the old child custody-visitation model, the court now uses time sharing to refer to how time will be divided between the parents. Your shared parenting plan will need to address where the child will primarily live, how much time will be spent with each parent and what schedule the family will follow for time sharing. Many families find different solutions for their time sharing plan. Some families might split time with the children 50-50, while others might choose to go with a more traditional model of child custody, where one parent will see the children on the weekends. Other families may retain the family home and the parents will switch out living in the home with the children, so that the children do not move, but the parents do. The solution that will work for your family will depend on your work schedule, where you live, and other factors. A shared parenting plan lawyer in Orlando, Florida at Timothy W. Terry: Attorney at Law may be able to help you and your former spouse develop a time sharing schedule that works for your family.
• Support: Florida law still uses child support to describe the financial support necessary for a parent to provide for the needs of the child. However, child support can now be addressed in the shared parenting plan. Parents can choose to establish support based upon Florida child support guidelines. Or, parents can deviate from the typical model to address daycare costs, additional medical needs, school or extracurricular expenses or expenses related to raising a special needs child. The one thing that cannot be avoided is this: both parents are expected to contribute financially to the upbringing of their children.

If you are in the process of getting divorced, separated, or are establishing paternity, one of the most important documents you’ll need to create is a shared parenting plan. A shared parenting plan will set the tone for how you and your former partner co-parent your children. Once you have formalized your shared parenting plan with the courts, it can be very difficult to change your parenting plan. Creating a shared parenting plan is a fine balance between creating a document that is flexible enough to withstand the test of time, while also creating clear guidelines about how your children will be raised so that the chances of conflict are reduced. The Orlando, Florida shared parenting plan lawyer at Timothy W. Terry: Attorney at Law has helped many clients with their shared parenting plan and may be able to help you and your family with yours.

When so much is at stake, it is important to have a shared parenting plan attorney in Orlando, Florida to guide you through the process. Reach out to Timothy W. Terry: Attorney at Law today to learn more.

Our Commitment to You

Our law firm is dedicated to providing you with the kind of legal representation you deserve. To us, that means working closely with you to understand your goals and ensure the shared parenting plan truly reflects your needs and the needs of your children. Our many successful results demonstrate our dedication to hard work, our genuine concern for clients and the trust that we instill in each client. Many former clients have shown their confidence in our services by sending a friend or family member our way when they are faced with a difficult family law problem — and we are happy to serve their needs with the same level of compassion, support, and experience.

To get more than 30 years of experience on your side, call on the law office of Timothy W. Terry, Attorney at Law. E-mail or call us at 407-495-2399 to discuss your case.

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