If you are undergoing a divorce and child custody is an issue, you should do your best to prepare for the child custody hearing. If you are ill-prepared, you will not be able to present the best possible argument for your custody hearing. Whether you are looking to gain partial or full custody or have issues regarding child support payments, you need to prepare for the hearing.
An experienced attorney is a terrific resource for helping you prepare and support your arguments with evidence during the child custody hearing.
Gather Evidence
You always should have supporting evidence whenever you are preparing for any kind of legal hearing, including a child custody hearing. Your attorney can help you determine which kinds of evidence will support your argument and give you the best chance of obtaining what you seek from the hearing.
You should be prepared to present your financial records that show your earnings, savings, and financial investments. If any are available, you might want to have a witness speak on your behalf. The witness might include a clergy member, teacher, or another third party who could affirm that you are a good parent and have a close relationship with your children.
What to Expect During the Hearing?
You can expect the court will place an emphasis on the well-being of your children. Whichever parent is providing security and supervision stands the best chance of gaining custody.
If you are a working parent and want custody, the judge will need to know how you would provide supervision for your children while you are at work. If both parents are working, both will need to address the issue.
You will need to determine where you will live and must prepare to show how it is a safe environment. You also will have to show how you would pay for various child-rearing costs and provide transportation for school, medical appointments, and extracurricular activities.
Working Out Custody and Visitation Schedules
Unless one parent is unfit, you will likely have to share custody. You might be the parent who has primary custody, or you might be the one who has visitation rights.
Whatever the court decides, you will need to work out a custody schedule. The schedule should determine how often children will visit with the non-custodial parent and who will provide transportation.
You should also determine which dates are important, such as birthdays and special holidays, like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Rotating custody on the major holidays is often important to determine in advance.
West Chester Divorce Lawyers at Eckell Sparks Will Help You Prepare for Your Custody Hearing
If you are considering a divorce or are having issues with child custody, speak with one of our West Chester divorce lawyers at Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C. can help. You can call us at 610-565-3701 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation. Located in Media and West Chester, Pennsylvania, we represent clients in Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County.