Child Custody & Visitation
Skill and Guidance for Restructuring Your Family
Today there is widespread recognition that, for most families, the continued, active involvement of both parents in children's lives has tremendous value.
At the Law Office of Nancy L. Sponseller, we have been helping people in the Columbus, Ohio, area resolve critical child custody, shared parenting and child support issues since 1984. Your children's needs and interests will be a top priority when you contact us about your dissolution or divorce. Your initial conversation with dedicated legal assistant Susie Simmons will help you decide whether our form of constructive legal representation is right for you.
Shared Parenting and Development of Parenting Plans
Shared parenting is the starting place for resolving child-related issues in most dissolutions today — although sole child custody can still be an agreed-upon or a court-ordered outcome.
The concept of shared parenting most often involves joint decision-making on major life issues for children, along with substantial time with both the mother and father. In fact, the term "visitation rights" is absent from current statutes.
We help families develop and negotiate comprehensive, written parenting plans that meet the needs of the children and parents. One of our strengths is tailoring these plans for sharing parental responsibilities to the unique, real-world needs of the people involved. Attorney Nancy L. Sponseller is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Relations Law by the Ohio State Bar Association. She is well equipped to personally draft a plan that is right for you, and can advocate for you interests in negotiations, a collaborative law setting or the courts.
Unmarried Parents
Parents who are unmarried also face the same legal custody, shared parenting, visitation, child support and other parenting issues as do parents who are married, with the exception that paternity must be established and is not presumed. These legal issues are resolved in the Juvenile Court where similar law and procedure apply. Whether you are the mother or father, parenting issues should not be resolved between the unmarried parents merely on an informal basis that is not legally binding.
Working for the Solution that is Right for Your Children
In the effort to serve the best interests of children, our courts put the burden of proof for sole custody on the parent who opposes a more equal arrangement or shared parenting. We have capably represented clients who needed to prove or disprove the presence of major factors — such as a pattern of child abuse or parental alienation — that may justify sole custody.
As with other major issues in a contested divorce or dissolution, we emphasize a rational, collaborative approach to resolving child custody wherever possible. We have found that recognizing that both parents will remain parents, even after restructuring the family, can go a long way in overcoming conflict.
If you would like to work with a proven lawyer who will help you make sound decisions and achieve your goals, please contact us today.
