Child Custody & Visitation Attorneys In Fairfax
Effective Representation For Your Family In Northern Virginia – Call (703) 721-7640 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays Today
Any divorce can be difficult, but the challenges a family faces can increase exponentially when children are involved in the process. Child custody and visitation are often some of the biggest concerns that divorcing spouses face, and these can lead to stress and questions about your family’s future. At the Law Offices of Michael Kevin Murphy, PLLC, we are proud to offer quality, experienced family law representation to help our clients overcome their child custody and visitation concerns. We get to know each household and take the time to create a personalized approach to their case, which can help benefit each member of the family.
For most people, dealing with lawyers is difficult. We get that. When a child custody matter comes up, powerful emotions often make it even more difficult to deal with, and no one wants to take time off from work or drive a long distance, worrying about traffic and parking, only to sit in a strange law office waiting to meet a lawyer for the first time. We understand that. We found a better way a long ago. Setting up a video teleconference with one of our attorneys, for an initial client consultation or a follow-up, is easy via “Zoom”, “Facetime”, “Cisco Webex”, “Skype”, or other means of video teleconferencing. Just give us a call or send us an email and we’ll make it happen. And wear whatever you’d like. We will too.
When concerns about your child’s future arise, call trusted Fairfax child custody lawyers today at (703) 721-7640 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays and schedule a consultation with our firm.
Understanding Custody & Visitation Schedules
If decided by a judge rather than the agreement of the parents, the judge will take into consideration certain statutory factors regarding your family’s dynamic when determining how custody will be awarded. Considerations for custody may include the child’s wishes, the parent’s ability to provide for the child, proximity to the child’s school, steadiness of jobs and income, and the child or parent’s health, among other factors.
The types of custody allowable in Virginia are:
- Sole legal custody: One parent is allowed to have all legal authority over the child. This includes medical, religious, extracurricular, and educational decisions among others.
- Joint (or “shared”) legal custody: Both parents will have a say in determining how the child is raised. The child may live with one parent full-time, but both parents will have a responsibility in the raising of the child until the child is no longer a minor.
- Primary physical custody to one parent, secondary parenting time to the other parent: In these cases, a child will reside primarily with one parent while the other parent will have parenting time (sometimes called “visitation”), often on weekends and evenings during the week, and a period of visitation during holidays and summers.
- Joint (or “shared”) physical custody: Similar to joint legal custody, joint physical custody allows both parents to have a responsibility in the raising of the child with time split equally between the two parents. These schedules are often where the child alternates living with his/her parents on a week-on, week-off basis.
Once custody has been determined, visitation schedules can be established. Visitation is often determined by the custody order but can be changed based on summer break schedules, holiday schedules, and the child’s preferences. In most cases, both parents are encouraged to have shared time and responsibility in raising the child.
How Our Fairfax Child Custody & Visitation Lawyers Can Help
When it comes to understanding child custody laws and Virginia’s visitation requirements, you may feel overwhelmed. So many factors can be taken into consideration when establishing a finalized schedule and you should always have an experienced Fairfax child custody lawyer on your side. At the Law Offices of Michael Kevin Murphy, PLLC we offer trusted representation to our clients. We can help you establish custody and visitations and offer modifications for finalized agreements.
For more information on how the Law Offices of Michael Kevin Murphy, PLLC may be able to help you, call us at (703) 721-7640 and schedule a consultation. We serve clients in Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington, and Stafford Counties and the City of Alexandria in Northern Virginia.
Why Hire Law Offices of Michael Kevin Murphy, PLLC?
Our Attorney is a former
U. S. Army officer.
Our firm is award winning & top rated..
We serve clients domestically & internationally.
Located close to the Fairfax County Courthouse.
We have over 30 years of legal experience.