If you have children and are getting a divorce, you will most likely need to work with the other parent on custody decisions. While this can be difficult, there are some steps you can take to make the process easier.

Here are 4 tips for co-parenting:

• Put your children first. Make decisions that are in your children’s best interests.
• Keep communication lines open. Good communication can avoid misunderstandings and keep your children from getting caught in the middle.
• Make documents accessible. Creating a shared document or file that both parents can access can help you quickly share all of the essential information about your children.
• Hire an experienced family-law attorney. Legal professionals familiar with child-custody issues are essential to ensuring a smooth co-parenting plan.

Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law, including: child custody, child support, divorce, spousal support, and Protection From Abuse (PFA). To speak with an experienced child custody attorney, call Spivak Law Firm as (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

When an ex falls behind on child support, some parents use it as an opportunity to refuse visitation. But, parents who refuse visitation when their ex owes child support may be held in contempt of court for violating the terms of the custody agreement.

It is important to understand that child support is not a fee that one parent pays to get access to the child. Rather, it is intended to prevent the child from being deprived of one parent’s income if that parent isn’t living with the child.

If you want to change the child-custody schedule, we recommend consulting an experienced family-law attorney.

At Spivak Law Firm, we aim to minimize the emotional and financial costs of child-custody litigation. To discuss the custody arrangement that best fits your family’s needs, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

In the past, divorce decrees offered children visits with their father every other weekend. But these visits were hardly enough to foster a father-child relationship.

Children who spend at least 35 percent of their time with each parent, rather than live with one and visit the other, have better relationships with their parents and do better academically, socially, and psychologically, according to more than 50 studies of joint physical custody.

Under Pennsylvania law, mothers and fathers may pursue shared custody schedules that allow for equal time with their children.

Spivak Law Firm helps parents assert their child-custody rights in Pittsburgh and all surrounding counties, including: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Washington County, and Westmoreland County.

To speak with an experienced child custody and family law attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

In the past, sole custody was usually given to the mother because of society’s ideas about gender roles. However, in today’s world, with the image of the mother as primary caregiver changing as more fathers take on active roles in child-raising, other kinds of custody arrangements have emerged.

To date, more than 25 states have introduced bills advocating for shared parenting over sole custody.

Proponents of shared parenting argue that it allows children to spend as close to equal time as possible with both parents without placing an overwhelming burden on the mother or alienating the father.

Spivak Law Firm handles all areas of family law, including: child custody, child support, divorce, spousal support, and Protection From Abuse (PFA). To speak with an experienced child-custody attorney, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.

A common issue in custody battles is when a parent intentionally attempts to alienate the children from the other parent. Trying to prove the alienation can be difficult and many judges are reluctant to allow children to testify in court.

Experts recognize the tragic impact serious alienation has on children, as the children may go on to have psychiatric disorders, failed relationships, and dysfunctional lives.

Spivak Law Firm helps parents assert their child-custody rights in Pittsburgh and all surrounding counties, including: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Washington County, and Westmoreland County.

You should not withhold your children from the other parent unless there is a true emergency. Instead, you may file a custody action and obtain an enforceable order of court.

An order of court establishing custody or visitation rights may always be modified for the best interests and welfare of the children.

Failure to comply with an order of court by withholding your children from the other parent could result in a contempt action. Sanctions against you may include makeup time for the other parent and paying their attorney fees.

To speak with an experienced child custody lawyer in Allegheny County, call Spivak Law Firm at (412) 344-4900 or toll free at (800) 545-9390.