Custody
Custody and parenting plans that fit a real week
A parenting plan decides where your children sleep, who signs the field-trip form and how Thanksgiving works. It should read like your family’s week, not a form.
I draft plans from the kids’ calendar out: school, practices, work shifts, the drive between houses. Then we write down how decisions get made, how the parents talk, and what happens when a plan stops working. Judges approve plans that are specific, and parents keep to them.
What a plan covers
A week-by-week schedule built from both parents’ work hours
Holidays, birthdays and summers written out year by year
Who decides school, health and activities, and how
Changes to an existing order when a job or a move changes everything
Fees
What a custody case costs here
Quoted in writing after the first meeting. Filing fees, any parenting class the court requires and a guardian ad litem’s fees, if one is appointed, are separate.
- Flat fee
Agreed parenting plan
Both parents agree on the basics. I draft the plan, revise it until it fits, and file it for the judge’s approval.
- Hourly, with a retainer
Disputed custody
The parents don’t agree. Billed by the hour against a retainer, including mediation and any hearing.
- Flat fee
Changing an order
An existing plan no longer fits. I draft the change and the petition; if the other parent agrees, that’s the whole fee.
What parents ask about custody
Will the judge ask my kids what they want?
Sometimes, depending on their ages and the court. Most of the time, a judge relies on the parents, the plan and anyone appointed to speak for the children.
Can I move with my children?
Usually not without notice to the other parent and, often, the court’s approval. Talk to a lawyer before you sign a lease or accept a job.
What if the other parent ignores the plan?
Write down each missed exchange. A few missed weekends can be worked out; a pattern can go back to the court.
Do fathers get equal time?
The law doesn’t favor either parent. Judges look at what each parent has done and can do for the children.
Start with the school calendar
Bring your work schedule and the kids’ school calendar to the first meeting. That’s where every plan starts.