Tips for Preparing for Your Child Custody Case

Child custody is a legal term for the authority and care of children. While there is a vast difference between child custody and child support, the two are often confused. A court will have to decide who will have custody of a child, and then calculate child support payments.

The most common scenario in a child custody case is a separation and divorce. In that case, the court will most likely decide who will get custody of the child, who will have visitation, and what the visitation schedule will be. If the couple is still married, the court may make these decisions while the parties are still together. If the couple is no longer married, the court may decide the custody and visitation of the child, and then later calculate child support.

Because child custody decisions affect a child for years to come, it is important to make the best decisions possible for your child. However, you may be surprised at how little you know about the process of child custody.

Your first court appearance

Your first court appearance will probably be an initial hearing. This is the first time the court will take testimony about the case.

During this hearing, both parties will be asked to give evidence about who will be the primary caretaker of the child. If the child is older than six months, the court will also ask about the child’s wishes.

The judge will then issue an order about custody and visitation. That means that one party can have the right to custody of the child, but the other party can have visitation. The order will also set a visitation schedule.

If you are the parent who gets custody, you may have visitation with the child every other weekend. You may get more than one night during the week and every other weekend. The court will also set a date for the exchange of the child between the two parents.

Child support

The court will also decide who will pay child support. Child custody lawyer Houston child custody lawyer  is an amount that is set for a child’s care. The amount of child support is based on income and the number of children.

In a divorce, if the court determines that both parents can take care of the child, then the court will make a decision about what will be fair to the child. For example, the court may give the mother custody and the father child support.

In a divorce, if the court determines that only one parent can take care of the child, then the court will order the parent who has custody to pay child support.