Experienced Child Custody Lawyers
Helping Families in Henrico, Chesterfield, Richmond, & Harrisonburg.
We represent you in cases that involve your relationship with your children. We have both divorcing parents and unmarried parents who come to us for resolution on issues like:
- Child custody disputes
- Child support modification proceedings
- Visitation rights
We also help you with adoptions, name changes, and paternity matters.
Schedule an initial consultation with a child custody lawyer in Richmond, VA or at one of our four convenient locations around Virginia.
Child Custody Disputes
Protecting Your Children’s Best Interests
Virginia divorce law protects the best interests of the child or children involved. It requires that the court resolve child custody disputes according to what is best for them. Speaking with an experienced family lawyer can help you protect what you know is best for your children.
Main Factor in Custody Disputes
The law lists many factors that the court must consider in awarding primary physical custody to one parent or the other. Interestingly, one important factor is the relative willingness of each parent to allow the other parent access to the child. In other words, the more you can prove you understand how important each parent’s relationship is, the more the judge will regard you as a primary custodial parent.
Visitation
Adjusting Visitation Rights of Noncustodial Parents
This refers to the noncustodial parent’s right to spend time with the child on a regular basis. When that parent has a history of domestic violence or drug abuse, the custodial parent can request that visitation be supervised or subject to other restrictions.
Our Richmond child custody lawyers will listen to the specific details of your case. Regardless of whether you are legally trying to restrict the other parent, or you are being unfairly restricted, our attorneys have the experience to resolve the most complicated visitation cases.
We also help resolve the logistical difficulties of visitation in military divorce cases or unmarried military members.
Paternity
Defending Fathers’ Rights in Child Custody and Visitation
Typically, a mother will petition for proof of an unmarried father’s paternity of her child. She does this so that she can have an enforceable right to ask the father for child support. However, sometimes the father requests determination of paternity in order to have visitation or custody of the child.
An order of paternity, however, does not carry with it any recognition of the father’s custody or visitation rights. Just because you are the father doesn’t mean you have regular access or shared custody of the child.
If you would like to get a secure right to maintain a regular relationship with your child, call us. We can help you get a separate order for visitation or custody from a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge.
Child Support
Easing the Financial Burden of Child Custody
Child support is defined as the payment obligations of the noncustodial parent.
The Virginia Child Support Guidelines provide a simple formula for it. The income of both parents is taken into account. Then, if the child spends more than a quarter of the year overnight in the noncustodial parent’s home, their payment is reduced proportionally.
Speaking with a child custody lawyer can help you adjust the level of child support you pay or receive. Child support can be adjusted upward or downward to account for hardships, financial responsibilities for other children and economically significant special needs of the child.
Adoption
Our experienced adoption lawyers can assist you and your family with:
- Stepparent adoptions
- Agency adoptions
- Name changes
- Adult adoptions
Adoption work can represent the most rewarding work a family law attorney can perform. We are happy to assist your family in this exciting change.
