DENVER CHILD CUSTODY LAWYERS

Child custody or visitation, as it is commonly known, is called “parenting time” in Colorado. Parenting time is the schedule of the days the parties’ children spend with each parent. In determining parenting time, the court looks to find the schedule that meets the best interests of the children. In doing so, the court looks to a number of factors, including:

1. The wishes of each parent
2. The child’s relationship with his or her parents
3. The child’s connection to his or her home, school and community
4. Whether the parents are able to encourage love, affection and contact with the other parent
5. Each parent’s past patterns of involvement with the child

While no one parenting time schedule is right for everyone, there are a number of commonly used fair and effective parenting time schedules. It is commonplace for courts to find children’s best interests are met by spending equal time, a “50/50” schedule, with each parent when both are capable of caring for their children.

As a parent, it can be difficult to determine if or when you need to hire an experienced child custody lawyer in Denver. You must remember that the ultimate goal of a child custody hearing is to serve the best interests of the child by determining the best child custody agreement for your specific situation. 

It’s important that parents remember to weigh the complexity of his or her case, as well as consider the attorney’s reputation before hiring a child custody attorney.

If a child custody agreement has already been established by the court in Colorado, whether as a result of a divorce or stand-alone custody case, you may have the option to modify the agreement. 

However, Colorado courts don’t freely allow post- decree modifications of child custody agreements. Parents must prove that modifications will benefit the child. 

Colorado doesn’t have joint or sole custody. Instead, Colorado uses the term, “parental responsibility”. This can either be joint or primary. 

If you equally share in overnight visitation with the child, you have joint parental responsibility. However, if a parent has less than 90 overnight visitations, Colorado delegates primary parental responsibility to the other parent. 

Colorado considers a number of factors when determining whether or not a parent is unfit. The courts don’t make this judgement base on generalizations. Instead, Denver courts look at the specifics surrounding your case and examine factors, such as: 

• physical or sexual abuse
• neglect
• serious bodily injury
• parent’s history of violence or sexual assault
• excessive use of alcohol
• parent’s involvement in previous cases of neglect, if any
• termination of parental rights in another state, if any
• parent’s mental or emotion illness, if any.