One of the most contested, difficult, and emotional matters in any divorce that involves the entire family is that of custody. No parent ever wants to hear that they won’t see their children every day because the other parent was granted more custody time. Custody is often the matter that entire families are impacted by the most in a divorce because it changes everybody’s life. When determining a custody arrangement, the court will take a number of different factors into consideration. Their top priority is to make sure the child’s best interests are always represented and when determining the best interest, they often consider the following:

• each parent’s ability to provide a stable home life
• each parent’s ability to make sure the child’s academic, social, and other general needs are being served
• each parent’s history of substance abuse, violence, incarceration, or institutionalization
• the preference of the child if they are old enough and mature enough to make such a decision
• each parent’s ability to cater to any of the child’s special needs
• the strength of the relationship that each parent has with the child
• each parent’s willingness to accept custody

Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making such an important decision. If you have questions about a custody matter, contact our firm today.

For strong legal representation from an experienced personal injury, bankruptcy, workers’ compensation, criminal defense, or family law attorney, contact Underwood & Micklin and we would be happy to schedule a consultation to discuss your matter.