Car Accidents and Lawyers to Reduce Stress

Posted on: 13 July 2016

When divorces happen, one of the hardest parts is dealing with the fact that you won't see your child 100% of the time anymore. However, what you can do is to assert your rights as a parent in order to be sure that you have a fair shake at either getting sole custody or an agreement that leaves you in control of your ability to remain in the child's life. If you want to go to court with a great strategy in place, you will need to consider some of the following tips.

Know what not to do

Before delving into what you should do to win custody, you need to understand what things to avoid at all costs. Never do the following things below:

1. Don't have any personal outbursts that can sabotage your case. Not only can this be used as testimony in court, you don't want to give your spouse the ability to record you or otherwise paint you in a bad light in front of the judge.
2. Never talk ill of the other spouse in front of the child. This will confuse the child and can also put your case in jeopardy. Keep everything between you and your spouse.
3. Don't move in with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Not only does this look reckless in front of a judge, judges also will be reluctant to give you custody in situations that will potentially confuse the child due to the new relationship.
4. Do not ignore any temporary court orders. For instance, if a child support order has been filed while the two of you are separating, make payments, even if you disagree with the order. The agreement can always be adjusted later, but failing to comply with court orders dooms your case from the start.

Know what the courts will be looking for

If you want to make yourself look suitable as a parent, you need to know what criteria the judge will be looking at. Consider the following points that the judge will factor:

1. Your job status and earning potential
2. The type of relationship that you and your child share
3. Your physical health and mental health
4. Any motives that might be at play when seeking custody
5. Your overall value and skills to raise your child

Get your documentation in order

You and your lawyer will need to focus on documentation when it comes to proving your rights to child custody. Some of the following forms of documentation will be critical:

1. Phone logs of conversations between both children and parents to prove contact and frequency
2. A log of how often visitations are occurring
3. Copies of any child support payments
4. A journal of any instances that prove that you are more fit to have custody of the child

These steps will help you out so that you fare favorably in your child custody proceedings. For more information, contact lawyers for child custody.